Landlord-tenant attorneys
Kimball, Tirey & St. John
Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP is a California law firm representing owners and property managers in landlord/tenant and business real estate matters. It has offices in San Diego, Irvine, Los Angeles, Concord, Elk Grove and Fresno, and says many of its attorneys are property managers themselves.
The practice groups are landlord tenant law, business real estate, a collection division, fair housing and estate planning. The landlord/tenant work runs through notices, unlawful detainer actions and the procedural detail that decides them: which notice applies to an employee occupying a unit, whether a three-day notice voids a sixty-day notice, and what belongs in a security deposit disposition statement.
A large part of what the firm publishes is education. It runs seminars, online training and webinars, publishes legal alerts, articles and a monthly landlord/tenant questions-and-answers column, maintains an educational materials library and industry links, and sells its own KTS Residential Lease and forms through an online shop. The firm also says it takes an active part in state and local legislative matters and participates in real estate industry associations.
Each office has its own intake number: San Diego on 800-338-6039, Irvine on 800-564-6611, Los Angeles on 800-577-4587, Concord on 800-525-1690 and Elk Grove on 844-239-7948. Fees are not published, and the firm notes that material on its site is general information, not legal advice.
Best for
California apartment and rental owners or managers who need evictions handled at volume, fair housing defense, or a compliant California lease form and staff training. California only.
What they do
- Landlord/tenant representation and unlawful detainer actions
- Fair housing defense
- Debt collection division
- Business and real estate transactions
- Estate planning
- Seminars, webinars and online training for owners and managers
- KTS Residential Lease and landlord forms
- Legal alerts and monthly landlord/tenant Q&A
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Other offices | Irvine, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Concord, CA, Elk Grove, CA, Fresno, CA |
What stands out
- Offices in San Diego, Irvine, Los Angeles, Concord, Elk Grove and Fresno, California, each with its own intake number
- Publishes a monthly landlord/tenant questions-and-answers column plus legal alerts and articles
- Sells its own California residential lease and forms and runs seminars, webinars and online training
- Says it takes an active part in state and local legislative matters and in real estate industry associations
Common questions
- Can a landlord deduct the value of their own labor from a security deposit?
- Yes. The firm states it is not illegal to deduct for your own labor, provided you charge a reasonable hourly rate and state the description of the work completed, the time spent and the hourly rate in the security deposit disposition statement.
- Does California require interest on a tenant's security deposit?
- There are currently no state laws requiring that interest be paid on a tenant's security deposit, although the firm notes this is under discussion at the state level. Some rent control and other local ordinances do require it, so the firm advises reviewing local law.
- If a tenant moves out after a three-day notice, do they still owe rent?
- Yes. The tenant remains liable for the rent until the lease expires, minus amounts the landlord could collect by making reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit to a replacement tenant, even if the tenant vacated in response to a three-day notice.
- Should an adult child living in a unit sign the rental agreement?
- The firm advises having everyone 18 years of age or older complete an application and sign the rental agreement, including a tenant's child who has just turned 18.