What to Do the Moment You Receive an Eviction Notice
The first two days after a notice arrives often matter more than anything that happens afterward. Here's what to check before you do anything else.
If you’ve just been handed, mailed, or had posted a notice about your tenancy, it’s normal to feel a jolt of panic. Before you do anything else, take a breath — most notices give you a specific window to respond, and that window is where your options live.
1. Read the notice for exactly what it says
Notice types carry different timelines and different requirements. A 3-day notice to pay rent or quit is not the same as a 30-day or 60-day notice to vacate, and each has strict rules about how it must be worded, calculated, and delivered. Look for the exact dollar amount demanded (if any), the deadline date, and how the notice was actually served to you — handed to you directly, left with someone else at the property, or posted and mailed.
2. Check for defects before assuming the notice is valid
Notices are frequently wrong in small but important ways: an incorrect rent amount, a miscalculated deadline, or improper service. These aren’t just technicalities — a defective notice can be challenged, and in some cases, it can end a case before it really starts.
3. Don’t ignore it, and don’t panic-move out either
Ignoring a notice doesn’t make it go away, but neither does it mean you have to leave immediately. Many tenants either freeze or assume they have no choice but to vacate right away. In reality, a notice is usually the first step of a longer legal process, not an automatic eviction.
4. Gather anything related to your tenancy
Your lease, any recent written communication with your landlord, and records of rent payments are all useful early on. If the notice relates to a repair issue you’d previously reported, keep those records too — habitability disputes sometimes intersect with eviction notices.
5. Talk to an attorney before the deadline passes
Once a deadline passes without a response, your options can narrow quickly. A short consultation can tell you whether the notice has defects, whether you have defenses available, and what a realistic timeline looks like from here.
If you’ve received a notice in Glendale or elsewhere in Los Angeles County, our eviction defense page walks through the process in more detail, or you can call us directly for a free consultation.
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