Reviews

Wish I could give more than 5 stars for Tina. She was extremely kind, efficient, and was able to clarify every question that I had in an easy to understand manner. And most importantly, her bottom line was to help not manipulate. Working with her gave me absolute peace of mind regardless of the outcome because I knew I had the best solutions possible and complete understanding of the situation going forward.

Tina Collins was incredibly helpful in my unfortunate situation with my property manager. We were able to cover so much information in 15 mins that saved me hundreds of dollars if I had gone somewhere else. She was able to provide me with specific phrases to say and emailed me links to laws that I was able to use when speaking to the property manager. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The Tobener team, and specifically Becky and Tina, have been amazingly helpful in guiding me through a security deposit dispute. They promptly reached out after I requested a consultation, and were fair, knowledgeable, and insightful when offering their opinion on my situation. It was refreshing listening to a 3rd party explain our rights and the best way to proactively address my landlord's claims, while our conversations also gave me peace of mind that despite our landlord's insinuations, we had a legal leg to stand on. I would highly recommend consulting the Tobener team on any tenant's rights issues instead of doing piece meal research online or simply taking a landlord's words for fact.

Should you need legal advice and representation, you must consult with Joe Tobener. He's extremely knowledgeable and will walk you through the various options available. It's absolutely worth a consultation fee to speak to someone with a lot of expertise and experience. I trusted him from the initial consultation and he in turn also trusted me with input to direction and key decisions. It was a solid collaborative effort. Joe's got a good sense of humor too which is often needed in stressful situations.

I cannot express how THANKFUL I am for my consultation with Tina Collins. I felt helpless dealing with a landlord who was not properly handling a bed bug infestation and never gave me a copy of my lease. Tina asked if she could launch right into the conversation, not wanting to waste any time, which I really appreciated. She was not only knowledgeable and efficient, but also compassionate and empathetic. I came away with civil codes to reference and actions to take some control of the situation. She even said that I should reach back out if the issue didn't get resolved. What a caring and generous group of people!

I needed to get legal counsel about breaking my lease early, due to illegal behavior from my landlord. Tobener Ravenscroft came up first when I Googled “tenant’s rights” in CA. I was not disappointed! I spoke with their receptionist who asked me several questions to determine if I qualified for their pro bono services. She was extremely thorough and very professional. I received a call back later that day to schedule a 15-minute phone appointment with one of their attorneys. I’ve since had a 2nd phone call, as my situation is rather complex. The attorney provided the legal answers to help me in deciding what direction I’ll take, and the potential ramifications. She was compassionate while also maintaining a professional demeanor. I highly recommend this law firm and will without a doubt refer them to anyone I know in need of a tenancy lawyer.

The best Tenant Lawyers in the Bay Area, hands down! These attorneys are fighting the good fight and really believe in what they do. Receiving an eviction notice and dealing with an absent landlord can be incredibly stressful and detrimental, but they make the process simple and resolve it in the quickest manner possible. Even if they have to litigate for two years. Their level of professionalism is is unmatched; communication was always direct and prompt while they put constant pressure on the opposing side. Advice was always spot on. If they take you on as a client, congratulations! If they are suing you on behalf of a client, good luck, you are going to need it!

