Legal Resources for Tenants


Resources in your community.......

Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
www.legalaidsmc.org

521 E. 5th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94402
800-381-8898

Provides high quality civil legal services to low-income children, families and seniors. Serving over 2300 people last year, and helping another 4000 people find the right resource, Legal Aid's mission is to be a source of legal advice, representation and education in our community, so that everyone will have access to justice. Legal Aid provides legal assistance on health care issues, domestic violence, family law, government benefits, disability issues, and small business development. Housing-related programs include HomeSavers, which helps tenants who are having problems with their landlords, and HomeBuilders, which works to promote the development of more affordable housing.

La Raza Centro Legal
www.lrcl.org

866-4-LARAZA (toll free)

Provides bilingual legal services and lawyer referral, but only in South San Francisco.

Bay Area Legal Aid, San Mateo County Regional Office
www.baylegal.org

2287 So. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403
650-358-0745           800-551-5554

Provides free legal assistance with eviction defense, landlord-tenant disputes, housing discrimination, and creation and preservation of affordable housing. Services are available to very low-income clients in San Mateo County and throughout the Bay Area.


Lawyer Referral Service, San Mateo County Bar Association
www.smcba.org/community/lrs.htm

For a nominal fee, the staff arranges an appointment with an attorney.

650-369-4149


Northern California Senior Legal Hotline
www.seniorlegalhotline.org

If you are over 60 in Northern California, you can get free legal advice on any issue or more information about these programs from the Senior Legal Hotline.

515 12th St, Sacramento, CA 95814
916-551-2140 in Sacramento            800-222-1753 toll-free in Northern California
9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday; until 7:30 p.m. Thursdays

 

Small Claims Mediation Program
www.sanmateocourt.org/director.php?filename=./adr/smallclaims/index.html

650-573-3907

This program provides on-site mediation services. If a case settles in mediation, the court will not proceed with the small claims hearing, but rather will note in the court file that the parties reached a mediated settlement.

Small Claims Court
www.sanmateocourt.org/director.php?filename=./smallclaims/index.html

Northern Branch (S. San Francisco) 877-5775
Central Branch (San Mateo) 573-2605
Southern Branch (Redwood City) 363-4303



Resources on the web.......
California Courts Self-Help Center 
www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp


This site offers no legal advice, but links to sites on finding legal help and learning California landlord/tenant law. Free and low-cost help in Landlord/Tenant matters. Landlord/Tenant links. Eviction information and forms.

NOLO Press
www.nolo.com/encyclopedia/lt_ency.html


Self-help for landlords and tenants. Includes Ten Tips for Being a Successful Landlord; Landlord-Tenant Dispute Resolution FAQ; Leases and Rental Agreements FAQ; Tenant Selection FAQ; Housing Rights of Disabled Tenants; Rent FAQ; Security Deposit FAQ; Repairs and Maintenance FAQ; Tenants' Right to Privacy; Landlord Liability FAQs; Evictions; Landlord-Tenant Legal Codes for 50 States.

California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
www.calpirg.org/

(Click on Consumer Program)

Federal, state and local information on: security deposits, eviction process, maintenance & repairs, rental payments & insurance. Provides links to further assistance.

U.C. Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies, California Local Codes & Charters
www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/calcodes.html

Codes and charters of California cities and towns.

California State Laws
www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

Keyword search of all 29 codes of California State law. Texts of codes available.