California Real Estate Practice Center
Property problems arrive in different forms depending on which side of the transaction you sit. This page organizes the practice by who you are and what has gone wrong.
Where should you start with a California property law question?
Start by identifying your role and the deadline you are facing. Buyers and sellers usually have contractual mediation requirements and discovery-based limitations periods. Tenants and landlords face short statutory notice and cure periods. Owners in boundary, easement, or foreclosure matters face recording dates and sale dates. The applicable deadline generally determines what should happen first.
Where to Begin With a California Property Question
Real estate law is not one subject. A buyer with an undisclosed defect, a landlord with a non-paying commercial tenant, an owner facing a trustee sale, and co-owners deadlocked over a family property are in four different areas of law with four different clocks running. Matching the situation to the right body of law early is what prevents a solvable problem from becoming an expensive one.
The most common and most costly error is delay. California property claims are governed by short and often unforgiving deadlines: contractual mediation prerequisites before filing, notice and cure periods measured in days, foreclosure timelines measured against recording dates, and limitations periods that run from discovery rather than from the wrong. In several areas — injunctions, lis pendens, foreclosure — the remedy simply stops being available once an event occurs.
The sections below point to the right area of the real estate practice. If a property is in Glendale or Los Angeles specifically, the Glendale and Los Angeles pages set out the local courts, ordinances, and recording practice that apply.
330 North Brand Boulevard, Suite 1280
Glendale, California 91203
Los Angeles County Superior Court, including the Glendale and Stanley Mosk courthouses.
Property disputes, purchase and sale litigation, leases, disclosure claims, and land use across Los Angeles County.
Start With Your Situation
Each entry links to the area of the practice that handles that issue.
Buyers After Closing
Undisclosed defects, water intrusion, unpermitted work, and misrepresentation by a seller or agent. See failure to disclose defects and mold claims.
Buyers and Sellers Mid-Transaction
Contract terms, title exceptions, deposit disputes, and a party who will not close. See transactional real estate.
Owners With Neighbor Problems
Property line conflicts, encroaching structures, blocked access, and long-term occupation of a strip. See boundary disputes, easements, and adverse possession.
Landlords and Tenants
Lease terms, defaults, CAM disputes, habitability, and rent regulation questions. See leases.
Owners Facing Foreclosure
Notices of default, trustee sale dates, servicer errors, and modification disputes. See foreclosure defense and military protections.
Owners and Developers With Cities
Permits, variances, conditional use, code enforcement, and appeals. See zoning and land use.
How Property Matters Typically Develop
Composite examples drawn from the kinds of matters this practice handles. They illustrate common fact patterns and are not descriptions of specific client cases or predictions of any result.
The Problem Surfaces
A defect appears, a notice arrives, a neighbor builds, or a party refuses to perform. This is the point at which documentation is most complete and remedies are broadest — and the point at which most people wait.
The Positions Harden
Letters are exchanged, repairs are made, money is spent, and evidence degrades. Options narrow. Contractual mediation requirements and limitations periods begin to matter.
The Deadline Passes
A sale closes, construction completes, a cure period lapses, or a limitations period runs. What remains is usually a damages claim rather than the remedy that would actually have solved the problem.
Signs You Should Talk to Someone Now
- A document with a deadline has arrived — a notice, a demand, or a summons.
- A sale, refinance, or construction is proceeding while your claim is unresolved.
- You are about to sign something you do not fully understand.
- You are about to repair, demolish, or remediate something that is in dispute.
- The other side has retained counsel and you have not.
- You are unsure whether a claim is still within the limitations period.
How to Prepare
Gather the core documents
Deed, title report, purchase agreement and disclosures, lease, loan documents, and every notice or letter exchanged. Most property questions are answered from these.
Build a dated timeline
When the condition arose, when you learned of it, when you gave notice, and when you were told anything. Limitations periods in California property law usually run from discovery.
Ask early
The cheapest legal work happens before a contingency is removed, before a cure period lapses, and before a sale closes. Request a consultation while options remain open.
Real Estate Practice Center — Questions California Clients Ask
General orientation questions about California property law and how matters proceed.
What should I do if I receive a demand letter about a property dispute?
Do not ignore it. Review the letter carefully, preserve any relevant documents and communications, and consult an attorney before responding. Your reply — or failure to reply — can affect your legal position, and some demand letters are precursors to litigation with short response deadlines.
What is the difference between a real estate dispute and a real estate crime?
Most real estate disputes — such as boundary conflicts, lease disagreements, or nondisclosure claims — are civil matters handled through lawsuits, negotiation, or mediation. Real estate fraud, such as deed forgery, title theft, or mortgage fraud, involves criminal conduct and may be investigated by law enforcement alongside any civil proceeding.
What is the role of an HOA and when can its actions be challenged?
A homeowners association (HOA) enforces community rules and manages common areas. When an HOA violates its own governing documents, discriminates against a homeowner, fails to enforce rules consistently, or imposes improper fines or liens, affected homeowners may have grounds to challenge those actions in court or through arbitration.
What are common title defects that can delay or kill a real estate transaction?
Common title defects include undisclosed liens, recorded judgments against prior owners, boundary disputes, improper legal descriptions, forged instruments in the chain of title, missing heirs, and outstanding tax liens. Title insurance and a thorough title search are the standard ways to identify and address these issues before closing.
What does it mean to "cloud title" on a California property?
A cloud on title is any recorded document, claim, or encumbrance that may affect the rightful owner's ability to convey clear title. Common examples include mechanics' liens, lis pendens notices, easement disputes, and unresolved judgments. A quiet title action is often used to clear a title cloud through court order.
Can I represent myself in a real estate dispute?
California allows individuals to represent themselves in civil proceedings (known as appearing "in propria persona"). However, real estate disputes often involve complex procedural and substantive legal rules, and mistakes made early in the process can be difficult to correct. An initial consultation with an attorney is strongly advisable before deciding whether to proceed without counsel.
What documents should I keep after buying a home in California?
You should permanently retain your deed, the preliminary and final title reports, the transfer disclosure statement and other seller disclosures, the purchase agreement and all escrow documents, property inspection reports, and any warranties or permits related to improvements. These records are critical if a dispute arises later.
What is the difference between mediation and arbitration in real estate disputes?
Mediation is a voluntary, non-binding process in which a neutral mediator helps the parties reach a negotiated settlement. Arbitration is a more formal process in which a neutral arbitrator (or panel) hears evidence and issues a binding or non-binding decision. Many California real estate contracts include clauses requiring one or both before litigation.
Local Representation
Where the property sits determines the courthouse, the applicable local ordinances, and the recording office.
Talk to a Real Estate Attorney
Describe the situation and we will tell you which area of law applies, what deadline you are working against, and whether legal action is warranted at all. You can also review our California real estate case studies.