If you have been served with an eviction notice in Ventura County, you are probably scared. Maybe you are angry. Maybe you are not even sure what the notice means, what happens next, or whether an eviction defense lawyer can help.
That is exactly where I come in.
My name is Alex Murad. I am a California-licensed eviction defense lawyer based in Ojai, and I help tenants throughout Ventura County understand their rights, respond to eviction proceedings, and fight back when landlords are not playing by the rules.
If you are facing eviction, you do not have to face it alone.
What Eviction Defense Means
Eviction defense is exactly what it sounds like. It is the legal work of protecting your right to stay in your home.
In California, a landlord cannot simply remove you from a rental property. They have to follow a specific legal process. That process starts with a written notice. If you do not respond correctly, or if you do not respond at all, you can lose your home even if the eviction was not legally justified.
That is why timing matters. And that is why having an attorney in your corner matters.
The Types of Eviction Notices in California
Not all eviction notices are the same. The type of notice you received determines what your options are and how quickly you need to act.
Three-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit
This is the most common eviction notice. Your landlord is saying you owe rent and you have three days to pay it or leave. Three days sounds like a long time until it isn’t. If you receive this notice, contact an attorney immediately.
Three-Day Notice to Perform or Quit
Your landlord is claiming you violated a term of your lease, something other than rent, and giving you three days to fix it or leave. These notices are frequently defective or overstated. Do not assume the claim is accurate.
Three-Day Notice to Quit
The landlord is telling you to leave with no option to fix anything. These are used in more serious situations but are also frequently improper. If you received one of these, you need legal help right away.
30-Day or 60-Day Notice to Vacate
A 30-day or 60-day notice is different. It is how a landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy without claiming you did anything wrong. In general, 60 days is required if you have lived in the home for a year or more, and 30 days if you have lived there less than a year. Under California’s Tenant Protection Act, landlords of covered properties cannot terminate a tenancy without a legally recognized just cause, and no-fault terminations can require relocation assistance. Whether your tenancy is covered and whether the stated reason qualifies is something worth having a lawyer review. And even if the notice expires, your landlord cannot remove you without filing an unlawful detainer action and winning in court.
Your Rights as a Tenant in California
California has some of the strongest tenant protections in the country. Here are a few things you should know.
You have the right to a habitable home, no matter how much rent you pay. Even a high-end or luxury rental has to meet California’s basic habitability standards. If your landlord has failed to maintain the property, that may be a defense in an eviction case and may give rise to separate claims of its own.
You cannot be locked out. Changing your locks, removing your belongings, or shutting off utilities to force you out without a court order is illegal in California, full stop.
Under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, many tenants in California are protected against no-fault evictions without just cause after twelve months of tenancy. Whether this law applies to your situation depends on several factors, including your landlord, your property type, and your city.
Local ordinances may give you even stronger protections. Cities across Ventura County and elsewhere in California have their own rent stabilization and just-cause eviction rules that can go further than state law.
Why Having an Attorney Changes the Outcome
The unlawful detainer process, which is the legal name for an eviction lawsuit in California, moves fast. Deadlines are short. Mistakes are costly. And landlords, especially larger ones, often show up with attorneys while tenants show up alone.
An attorney can review your notice for defects that could end the case before it starts. Many eviction notices have technical errors that make them legally unenforceable.
An attorney can assert affirmative defenses you may not know you have, including habitability issues, retaliation claims, or procedural violations.
An attorney can negotiate on your behalf, whether that means more time, a mutual agreement to part ways, or a resolution that protects your record so future housing is not jeopardized.
And if the case goes to court, an attorney can make sure you are heard.
Why Hire Me?
I am a solo practitioner, which means when you hire me, you get me. Not a paralegal. Not a junior associate. Me.
I practice as an eviction defense lawyer in Ojai and throughout Ventura County, and I focus on landlord-tenant law because I believe housing is too important to be left undefended. Every day I see tenants who do not know their rights, who assume they have no options, who walk away from situations where they had a real case.
I have volunteered at a local legal aid clinic, which means I understand what it looks like when people genuinely need help and cannot get it. That drives the way I practice.
I bring what I call ranch grit to every case. A work ethic and level of persistence that you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
Do Not Wait
California eviction timelines move quickly. If you have received any kind of eviction notice, the sooner you talk to an eviction defense lawyer in Ventura County, the more options you have.
From my office in Ojai, I serve tenants across Ventura County, including Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Port Hueneme, Oak View, and Meiners Oaks.
The initial consultation is always free, and you can see exactly how I charge on my fees and costs page.
Call or text: 805-295-4197 Email: alexmurad@ranchgritlaw.com
Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Viewing this site or communicating with the Law Office of Alex Murad through this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Licensed to practice law in California only.