Eviction defense.
Service of unlawful detainer summons, 3-day notices, and posting + mailing under California UD rules.
California unlawful detainer is the fastest civil procedure in the state. The defendant has 5 days to answer under CCP §1167. The plaintiff cannot move the case forward without proof that the summons was served correctly. The window for clean service is narrow and the consequences of getting it wrong — sub-service done improperly, posting attempted before substitute service is justified, the mailing skipped — are case-ending.
Servd handles the unlawful detainer service stack end to end. Personal service on the named tenant is always our first attempt. When the tenant is not available, CCP §415.46 governs substituted service in UD: the server leaves the papers with a competent person of suitable age and discretion at the residence, then mails a copy. If neither personal nor substituted service is achievable after reasonable diligence, §415.46(c) authorizes posting on the door plus mailing — but only after the court grants the order. We document every attempt to support that motion.
We serve both residential and commercial UD. We serve the 3-day notice to pay or quit, the 30/60/90-day notice, the summons + complaint, and any post-judgment writ of possession. The chat surface flags the deadline calendar from your filing date so nothing slips.
What we handle
The matters our intake chat is trained for. If your case looks like one of these, the workflow already knows it.
What's hard about this and how we handle it
The specific challenges the workflow is designed for.
5-day answer window
Once the UD summons is served, the tenant has 5 days to respond (CCP §1167). The clock starts at service, not filing. Plaintiffs need proof of service back in their hands fast so they can file the default if no answer lands. Servd returns the signed affidavit within 24 hours of completion.
Sub-service vs. posting
CCP §415.46 (UD-specific substituted service) is not the same as §415.20 (general civil sub-service). The procedure, the persons authorized to receive, and the mailing requirement differ. Posting requires a court order after diligence is documented. We use the right method for the right document.
3-day notice pre-filing
Service of the 3-day notice is what starts the UD timeline. Some courts require strict personal service; others accept §415.46-style substituted service for the notice. We serve the notice, the date stamps the clock, and you file when the cure period expires.
Commercial vs. residential
Commercial UD allows wider service options and shorter cure periods on some notice types. The defendant entity matters — service on a corporation requires an officer or registered agent. Our chat captures the property type and entity status during intake.
Diligence record for the court
When you need to motion for posting under §415.46(c), the court wants to see attempted personal service plus attempted sub-service across distinct times of day. Servd's automatic attempt log — GPS, photo, timestamp on each try — produces the exact record the judge needs.
Services for this work
The Servd services most commonly used on these matters.
Questions
What paralegals and pro se litigants ask most often.
How does sub-service work on an unlawful detainer?
After reasonable diligence trying personal service, the server may leave the summons with a person of suitable age and discretion at the rental property (CCP §415.46) and mail a copy to the tenant by first-class mail. The tenant's 5-day answer clock starts 10 days after the mailing. We handle both the leave-with step and the mailing, and we produce the affidavit with proof of mailing attached.
When is posting allowed?
Posting under §415.46(c) is a last resort after diligence has failed. The plaintiff has to apply to the court for an order authorizing posting and mailing. Once granted, we post on the front door and mail a copy. We document the post photo with GPS and timestamp.
Can Servd serve the 3-day notice?
Yes. We serve 3-day pay-or-quit, 3-day notice to perform covenant or quit, and 3-day notice to quit for unconditional defaults. We provide a date-stamped affidavit so your UD complaint can plead service of the pre-filing notice correctly.
What does a UD serve cost?
Nationwide flat rate: Standard service $99, Rush $159, Expedited (same-day) $229. Add-ons: Posting $69, Skip tracing $80, Court Filing $40, Recording $59. Sub-service is priced as Standard. Mileage included up to 35 miles. Firms with 11+ cases/month get a volume discount.
Do you serve writs of possession?
We deliver the writ to the sheriff's civil division. The sheriff then handles the lockout. We do not perform lockouts ourselves.
Ready to start your eviction defense case?
The intake chat is built for this work. Drop the documents, confirm the caption, dispatch.