ACCESS Center of the Superior Court
Printed information in many languages; Spanish and English-speaking staff. Self-help, no attorneys available.
AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP)
English and Spanish. Can get interpreter for other languages. Services limited to individuals with HIV/AIDS. Direct representation and referrals to a panel of volunteer attorneys for landlord/tenant disputes.
Bay Area Legal Aid (BALA)
English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. Eviction defense with emphasis on public and federally subsidized housing. Must have a good defense and all or most of the back rent.
Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP)
800-405-4HAP
Provides legal services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. May be able to provide attorneys for low-income tenants in eviction proceedings.
Department of Building Inspection
Do not contact if unit is illegal.
Housing Rights Committee (HRC)
Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and sometimes Russian; call ahead. Renters' rights counseling. Does not provide legal representation.
La Raza Centro Legal
Spanish speaking. Operates a Housing Clinic Wednesdays from 10 – 11 AM. Sliding scale fee. Must call for an appointment.
Lawyer Referral Services (LRS) of the Bar Association of San Francisco
For a referral to a private attorney, with a small initial consultation fee. Notify them that EDC has prepared a response to your unlawful detainer eviction case and that you need an attorney to represent you for the rest of the case.
Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE)
(415) 538-3333
Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Free legal services and representation available to SF residents aged 60 and older. Assistance with evictions, rent control disputes, landlord problems, housing code violations, foreclosures, and subsidized housing. Call for appointment. (415-538-3333)
Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board (Rent Board)
Spanish and Cantonese. Illegal rent increases, rent decreases for habitability problems, eviction notices (other than non-payment) should be filed here. Investigates and prevents wrongful evictions. Tenant can check whether landlord has done previous evictions. Phone counselors available 9 AM – 12 AM; 1 PM – 4 PM.
St. Peter's Housing Committee (Comité de Vivienda San Pedro)
Spanish speaking. Free renter's rights counseling and advocacy.
San Francisco Tenants Union
Tenant counseling only. Publishes the San Francisco Tenant's Union handbook. Membership fee or contribution will be requested.
Tenderloin Housing Clinic
Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese speaking. Counseling and representation for downtown, South of Market, and residential hotel tenants. Some housing placement for people in PAES program. Modified Payment Program for SROs.
Tenants Together
California's only state-wide organization for tenants' rights. Works to raise awareness about tenant issues. Tenants can share stories on website in the "Tenant Voices" section.
ASUC Renter’s Legal Assistance
Student-run organization in Berkeley, provides free rent-related information and resources to Bay Area tenants.
Eviction Defense Network
Legal support for those facing eviction lawsuits in Los Angeles county. Also provides attorney representation for a fee, on sliding scale.
Oakland Eviction Defense Center\
(510) 452-4541
For East Bay tenants. Call for appointment if you have been served with an Unlawful Detainer. Full attorney representation for a fee, on sliding scale.(510-452-4541)