Tenants often have group claims against their landlords. We have filed 100s of group claims on behalf of tenants. We take these cases on contingency, meaning the tenants do not pay anything until an award is recovered. As the largest tenant law firm in California, we have the capacity and experience to represent large groups of tenants. We have a 99% success rate and have recovered more than $50 million on behalf of tenants.
If you feel that you have a tenant class action lawsuit, please call one of our tenant lawyers.
Group tenant lawsuits that we have filed include:
Where an owner has failed to repair on entire building, we will file a lawsuit on behalf of the tenants living in the building. We bring claims for repair issues in the common areas and in each unit. Common area repair issues include security issues, filth, sewage overflows, electrical issues, and management harassment and discrimination. Issues typically seen in individual units include no heat, bed bugs, water leaks, mold, rats, lack of hot water, cockroaches, and plumbing problems.
Multi-Unit Repair Case in Oakland – $1,000,000
Settlement for a group of fifteen tenants living in a dilapidated building in Oakland after their landlord harassed and retaliated against them for making repair requests for mold, water leaks, broken security gates, and broken laundry facilities.
Nuisance neighbor
Often groups of tenants are affected by a problem tenant. We have litigated on behalf of multiple units who have suffered for years because of nuisance. We have seen neighbors who are racist, sexist, harassing, obnoxious, loud, and violent.
Multi-Units Affected by Nuisance Neighbor in San Francisco — $750,000
Settlement in a case where tenants were being affected by Airbnb related nuisance, including late-night parties, excessive trash, and security breaches.
Wrongful Evictions From Multiple Units
Landlords who force tenants out illegally can be held liable for wrongful eviction. We have represented tenants from multiple units in wrongful eviction lawsuits against landlords. Any substantial interference with a tenancy can be a constructive eviction or wrongful eviction. Landlords force groups of tenants out with things like building-wide construction, illegal eviction notices without cause, failure to repair, harassment and discrimination, and lockouts.
Multi-Unit Wrongful Eviction Case in Oakland — $850,000
Settlement for families illegally forced out of a three-unit building in Oakland.
Mobile Home Failure to Maintain Actions
We have represented 1000s of mobile home tenants to fight park owners for park-wide repair issues, illegal rent increases, park manager harassment and discrimination, illegal evictions, and nuisance neighbors. Mobile home parks that are not taken care of by park owners often have problems with potholes, sewage overflows, flooding, dilapidated or closed common areas, like pools, laundry and clubhouses, crime, electrical outages, poor water pressure, and nuisance neighbors.
Multi-space Mobile Home Park Case in Sonoma County — $1,200,000
Settlement for group of fifty mobile home residents who suffered with black, oily water, park flooding, sewage leaks, broken fences, open ditches, and rats.
Illegal Units and warehouse Actions
We have litigated cases on behalf of tenant groups living in illegal and unwarranted units, such as in-law units, cottages, granny units, warehouses, and commercial spaces. Tenants who have been forced out of units that do not have certificates of occupancy often have claims for wrongful eviction and failure to repair.
Multi-unit Warehouse Fire Case in San Francisco — $1,050,000
Settlement for a group of tenants who resided in a warehouse in San Francisco and were forced out by a fire rendered the units uninhabitable.
Our office will organize the tenants. Tenant class action lawsuits typically begin with one or two tenants contacting our office. If appropriate, we then involve other tenants by hosting a group meeting to discuss tenant rights. Typically, we will circulate fliers and host the meeting at our office or at another location convenient for the tenants.
If you have a group of tenants who want to file a tenant class action lawsuit, please contact our tenant lawyers today at 415-504-2165.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tenant class action?
A tenant class action is a lawsuit brought by a group of tenants against a landlord where the tenants’ claims arise out of the same conduct, practices, or conditions and are typical of the claims of the class.
Who can be part of a tenant class action?
A class action is appropriate where the landlord’s conduct has impacted a group of tenants such that the claims, defenses, or legal issues are sufficiently similar that a class representative can fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.
What types of issues may lead to tenant class actions?
Common issues include widespread failure to repair or maintain buildings, harassment, illegal eviction practices, and other systematic violations of tenants’ rights that affect multiple tenants in a similar way.
Can nuisance neighbor claims form the basis of a class action?
Yes. If multiple tenants experience the same harmful conditions—such as noise, smoke, or other disturbances—and the landlord fails to address those conditions, tenants may pursue a class action for nuisance or related claims.
Can mobile home residents bring class actions?
Yes. Tenants in mobile home parks who are subjected to unfair practices, unsafe conditions, or widespread violations of their rights may pursue a class action against the park owner.
What kinds of harms are addressed in tenant class actions?
Harms may include failure to maintain safe and habitable premises, discrimination, breach of lease terms, retaliation, and other wrongful conduct affecting a group of tenants in similar ways.
How does a tenant class action begin?
Typically, one or more tenants contact an attorney to discuss their claims, and if the attorney determines that class action criteria may be met, the attorney will investigate and seek class certification from a court.
Do tenants in a class action need to pay upfront fees to join?
In many tenant class actions, attorneys represent tenants on a contingency basis, meaning tenants do not pay upfront fees and only pay legal costs if the case is successful.
What is required for a court to certify a tenant class action?
To certify a class action, the court must find that the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; there are common questions of law or fact; the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the class; and the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.
What remedies are possible in a tenant class action?
Remedies in a class action may include monetary damages, injunctive relief requiring a landlord to change practices or repair conditions, and attorney fees, depending on the nature of the claims and the relief sought.
