Toolkit v1 · California

Fight a retaliatory landlord.

California tenant toolkit, v1. Four free assets that turn a vague set of complaints into a documented record your landlord, a court, or a legal aid attorney can work from.

Drawing on direct lived experience defending against retaliatory housing actions in California 2024 through 2026.

Free downloads · ready to use

DOCX · Microsoft Word Habitability Notice Template Template letter to a landlord under California Civil Code section 1942.4. Bracketed placeholders. Ready to fill in. Pre-cites the statutory cure-period framework. Download › XLSX · Excel spreadsheet 1942.4 Cure-Period Tracker Auto-calculates the 35-day cure window for every notice you serve. Flags when section 1942.4 damages and fee-shifting become available. Pre-populated with the standard California defect categories. Download › PDF · 2 pages Retaliatory-Eviction Defense Outline Plain-English explanation of the section 1942.5 retaliation defense, the 180-day presumption, and the penalty framework. Cites Banuelos, Glaser, Western Land Office, Vella, and the warranty-of-habitability line of cases. Download › Interactive tool Respond, file UD answer, sue, or all three? Four questions, four outcomes. Routes you from a vague situation to a concrete next-step recommendation. No tracking. No email required. Open the decision tree ›

Why this exists

Most California tenants who get hit with a retaliatory eviction notice do not lose because they were wrong on the law. They lose because they never put their complaints in writing, never calendared the 35-day cure window, and never realized they had three parallel tracks open at once. This toolkit closes that gap. Free, no email gate on the downloads, no tracking pixels.

Notified when v2 ships

v2 adds: a rent-and-no-cause-eviction decision tree, a Section 8 / HUD-VASH overlay, a city-specific rent-stabilization quick-reference for Los Angeles and Santa Monica, and printable proof-of-service forms.

One email when v2 ships. No spam, no tracking. Your address is rate-limited.

Educational only. Not legal advice. These materials are general information about California law as of 2026. They do not account for facts specific to your case, your local ordinances, or any recent statutory amendments. Using or downloading these documents does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone. For complex matters consult a licensed California attorney or a qualified legal aid organization. Free or low-cost legal help in California includes: California Courts Self-Help, LA County Self-Help Center, LAFLA, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Public Counsel, and your local bar association referral service.