When the California landlord desires to terminate the landlord/tenant relationship, whether by using a 3 Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit, a 3 Day Notice to Perform Covenant or Quit, a 3 Day Notice to Quit, or a 30/60 Day Notice to Terminate Tenancy, the notice of termination must be served properly or the notice will be invalid.
As a California landlord, you have to serve the notice on the tenant properly. You can do it yourself, or you can ask your attorney or a friend to do it. You can also hire a process server. The person who serves the notice must be at least 18 years old.
There are 3 ways to serve the notice:
- Personal service: You or someone else gives the notice directly to the tenant in person.
- Substituted service: If the tenant is not home, you can leave the notice with a member of the household, at least 18 years old, where the tenant lives AND then mail a second copy to the tenant at the property.
- Posting and mailing (“nail and mail”) service: If there is no one home to leave the papers with, you can tape or nail the notice to the front door or somewhere where it can be seen easily AND send a copy by mail to the tenant at the property.
For additional information, visit the Law Office of David Piotrowski.