I have a situation where the landlord is coming after me for back monies he says I owe. I moved out months ago and this is just being brought to my attention. I ignored him thinking this is absurd and that he'd eventually go away. He didn't. There was no additional rent due (everything paid on time and in full; cancelled checks to prove it), and the utilities are in question (no invoice provided to justify the amount). He threatened Small Claims Court if I didn't cough up the money. That got my attention. I requested a copy of the lease agreement to make sure there wasn't anything else I might be liable for. In the move, I managed to misplace my copy. He said he couldn't find his copy and that it has nothing to do with utilities. I thought something wasn't quite right with that response and it left me wondering why he was being evasive about this. The building I rented is a very old barn that was converted to an apartment, but it left no doubt that it was a barn; very, very rustic; rodents, insects, etc. In the event this matter did make its way to court, I figured it would be best to learn as much as I could about the rental and my rights. I did some reading online and came across a few things. I took a drive down to the County building and planning department to have chat to confirm or deny what I learned . This was a very fruitful and informative meeting. It turns out that the building he leased me was not permitted as a residential unit and that their records prove he knew this material fact! The building lacked what is known as a "Certificate of Occupancy", which is a document that states a dwelling is permissible for habitation. This structure lacked the certificate due to numerous code and fire violations on record!! Armed with this knowledge, I thought it would be prudent to seek a second, but more importantly, an expert opinion. I did a google search and found two law firms that dealt with tenant law. I call the first one and was told that someone would give me a call, but first I needed to fax them a copy of the rental agreement. I told them that I couldn't find it but that my questions were of a general nature. I was told, by the gal doing the "intake interview, that the attorney needed it before they would speak with me. I sent an email asking for someone to reach out to me and that I was in need of some help. No one from that office returned my call or email. I can't mention the name, but they are a large firm in the city. My second call was to Tobener Ravenscroft. Again, there was a brief intake interview and after it, I was told I would receive a call Wednesday at 5pm., two days for today. So here we are, Wednesday. It is 5:04pm and the phone rings. It is Ms. Collins from Tobener Ravenscroft. As far as first impressions go, this firm was off to a stellar start. I told Ms. Collins my tale of woe but not what I had already learned from my own due diligence. She confirmed everything I had already learned from the web and from the folks at the County. But there was one kernel of information she shared that changed for me, the trajectory of this problem. She said, and I paraphrase, "a contract that is entered into illegally, based on fraud, or in violation of state, county, or local law or code, is not enforceable. The entire agreement is void! This is huge!! It means that not only am I not liable for the money the landlord seeks, but that ALL the money I paid him in rent could possibly be awarded back to me if I were to pursue a complaint in court. I love the law! Thank you Ms. Collins for putting my mind at ease by showing me that the law is clearly on my side. If this matter does see the inside of a courtroom, you can be sure that I will be retaining Tobener Ravenscroft LLP. Thanks again.

Tobener Ravenscroft have been an enormous help to me in two different renting situations where I needed legal advice. Highly recommended!

Beleaguered Tenants, Be of Good Cheer! Herewith, praise for the most excellent tenant lawyers of Tobrener Ravenscroft. We are a 70-something couple living in a rented house in SF's Sunset. On November 1, we received a notice of a 21% rent increase to take effect 1/1/20. After weeks of research into records of the property and its owner(s) and of attempted negotiation through the property manager, we did what we should have done at the beginning, arranged for a consultation with Tobener Ravenscroft. In half an hour, Mr. Tobener asked a series of pertinent questions and answered our not-as-precise ones, assessed the situation and gave us a realistic view of our options. Then. . .as we prepared to leave, he recalled a timely article about anti-price gouging legislation that covered our situation precisely. He sent us a link with a template letter, which we adapted and sent straightaway. The result: in less than a week came a response rescinding the rent increase entirely, declaring it null and void, and restating the current rent, with no mention of any plans to increase it. 30+ years in San Francisco and we can't recall a more satisfying skirmish in its property wars. Well done, sir! Grateful Geezers Johnnie and Judy

This was my first time having to seek legal help and the team at Tobener Ravenscroft LLP was beyond helpful and well experienced. Their team gave me a peace of mind in the very awful situation my wife and I are having as tenants. Special thanks to Becky and Tina!

I had a bad experience with an apartment complex and sought help with terminating lease early with Tobener Ravenscroft. A friend of mine found their website so I called them up. The receptionist was very nice and professional to schedule a 15 minute free consultation with one of their attorneys. She is very professional, compassionate and generous in providing her legal knowledge for my case. Would totally recommend this place!