California 501(c)(3) Non-profit
Help responding to your Unlawful Detainer (eviction) Summons.
Tenant Eviction Defense is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization that assists tenants in Southern California who have been served with an Unlawful Detainer Summons, or who received a Notice of Unlawful Detainer in the mail from the Court.
We help tenants who need more time in their homes to save money and relocate, and who want to protect their records from an eviction judgment.
After service of the Unlawful Detainer Summons you may only have as few as 10 court days to file your response with the court to prevent a default judgment for eviction. Call our office to take the steps to assert your rights and continue living in your home.
Help for tenants
Learn about the Unlawful Detainer (eviction) process and your rights under the law to make the best informed decision for your circumstances.
Contact our office to discuss your case
Call our office at (657) 510-6534 to discuss your eviction case. Provide photos or scans of your Unlawful Detainer Summons or Notice of Unlawful Detainer by email to: intake@tenantevictiondefense.org for review.
We prepare and file your documents
We reserve your hearing with the court, research the civil codes and case precedents that support your defenses, prepare your documents and provide them to you for your approval and signature. After collecting the signed documents from you we submit them for filing with the court.
Provide file confirmation and discuss your Action Plan
We provide you with copies of your court filed documents and the Court Filing Confirmation receipt. Afterwards, we reconvene to discuss the next steps involved in your eviction case.
Our flat fees
Our Non-profit Program Fees are transparent and affordable.
100% of the revenue from our Non-profit Program Fees is reinvested in our charitable mission, funding the operating costs to provide our services. No portion is distributed to any individual.
Most tenants start here
Demurrer
$250
Respond to service of the Unlawful Detainer Summons by attacking procedural mistakes made by the plaintiff. A hearing, instead of a trial, will be held 7 to 10 days after filing the demurrer. If the demurrer succeeds the case may be dismissed at the hearing and the property owner must start the eviction process over from the beginning.
Response
Answer to complaint
$150
Professionally and effectively raise your affirmative defenses against the allegations within the Unlawful Detainer (eviction) Complaint. Position yourself to defend against the case, or negotiate more favorable terms with the property owner.
What to expect after you file
In most circumstances, tenants who use our service will first file a Motion for Demurrer. The filing of a Motion for Demurrer protects you from entry for default judgment and a subsequent Sheriff's Lockout, and protects continued possession of your residence.
After filing the Motion for Demurrer, a hearing is held 7 to 10 days later. There are three potential outcomes to the hearing on the demurrer:
- The case may be dismissed, or
- The plaintiff may be ordered to amend, refile, and re-serve you with the Unlawful Detainer Summons and Complaint, or
- The demurrer may be overruled, in which case the judge will order that you file an Answer to the complaint within 5 days of the hearing.
Our objective is always to have the case dismissed at the demurrer hearing in order to extend the eviction proceedings as long as possible. If the case is dismissed at the hearing, the property owner must begin the eviction process over again from the point of issuing a new Notice (such as a Three-Day Notice, Thirty-Day Notice, or Sixty-Day Notice).
If the judge overrules the demurrer at the hearing, and orders you to file an Answer to the Unlawful Detainer Complaint, the property owner usually files their request to set the case for trial one or two weeks after you have filed your Answer to the Unlawful Detainer Complaint. The court clerk will schedule the trial to take place 3 or 4 weeks from the date that the plaintiff files their request to set the case for trial.
You may fight the case at trial by raising your affirmative defenses. Or, alternatively, if you vacate the property before the date of the trial and attend the trial to confirm to the court that you previously vacated, the eviction will be converted to an ordinary civil case, thereby protecting your records from an eviction judgment. Civil Code § 1952.3(a)
By filing a Motion for Demurrer as your initial response to service of the Unlawful Detainer Summons, the entire eviction process may take approximately 2 months or longer until the trial is held. Many of our clients use the time that the case is delayed to save and set aside the money that they would have otherwise paid for rent, and then apply that saved money towards the costs involved with relocating.
How to get started
Call (657) 510-6534 for a telephone consultation, or to schedule an in-person consultation at our office to discuss your objectives, and the potential timeline for your case.
If you decide that you would like to retain our service we will send an invoice to you from Stripe. The invoice establishes the scope of services that we will provide. The Stripe invoice may be paid with a debit or credit card. Stripe issues a receipt by email after the processing of your payment. We do not accept payment via Zelle, Chime, Paypal, or any other money transfer services. (All payments of our Non-profit Program Fees are processed exclusively through Stripe invoicing. Stripe provides third party consumer protections. Stripe allows our organization to collect payment without having to access or store billing information.)
Send a scan or photos of your Unlawful Detainer Summons, or Notice of Unlawful Detainer by email to: intake@tenantevictiondefense.org. We will carefully review the Unlawful Detainer Summons and Complaint for defects or other issues that may be leveraged to your benefit.
All filings are submitted to the court within 24 hours of receiving your Unlawful Detainer documents and collecting payment of the Non-profit Program Fee (Same day filing may be available). The Court Filing Confirmation receipt and copies of the filed documents are then provided to you for your records. After filing your documents we will reconvene to prepare you for the next steps in your eviction case. We will continue to be available to support you until your eviction matter is resolved.
Areas we serve
- Orange County
- Riverside County
- San Bernardino County
- Los Angeles County
- San Diego County
Where your fee goes
All proceeds earned from our Non-profit Program Fees are reinvested into maintaining the operating costs of Tenant Eviction Defense.
Read our financial reportFree tenant resources
Plain-language guides to the eviction process, free for everyone.
Common questions
Which areas do you serve?
We serve tenants in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties.
Can you guarantee the outcome of my case?
No one can guarantee a result in court. We do the research to strengthen your defenses and we prepare your paperwork effectively, professionally, and timely.
What do I need to get started?
Before calling please have on hand your: Unlawful Detainer Summons, or Notice of Unlawful Detainer, or Notice of Termination of Tenancy.
How quickly can you file?
All filings are submitted to the court within 24 hours of receiving your Unlawful Detainer documents and collecting payment of the Non-profit Program Fee (Same day filing may be available).
Can I come to your office?
Yes, in person consultations are by appointment only at our office location at 610 Newport Center Drive Suite 250, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (across the street from Whole Foods in the Fashion Island Shopping Center).
Consultations are also available by telephone without an appointment by calling (657) 510-6534 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. (Closed on all Court holidays.)
Served with an Unlawful Detainer Summons?
Don't walk away from your home. Tenants have rights. You have options.
Call (657) 510-6534