Ending a Tenancy in California: Notices and the Eviction Process

The Notices That Start the Process

• 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. Used when rent is unpaid. The three days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and judicial holidays. The notice must state the amount due and the name, phone number, and address of the person to pay, plus the usual days and hours for in-person payment, or bank or electronic payment details in their place. It can be served any time within one year after the rent was due.
• 3-day notice to perform or quit. Used for a lease violation the tenant can fix. If the tenant cures it within three days, the tenancy continues. For covered tenancies, a curable violation must get this chance to cure before a notice to quit can follow.
• 3-day notice to quit. Used for violations that cannot be cured, such as an unlawful sublet, waste, nuisance, or illegal use of the property.
• 30-day or 60-day notice. Ends a month-to-month tenancy: 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than one year, 60 days if one year or more. After 12 months, most tenancies also need a just cause stated in the notice, and in Oxnard and Ojai that starts after 30 days.

No one may charge a tenant a fee for serving, posting, or delivering any of these notices.

Just Cause and SB 567

Under California’s Tenant Protection Act, once a tenant has lived in a covered home for 12 months, the owner needs a just cause and must state it in the notice. At-fault causes include unpaid rent, a lease violation that was not cured, nuisance, and criminal activity on the property. No-fault causes include an owner move-in, withdrawing the property from the rental market, and a substantial remodel. Some homes are exempt, as explained in our AB 1482 guide.

SB 567 tightened the no-fault rules on April 1, 2024:

• Owner move-in. The person moving in must be the owner, or the owner’s spouse, domestic partner, child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent. They must move in within 90 days after the tenant leaves and live there for at least 12 months in a row. For leases signed since July 1, 2020, the lease must allow an owner move-in or the tenant must agree in writing, and it is not allowed if a similar unit on the property is vacant or the person already lives there. The owner generally must hold at least a 25% interest. The notice must name them, state their relationship to the owner, and tell the tenant they can ask for proof. If they do not move in or stay, the owner must offer the home back to the tenant at the same rent and terms and cover moving costs beyond the relocation already paid.
• Substantial remodel. The work must replace or substantially modify a structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical system and need a permit, or be hazardous material abatement, and it must require the tenant to be out for at least 30 days in a row. Cosmetic work does not qualify. The notice must describe the work and how long it will take, include a copy of the permits (or the signed contract for abatement work that needs no permit), and give the statutory notice of the tenant’s right to return. Demolition follows the same rules.
• Relocation assistance. Under state law, every no-fault termination requires one month of rent, either paid within 15 days of serving the notice or waived in writing from the final month before it comes due. The notice must explain this right.

A notice that does not strictly follow these rules is void, and an owner who recovers a home in violation of them can owe actual damages, attorney’s fees, and up to three times damages for willful violations.

Local rules in Ventura County. Two cities replace parts of the state rules with stricter ones. In Oxnard and in Ojai, just cause applies once a tenant has lived in the home for 30 days, and a no-fault termination requires relocation of two months’ rent or $5,000, whichever is greater. Owner move-ins also need an affidavit filed with the city. In the City of Ventura, a tenancy ended for a substantial remodel or demolition requires two months’ rent in relocation and copies of the permits with the notice. We check the city rules before any notice is served.

The Court Process in Ventura County

If the tenant does not pay, fix the violation, or move out, the owner files an unlawful detainer case with the Ventura County Superior Court. Since January 1, 2025, the tenant has 10 days to respond to the summons, not counting weekends and judicial holidays, plus five more court days if it was served by mail. Once either side asks for a trial date, the trial must be held within 20 days. If the owner wins, the court issues a writ of possession, the Sheriff posts it at the property, and the Sheriff can remove occupants who are still there after five days.

A new defense took effect on January 1, 2026: in a case over unpaid rent, a tenant whose Social Security benefits were delayed, interrupted, reduced, or stopped by federal action can ask the court to pause the case for up to six months. If the tenant then pays in full or agrees to a payment plan, the case is dismissed and the tenancy continues. This defense runs until January 2029.

What Owners Must Never Do

California bans self-help evictions. An owner may not shut off utilities, change the locks, remove doors or windows, or take the tenant’s belongings to force a move-out. The penalty is actual damages plus up to $100 for each day of the violation, at least $250 for each violation, and the tenant’s attorney’s fees. The only lawful way to remove a tenant who will not leave is the court process.

Related Guides

• AB 1482: Rent Cap and Just Cause
• Entry and Rent Increase Notices
• Oxnard Rent Stabilization and Registry
• AB 2801: Photo Documentation Law
• Breaking a Lease in California

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