I was listening to the podcast of 5/13 and wanted to comment on the caller who was having difficulty with his land lady from whom he was renting a room.
The law in California is insane in how favorable it is for the caller. My understanding is, even without a lease or rental agreement, if the caller has spent seven nights (Cal.Civ.Code Sec. 1940((b)(2)(D)) or more in the house, the state considers him a tenant subject to protection as if he had signed a lease. In fact, a lease usually offers the landlord more protection than the absence of one.
If the landlord is seen as harrassing the tenant in an effort to get them to move out prior to a legal eviction or under non-coerced voluntary vacation, there are penalties. There are waiting periods that apply even if the tenant has not paid. The tenant need not have ever paid a dime to the landlord to establish the landlord-tenant relationship. A family member could come sleep on your sofa for 8 days and they are a tenant.
By the way, I have dealt with problem tenants working for a landlord a couple of times. If you're a landlord in California and you don't have a good landlord-tenant attorney, you need your head examined. The law is in the tenants favor in so many ways, it would make your head spin.
Of course, not being an attorney, what I say is not legal advice. Even if I were an attorney, I don't know all of the callers circumstances and didn't listen that closely to what he was saying. This info could be wrong or not applicable to him. (can you tell I'm in paralegal studies LOL?)