How to Fill Out the Answer to Unlawful Detainer Complaint Form in California
If you have received an Unlawful Detainer Summons in California and you intend to contest the eviction the most important document you will need to prepare and file with the Court is the Answer to Unlawful Detainer Complaint (Judicial Council Form UD-105). The UD-105 is the official California court form used by tenants to respond to an eviction lawsuit. Filing a properly completed UD-105 within your deadline is what prevents a default judgment for eviction from being entered against you and gives you the opportunity to present your defenses to a judge at trial.
The current version of the UD-105 is effective January 1, 2026. The form is available for download from the California Courts website at courts.ca.gov/forms.
Completing the UD-105 form incorrectly — or failing to file it within your deadline — can result in your eviction even if you have valid defenses. Read this guide carefully before filling out the form.
What You Will Need Before You Begin
Before you begin completing the UD-105 you should have the following documents in hand:
— A copy of the Unlawful Detainer Complaint (Form UD-100) filed by your landlord — A copy of the Mandatory Cover Sheet and Supplemental Allegations — Unlawful Detainer (Form UD-101) if one was served on you — A copy of the Unlawful Detainer Summons (Form SUM-130) that was served on you — A copy of any notices served on you by the landlord prior to the filing of the lawsuit — such as the Three Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit — that are attached as exhibits to the Complaint — Any evidence you have to support your defenses — such as rent payment receipts, photographs of uninhabitable conditions, written communications with the landlord, or repair requests
Review the Unlawful Detainer Complaint carefully before filling out your Answer. The Complaint will tell you the grounds upon which your landlord is seeking to evict you, the amount of monetary damages being claimed, and any exhibits attached in support of the landlord's claims. Understanding exactly what the Complaint alleges will allow you to prepare the most accurate and effective Answer.
Step 1 — Complete the Caption at the Top of the Form
At the top of the UD-105 form you will see a caption section that requires you to provide identifying information for the case. Complete this section as follows:
In the field labeled Attorney or Party Without Attorney enter your full name, address, telephone number, and email address. If you do not have an attorney you are appearing as a self-represented party.
In the field labeled Superior Court of California, County of enter the name of the county where the Unlawful Detainer Complaint was filed. This information appears on the face of the Unlawful Detainer Summons and at the top of the Unlawful Detainer Complaint.
In the fields labeled Plaintiff and Defendant enter the names of the parties exactly as they appear on the Unlawful Detainer Complaint. The landlord is the plaintiff. You — and any other tenants named in the Complaint — are the defendants.
In the field labeled Case Number enter the case number assigned by the Court. The case number appears on the Unlawful Detainer Summons and on the Notice of Unlawful Detainer you may have received in the mail.
Step 2 — Item 1: Name the Defendants Filing This Answer
In Item 1 of the UD-105 you must list the full name of each defendant for whom the Answer is being filed. Each person named as a defendant in the Unlawful Detainer Complaint must be named in this section and must sign the Answer — unless a different defendant has different defenses in which case each defendant should file a separate Answer.
Important: If you are not named as a defendant in the Unlawful Detainer Complaint but you occupy the premises and wish to join the lawsuit to assert your right to possession you must file a Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession (Form CP10.5) — not the UD-105 — within 10 days of the date of service of the Summons and Complaint. After filing the Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession you must then file an Answer (UD-105) within 5 days.
Step 3 — Item 2: Denial of Allegations
Item 2 of the UD-105 asks you to admit or deny the allegations of the Unlawful Detainer Complaint. There are two options:
Box 2(a) — General Denial: Check this box if the Unlawful Detainer Complaint demands $1,000 or less in damages. A general denial means you are denying all of the allegations of the Complaint without specifying which ones. This is the simpler option and is available only when the Complaint demands $1,000 or less.
Box 2(b) — Specific Denial: Check this box if the Unlawful Detainer Complaint demands more than $1,000 in damages. If you check Box 2(b) you must then complete two subsections:
— Subsection 2(b)(1): Identify by paragraph number which specific statements of the Complaint you claim are false, or explain which statements you have no information or belief to believe are true.
— Subsection 2(b)(2): If the landlord filed a Mandatory Cover Sheet and Supplemental Allegations (Form UD-101) identify which statements in that document you deny or have no information to believe are true.
