Joseph Tobener is a partner at Tobener Ravenscroft. An attorney for more than fifteen years, Mr. Tobener draws on his specialized tenant law expertise to provide caring, easy-to-understand, and aggressive assistance to a diverse clientele. He has represented thousands of Bay Area residents on tenant law issues and earned millions on behalf of his clients. He has appeared on KALW and KQED and was featured in the SF Bay Guardian, the Daily Journal, and California Lawyer. Cases he has successfully litigated have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, Reuters, and Wired. His clients have included countless lawyers, high-tech executives, mobile home residents, the San Francisco Tenants Union, and several art collectives. One of his passions is working to preserve artist live/work housing. He also worked for Home Base, a homelessness law nonprofit and has been an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University and UC Hastings. The firm is dedicated to employee activism, and sponsors each of its lawyers to volunteer weekly in the community at housing rights nonprofits, donating nearly 500 attorney hours each year.
EDUCATION
JD, UC Hastings College of Law MS, San Francisco State University BA, University of California, Los Angeles
With COVID-19 court closures, you can now strategically apply your security deposit to the last few months of rent, and the landlord cannot do anything about it. Historically, landlords could evict with a three-day notice if tenants tried to apply their deposit to rent. This eviction would then go on a tenant’s record. This has all […] Read More
Many residential and commercial tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic need to end long-term leases. This guide will show tenants how to break a lease without paying any additional rent to a landlord. Read More
Landlords who coerce their tenants into “sex-for-rent” arrangements existed before the coronavirus, but the current pandemic has produced an opportunity for them to take advantage of cash-strapped tenants. Read More
Having knowledge about foreclosures and what laws protect your tenancy helps you stay in your home during and after this process – FAQs, Guides and Resources. Read More
If you’re in the 30% of Americans who cannot pay rent because of the pandemic, this guide provides a step-by-step guide to stay housed. Because the courts will be unable to process evictions until September 2020 at the earliest, there is simply no way for a landlord to evict a tenant who is not paying […] Read More
In 2017, the City of Santa Cruz adopted a temporary freeze of certain rent increases in hopes of alleviating exorbitant increases, and it adopted a temporary just cause for eviction ordinance to prevent unjust evictions—both laws have since expired. After the expiration of these laws, a Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act was placed on […] Read More
The City of Santa Monica has a long history of strong tenant protections. Santa Monica’s rent control and eviction control laws were enacted in 1979. And, almost a decade ago, eviction protections were extended to non-rent controlled properties. Santa Monica has also adopted an anti-harassment law, amended its relocation assistance ordinance, and adopted many anti-discrimination […] Read More
The Town of Fairfax is one of the most recent places to put into place additional protections for its renters. In 2019, the town adopted a just cause for eviction ordinance and a mandatory mediation ordinance for certain rent increases. Town of Fairfax Just Cause For Eviction Ordinance Effective March 6, 2019, landlords may […] Read More
As a renter, you have certain rights granted by state law and your lease. Signing a lease on a new apartment is usually a positive experience. Like all properties, though, rental units have the potential to come with common problems such as noisy neighbors, property damage, or even mistreatment or discrimination from your landlord. When any of […] Read More
After losing friends and loved ones in the Oakland fire that killed 36 people, many artists living in the city’s warehouse communities fear a coming crackdown on the roll-your-own spaces that they call home — but may not be legal housing. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Why-Oakland-warehouse-fire-could-cause-more-to-10784722.php Read More
Joseph Tobener is a partner at Tobener Ravenscroft. An attorney for more than fifteen years, Mr. Tobener draws on his specialized tenant law expertise to provide caring, easy-to-understand, and aggressive assistance to a diverse clientele. He has represented thousands of Bay Area residents on tenant law issues and earned millions on behalf of his clients. He has appeared on KALW and KQED and was featured in the SF Bay Guardian, the Daily Journal, and California Lawyer. Cases he has successfully litigated have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, Reuters, and Wired. His clients have included countless lawyers, high-tech executives, mobile home residents, the San Francisco Tenants Union, and several art collectives. One of his passions is working to preserve artist live/work housing. He also worked for Home Base, a homelessness law nonprofit and has been an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University and UC Hastings. The firm is dedicated to employee activism, and sponsors each of its lawyers to volunteer weekly in the community at housing rights nonprofits, donating nearly 500 attorney hours each year.