SueEasy - A LegalForce Law Firm

California eviction defense

Served with eviction papers, we'll help you answer before your deadline expires

SueEasy checks your notice for common problems, prepares your official court answer, and gets everything ready to file, starting at $199.

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Eviction lawsuit risks

What's at stake in an unlawful detainer case

You could lose without ever speaking

If you don't answer in time, the landlord can win automatically. No hearing, no chance to explain what happened.

The lockout can happen fast

Once a judgment is entered, a sheriff can post a notice to leave in as little as five days, then the lockout follows.

It can follow you for years

An eviction can make renting again much harder. Answer in time, and it stays hidden from public view for 60 days.

Notice served
We start by checking it for problems the moment you upload it

Eviction answer pricing

What it costs to answer an eviction lawsuit

Prepare

$0

Start free, see everything before you pay

  • Full guided intake
  • Notice checked for common problems
  • Defenses that may apply to your case
  • Draft answer preview
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Priced by case size, set automatically

File it yourself

$199-$1,299

Priced by how much is at stake in your case

  • Rent or damages claimed under $12,500: $199
  • Rent or damages claimed $12,500-$35,000: $699
  • Rent or damages claimed over $35,000: $1,299
  • Complete answer, ready to file
  • Court fee collected in one checkout
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Add-on

Add attorney review

+$1,000-$1,500

Extra confidence, priced by case size

  • Everything in File it yourself
  • Licensed CA attorney review
  • Revisions before filing
  • Attorney files on your behalf
Add an attorney

The court also charges its own filing fee, $225 to $435 depending on the amount at stake in your case, paid separately to the clerk. This covers preparing and filing your answer. It's not legal representation unless you add attorney review, and we won't appear in court on your behalf.

Answering an eviction notice

From eviction notice to a filed answer

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Tell us what's going on

A few plain questions about your notice, your lease, and what happened. This is also where we help you understand exactly how much time you actually have, since eviction deadlines are easy to miscount.

  • Your time starts the day after you're served, not the day itself
  • Weekends and court holidays don't count, so 10 days is usually about 3 weeks
  • If someone else at your home was served for you, you likely get 5 extra days
  • Papers just taped to your door without a judge's approval may not count as valid at all
  • Already past your deadline? Check with the court first, sometimes nothing's happened yet and you can still respond

We draft your answer

Your official court answer gets filled out properly, using the exact form the court expects, not a generic downloaded template. We match your facts against the defenses that actually fit, an invalid notice, unsafe living conditions, retaliation, or a landlord who accepted rent after giving notice, so nothing you could raise gets left out by accident.

You file it in time

We tell you exactly which county court it goes to, how to properly serve the landlord's attorney, and what a conformed, stamped copy is, since that's your proof you responded on time. Missing a filing detail here can bounce back even a well-written answer.

Your eviction notice

Was your eviction notice done right

Most eviction cases are built entirely on this one piece of paper. If it's wrong, the whole case can fall apart.

Common mistakes landlords make

  • Asking for the wrong amount of rent
  • Adding in late fees or other charges that aren't rent
  • Not clearly saying where or how to pay
  • Counting the days wrong, or skipping a reason when one's required

Reasons you might have a real defense

  • The place wasn't safe or livable, no heat, mold, pests, and similar problems
  • Your landlord came after you right after you complained about something
  • Your landlord accepted rent after already giving you the notice
  • You tried to pay in full and were turned away
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If the eviction goes to judgment

If your eviction case doesn't go your way

A notice to leave

Once judgment is entered, the sheriff posts a notice giving you five more days before the locks actually change.

Sometimes a little more time

Courts occasionally grant a short extension if you can show real hardship, though it's usually days rather than weeks.

A bill you still owe

Unpaid rent and costs can turn into a judgment that follows you for years, reaching into your paycheck or bank account.

But it doesn't have to end this way, settle instead

Many cases end with an agreed move-out date instead of a full trial, sometimes with the back rent forgiven. This usually means the case gets dismissed, which protects your record the same way winning would. The best time to work this out is before anything's been decided against you, not after.

Eviction answer FAQs

Unlawful detainer questions, answered

Is my California eviction response deadline ten business days or ten court days?
Court days, which excludes judicial holidays as well as weekends. In a month with a court holiday, the two counts differ, and that difference has ended cases for defendants who miscounted.
Does the day I was served with an eviction notice count toward my deadline?
No. The count starts the following day, not the day you were served.
My landlord filed an eviction without giving me any notice first, does that matter?
Then say exactly that in your answer. A valid pre-filing notice is generally a prerequisite to an unlawful detainer, and its absence is a real defense to the entire action.
I paid part of the rent after an eviction notice, does that help my case?
It can. A landlord who accepts rent after serving a notice generally waives that notice for the period it covers. Partial payments have complicated effects depending on timing, so keep every receipt and bank record.
Can my landlord shut off utilities or change the locks instead of filing an eviction?
No. Self-help eviction, meaning a landlord changing your locks, removing your door, or shutting off utilities like water or electricity without a court order, is unlawful in California and carries its own statutory penalties. If this is happening to you, treat it as a separate and urgent claim on its own.
Can I be evicted in California for having a guest, a pet, or an extra roommate?
Depends on your lease and your local ordinance. A breach of covenant eviction requires a proper notice and, in just-cause jurisdictions, usually a genuine opportunity to fix the problem first.
What is AB 1482, and does California's Tenant Protection Act cover my eviction?
AB 1482 is the Tenant Protection Act. It caps annual rent increases and requires just cause for ending a tenancy after twelve months, with exemptions including most single-family homes owned by individuals where proper notice of exemption was given, and buildings built within the last fifteen years. Local ordinances may be stricter, and they generally control where they exist.
Does a California eviction case affect my credit score?
Not directly, since evictions aren't reported to credit bureaus. A money judgment for back rent can be pursued through collections and reported that way, and tenant screening reports are the real exposure to worry about.
Can I get my filing fee back after winning my eviction case?
If you prevail, costs are generally recoverable. Fee waivers can also sometimes be reimbursed to the court out of a recovery, rather than becoming a debt you owe personally.
How long does a contested California eviction take, from filing to lockout?
Uncontested, roughly 30 to 45 days from filing to lockout. Contested, typically two to three months. Complex cases involving a jury demand can run longer still.
My landlord wants me to sign something at the courthouse, should I?
Don't sign anything at a courthouse without reading it and understanding exactly what it is, whether it's a dismissal, where the case ends with nothing decided against you, or a stipulated judgment, where you're formally agreeing that you lost. Those two documents can look similar and mean opposite things. Ask for time, and ask to speak with the self-help center.
I plan to move anyway, do I still need to respond to the eviction?
Yes, if you care about your rental record. Defaulting makes the case public after 60 days. Answering and negotiating a dismissal usually keeps it from becoming public. That difference will shape your next several rental applications.

SueEasy is a self-help legal technology product built by LegalForce RAPC Worldwide, P.C. Using SueEasy does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not provide legal advice. You are not represented by an attorney unless you hire one. If you are at risk of losing your home, legal aid and your court's self-help center may be able to help at no cost.