In most cases you will want to deny all allegations that you believe are false or that you have no information to confirm are true. Review each allegation in the Complaint carefully before completing this section.
Step 4 — Item 3: Affirmative Defenses
Item 3 of the UD-105 is the most important section of the form for most tenants. This section contains checkboxes for every recognized affirmative defense available to California tenants in unlawful detainer proceedings. An affirmative defense is a legal claim that — even if the landlord's allegations are true — entitles you to remain in your home or have the case dismissed because the landlord has not complied with applicable law.
Check every box that applies to your specific situation. For each box you check you must state brief supporting facts in Item 3t — the facts section at the bottom of the affirmative defenses section — or on an attachment using Judicial Council Form MC-025 if you need more space.
The following are the primary affirmative defense checkboxes available on the current UD-105 form:
Habitability Defense (Nonpayment of Rent Cases Only): Check this box if the landlord failed to maintain the rental property in a habitable condition and your nonpayment of rent was the result of that failure. You must briefly describe the uninhabitable conditions — such as lack of heat, plumbing failures, mold, pest infestations, or other conditions that render the premises untenantable — in the supporting facts section. CC § 1941, Green v. Superior Court (1974) 10 Cal.3d 616.
Repair and Deduct Defense (Nonpayment of Rent Cases Only): Check this box if you made necessary repairs to the rental property and properly deducted the cost from the rent in accordance with CC § 1942, and the landlord failed to give proper credit for the deduction.
Retaliatory Eviction:Check this box if you believe the landlord served the notice or filed the eviction lawsuit in retaliation for you having exercised a legally protected right — such as requesting repairs, reporting habitability violations to a government agency, or organizing with other tenants. Briefly describe in the supporting facts section the protected activity you engaged in and the approximate date on which you engaged in it. CC § 1942.5, Schweiger v. Superior Court (1970) 3 Cal.3d 507.
Discriminatory Eviction: Check this box if you believe the landlord is evicting you based on a protected characteristic such as race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, sexual orientation, source of income, or any other characteristic protected under California or federal law. Briefly describe the basis for your belief in the supporting facts section. Gov. Code § 12955
Violation of Local Rent Control or Just Cause Eviction Ordinance: Check this box if your rental unit is subject to a local rent control or just cause eviction ordinance and the landlord failed to comply with that ordinance before filing the eviction. Identify the specific ordinance and the manner in which the landlord failed to comply in the supporting facts section.
Violation of the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482): Check this box if you have occupied your rental unit for 12 months or longer and the landlord failed to have a valid just cause for terminating your tenancy as required by CC § 1946.2. The form provides additional checkboxes for: failure to state a just cause in the written notice; failure to provide an opportunity to cure; and failure to provide required relocation assistance.
Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, or Human Trafficking:Check this box if you are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking and the landlord is seeking to evict you based on conduct related to that victimization. CC § 1946.7, CCP § 1161.3
Tenant Called Police or Emergency Services: Check this box if the eviction is based on you or another person calling the police or requesting emergency services on behalf of a victim or individual in an emergency. CC § 1946.8
Other Affirmative Defenses: The UD-105 also includes checkboxes for bankruptcy, disability and failure to provide reasonable accommodation, refusal to accept payment from a third party, and other defenses. Check every box that applies and describe the supporting facts for each checked defense.
For every box you check in Item 3 you must provide a brief description of the supporting facts — either in Item 3t on the form itself or on a separate MC-025 attachment. A bare checkbox without supporting facts is insufficient.
Step 5 — Item 4: Other Statements
Item 4 allows you to make additional statements to the Court including challenging the amount of rent demanded by the landlord as excessive — for example, because of uninhabitable conditions — and requesting that the Court retain jurisdiction over the matter to ensure repairs are made. Complete this section if any of the statements apply to your situation.
Step 6 — Item 5: Relief Requested
Item 5 asks you to identify the relief you are requesting from the Court. In most cases you will want to check the boxes requesting that the Court dismiss the case and that the landlord be ordered to make repairs if habitability is at issue. The form also allows you to request reinstatement of your tenancy and an order sealing the court record after dismissal or judgment.
