Can I Change The Locks After My Roommate Moves Out

My question involves a roommate in the Country of: California

I had a roommate (subleasing calendar month to month.. no written contract, just verbal) who gave notice on March 29 and said he's moving out Apr 6 (only 8 days notice). On April 6, he packs upwards moves out ALL of his belongings and has yet to pay rent for the month of April. On the day he moved out, I asked for the hire money I told him considering yous have yet to pay rent, your eolith will go towards this months rent and you will owe the remaining residue. Which he laughed at but eventually agreed to.

Because he didn't pay rent, didn't leave a forwarding address, and already moved out all his belongings. My gf and I felt unsafe virtually him coming and going as he pleased since he had no reason to return. So we asked the leasing office (we're both on the lease) to change our locks for our condom and security.

Well he came by this weekend (April 11) to pay the remainder of the hire owed and render his keys was upset the locks were changed on him and he now wants his eolith back and not pay hire for Apr.

My questions are, do we have to refund his deposit since he didn't give xxx days notice? And is there any consequences for us changing the locks?

Thanks for your fourth dimension and help.

He moved out voluntarily, and you say he agreed to forfeit his deposit and to pay April rent, so bold you kept your terminate of the deal and the court believes your version of events a minor claims court should decide that issue in your favor. Ideally you would have reduced your understanding to writing, and had him sign and date information technology; you lot run the chance that he'll deny that there was an agreement and that the courtroom volition believe him.

You didn't change the locks - your landlord changed the locks. Your actions did accept the net effect of excluding him from the apartment, as y'all did non give him a central, but supposedly he had already vacated by that fourth dimension. Given that he was supposedly returning his keys at the fourth dimension he found out the locks had been changed, why is he upset near it?

Thank you very much for your reponse. Yes, he did voluntarily motility out. He canceled his utilities cable/internet (without telling me btw), packed all his stuff and left. The moment he moved out, I've only kept contact with him through electronic mail so I practice have written conversations with him that he was coming back to pay the remainder of the rent. And it was through email that he said he came dorsum to pay the remainder just he volition no longer pay and wants his deposit dorsum since we inverse the locks and "ripped" him of his rights to enter the apartment.

He'south upset cause he feels he tin come up and become from the apartment upward until the end of the month because I have his deposit. (Yes, even though he was returning the keys that day! I don't get that part either.) The reason I take his eolith is considering he didn't pay rent for the calendar month of April and merely gave me eight days notice before moving out.

Now here'south the questions I'm getting mixed answers from. Since he was renting a room month to calendar month from me for the past eleven months (no written contract but he paid at the beginning of each month), is he required to requite thirty days notice earlier moving out? And is it legal for me to continue his security deposit for only giving viii days observe and not paying for the month of April?

For notice to motility out,

Quote Quoting Tenant'south notice to terminate a periodic tenancy

To stop a periodic rental agreement (for example, a calendar month-to-calendar month agreement), you must give your landlord proper written discover before you move.

You must requite the landlord the same corporeality of find as in that location are days between rent payments. This ways that if you pay rent monthly, you must give the landlord written notice at least xxx days before you move. If you pay rent every week, you lot must give the landlord written find at least seven days before you move....

You lot will want to follow the constabulary in relation to security deposits, as described hither.