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Culver City · Renting & eviction

Harassment and lockouts in Culver City

Culver City's own rules on harassment and lockouts, with the code text for every value, and the state law underneath.

Each rule below links to the section of the Culver City Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Culver City's code says

Culver City code What Culver City's code adds
Prohibited acts
  • Ending, not renewing, or otherwise forcing out a tenant mainly to retaliate, when the tenant is current on rent.
    Applies: Retaliatory eviction in residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    If the primary intent of the landlord in terminating a tenancy or refusing to renew a tenancy is retaliatory in nature, and if the tenant is not in default as to the payment of rent, then the landlord may not terminate the tenancy or refuse to renew the tenancy or otherwise cause the tenant to vacate the rental unit.
  • Bad-faith interrupting, ending or failing to provide required housing services.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Acting in bad faith, interrupt, terminate, or fail to provide housing services required by the rental agreement or by federal, state, county, or local housing, health, or safety laws;
  • Bad-faith failure to do required repairs and maintenance.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Acting in bad faith, fail to perform repairs and maintenance required by the rental agreement or by federal, state, county or local housing, health, or safety laws;
  • Abusing the landlord's right to access the unit.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Abuse the landlord's right of access into a rental unit as established and restricted by state law.
  • Repeatedly mistreating an occupant with language likely to cause fear or provoke violence.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Repeatedly mistreat an occupant of the rental unit during in-person conversations, through social media postings or messages, or other communications, with language that a reasonable person would consider likely to cause fear or provoke violence;
  • Influencing or trying to influence a tenant to leave through fraud, intimidation or coercion.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Influence or attempt to influence a tenant to vacate a rental unit through fraud, intimidation or coercion, which shall include but is not limited to threatening to report a tenant to the United States Department of Homeland Security;
  • Threatening an occupant with physical harm by word or gesture.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Threaten an occupant of the rental unit, by word or gesture, with physical harm;
  • Knowingly and intentionally violating laws against discrimination based on protected characteristics.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Knowingly and intentionally violate any law which prohibits discrimination against the tenant based on race, gender, sexual preference, sexual orientation, ethnic background, nationality, religion, age, parenthood, marriage, pregnancy, disability, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), occupancy by a minor child, or source of income;
  • Sexual demands, severe or pervasive unwelcome sexual conduct, or other actions that create a hostile environment.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Make a sexual demand on a tenant in order for the tenant to obtain needed maintenance on the rental unit, or to obtain a rent concession or additional housing services, or to avoid an eviction, or make other quid pro quo sexual demands on a tenant;
  • Taking action to end a tenancy based on facts without reasonable cause or on an untenable legal theory.
    Applies: For residential rental units; liability for a court case to retake the unit requires that case ending in the tenant's favor.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Take action to terminate any tenancy, including serving any notice of termination or bringing any action to recover possession of a rental unit, based upon facts which the landlord has no reasonable cause to believe to be true or upon a legal theory which the landlord knows is untenable under the facts known to the landlord.
  • Removing belongings, furnishings or other items without the tenant's prior written consent.
    Applies: For residential rental units; except when enforcing a legal termination of tenancy.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Remove from the rental unit personal property, furnishings, or any other items without the prior written consent of the tenant, except pursuant to enforcement of a legal termination of tenancy;
  • Offering payment to move out more often than once every 6 months.
    Applies: For residential rental units; after the tenant has told the landlord in writing they want no more offers.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Offer payments to a tenant to vacate, including the offer of a buyout agreement under § 15.09.335, more frequently than once every six months, after the tenant has notified the landlord in writing that the tenant does not desire to receive further offers of payments to vacate;
  • Pressuring a tenant to move out with payment offers that come with threats or intimidation.
    Applies: For residential rental units; good-faith settlement offers without threats in a pending eviction case are not covered.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Attempt to coerce a tenant to vacate with offers of payment to vacate, including offers of a buyout agreement under § 15.09.335, which are accompanied with threats or intimidation.
  • Refusing to acknowledge a rent payment made during the tenancy as the lease requires.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Refuse to acknowledge receipt of a tenant's rent payment made during the term of the tenancy and in accordance with the rental agreement;
  • Not cashing a rent check for more than 30 days.
    Applies: For residential rental units; the check covers rent during the tenancy and follows the lease.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Refuse to cash a rent check for over 30 days when the check is given to cover rent during the term of the tenancy and in accordance with the rental agreement;
  • Requesting or releasing protected tenant information in violation of privacy rights.
    Applies: For residential rental units; except as the law requires or allows, and Social Security number requests to check tenancy qualifications.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Request information that violates a tenant's right to privacy including, but not limited to, residency or citizenship status, protected class status, or social security number, except as required by law
  • Violating a tenant's privacy in the rental unit.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Violate a tenant's right to privacy in the rental unit, including but not limited to, entering, photographing, or video recording portions of a rental unit that are beyond the scope of an authorized entry or inspection;
  • Interfering with a tenant's right to quiet use and enjoyment of the unit.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Interfere with a tenant's right to quiet use and enjoyment of a rental unit as that right is defined by state law;
  • Other acts or omissions causing, likely or meant to cause a lawful occupant to vacate, surrender or waive occupancy rights.
    Applies: For residential rental units.
    § 15.09.345 · code text
    Other acts or omissions that cause, are likely to cause, or are intended to cause any person lawfully entitled to occupancy of a rental unit to vacate such rental unit or to surrender or waive any rights in relation to such occupancy;

The California rule underneath

Where Culver City's rule above does not cover a situation, state law still applies. For the statewide rule on its own, see Tenant harassment and lockouts in California.

CA state law The statewide rule underneath
Lockouts and self-help eviction banned
A landlord may not change locks, remove doors or windows, or remove the tenant's belongings to force a tenant out
Utility shutoffs banned
A landlord may not cut off water, heat, electricity, gas or other utilities to force a tenant out
Lockout / shutoff penalty
Actual damages plus up to $100 per day of violation, at least $250 per cause of action, and attorney's fees

Who this affects

TenantsLandlordsProperty managers

General information, not legal advice.

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