Step 7 — Unlawful Detainer Assistant Disclosure
Item 6 of the UD-105 asks whether you received help or advice for pay from an Unlawful Detainer Assistant (UDA). California law requires that any person who is not an attorney and who is paid to provide assistance with unlawful detainer matters must be licensed as a UDA under the Business and Professions Code. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 6400-6415
If you received paid assistance from a licensed UDA you must disclose their name, address, and registration number in this section. If you did not receive paid assistance from a UDA check the box indicating that no UDA provided assistance.
Step 8 — Verification and Signature
At the bottom of the last page of the UD-105 form you must date and sign the verification. By signing the verification you are declaring under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that everything you have stated in the Answer is true and correct to the best of your knowledge. Each defendant named in Item 1 must sign the verification unless their attorney signs on their behalf.
Do not sign the UD-105 form until you have reviewed it carefully and confirmed that all information is accurate.
Step 9 — Prepare the Proof of Service
Before you file your Answer with the Court you must first have a copy of the Answer served on the landlord or the landlord's attorney by a person who is 18 years old or older and who is not a party to the case. Service is most commonly effected by mailing a copy of the Answer to the landlord or their attorney by first-class mail.
The person who effects service must complete and sign a Proof of Service by First-Class Mail (Form POS-030). The POS-030 must be attached to your Answer as the last page before the documents are submitted for filing. The person who serves the documents must sign the POS-030 — you cannot sign it yourself.
Important: The Answer must be served on the landlord or their attorney before it is filed with the Court. Service must be completed and the signed POS-030 must be attached to your Answer before you take the documents to the courthouse for filing.
Step 10 — Make Copies
Before filing your Answer make the following copies:
— The original UD-105 and all attachments — for the Court Clerk — One copy of the UD-105 and all attachments for each defendant named in Item 1 — for your records — One copy of the UD-105 and all attachments — for the landlord or their attorney
Step 11 — File Your Answer With the Court
Take your completed Answer — including the signed POS-030 as the last page — together with all copies to the civil filing window at the courthouse identified on your Unlawful Detainer Summons. This is the only courthouse where your Answer may be filed. Filing at the wrong courthouse will result in your Answer being rejected.
At the civil filing window the Court Clerk will review your Answer to confirm that it meets formatting and structural requirements for acceptance. The Clerk will stamp all copies with the date of filing and return the conformed copies to you. Keep your conformed copy in a safe place — it is your proof that the Answer was filed.
Filing Fees and Fee Waivers
The Court requires payment of a filing fee at the time you file your Answer. The amount of the filing fee depends on the amount of monetary damages the landlord is seeking in the Unlawful Detainer Complaint:
— $225.00 if the landlord is seeking $10,000 or less — $370.00 if the landlord is seeking between $10,000.01 and $35,000 — $435.00 if the landlord is seeking more than $35,000*
If you cannot afford the filing fee you may apply for a waiver by submitting a Request to Waive Court Fees (Form FW-001) together with your Answer at the time of filing. In Orange County and San Diego County you must also include a completed Order on Court Fee Waiver (Form FW-003). The Court Clerk will review your fee waiver application and — if approved — your filing fee will be waived.
*Filing fees as of January 1, 2026. Court filing fees are subject to change.
What Happens After You File Your Answer?
After you file your Answer with the Court the landlord may file a Request to Set Case for Trial (Form UD-150) to request that the Court schedule a trial date. The Court will then schedule a bench trial to take place within approximately 20 days of the date the landlord files the Request to Set Case for Trial. CCP § 1170.5 The Court will mail a Notice of Trial to both parties. It is strongly recommended that you call or visit the courthouse to confirm the trial date rather than waiting for the notice to arrive by mail.
Do Not Wait — Call Tenant Eviction Defense Now
Completing and filing the UD-105 correctly and on time is one of the most critical steps you can take to protect yourself from eviction. The deadline is short and the consequences of missing it are severe.
Tenant Eviction Defense is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Newport Beach, California dedicated to providing education, information, and guidance to Southern California tenants facing eviction. If you have received an Unlawful Detainer Summons or a Notice of Unlawful Detainer in the mail from the Court call our Eviction Defense Rapid Response Line immediately at (657) 510-6534, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Our staff is available to discuss your situation and help you understand the steps you need to take.
Updated April 12, 2026.