Thousand Oaks, CA Rental Property Rules: Tenant Anti-Harassment (2026)
Key Facts
- Statute
- Civil Code 1940.2
- Statutory damages
- Up to $2,000 per violation
- Self-help eviction
- Penal Code 418 prohibits
- Local TAHO
- None in Thousand Oaks
Summary
California Civil Code 1940.2 prohibits Thousand Oaks landlords from using force, threats, fraud, or utility shutoffs to coerce tenants out of a rental. Violations carry statutory damages up to $2,000 per violation plus actual damages and attorney fees.
(a) It is unlawful for a landlord to do any of the following for the purpose of influencing a tenant to vacate a dwelling: (1) Engage in conduct that violates subdivision (a) of Section 484 of the Penal Code. (2) Engage in conduct that violates Section 518 of the Penal Code. (3) Use, or threaten to use, force, willful threats, or menacing conduct constituting a course of conduct that interferes with the tenant's quiet enjoyment of the premises in violation of Section 1927 that would create an apprehension of harm in a reasonable person. Nothing in this paragraph requires a tenant to be actually or constructively evicted in order to obtain relief. (4) Commit a significant and intentional violation of Section 1954. (5) Threaten to disclose information regarding or relating to the immigration or citizenship status of a tenant, occupant, or other person known to the landlord to be associated with a tenant or occupant. This paragraph does not require a tenant to be actually or constructively evicted in order to obtain relief. (b) A tenant who prevails in a civil action, including an action in small claims court, to enforce his or her rights under this section is entitled to a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each violation.
Full Breakdown
Thousand Oaks has not adopted a local tenant anti-harassment ordinance like LA's TAHO, so state law governs. Civil Code 1940.2 makes it illegal for a landlord to use force, threats of force, threats of immigration enforcement, fraud, or utility/service shutoffs to influence a tenant to leave. Penal Code 418 separately prohibits forcible self-help eviction. Tenants may sue in small claims or superior court for $2,000 per violation plus actual damages, attorney fees, and injunctive relief. Documentation of harassing communications, shutoffs, or repeated unlawful entries strengthens claims.
Violations & Fines
Forcible self-help eviction, utility shutoffs, lock changes without court order, and threats of immigration enforcement expose landlords to $2,000 per violation, damages, attorney fees, and injunctions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my landlord shut off water to force me to leave?
Does Thousand Oaks have a local anti-harassment ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thousand Oaks
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