Unlawful detainer

Serve the notice. Then the UD. Then the writ.

Every eviction in California has three potential service stages: the pre-filing notice (3-day pay-or-quit, 30/60/90-day no-fault), the UD-100 summons + complaint after the notice runs, and the writ of execution after judgment. We handle all three. $99 standard per service. CCP §1162 + §415.45 posting available where residential + diligence has been met.

Short answer

CCP §1162 governs how an eviction notice is served. Personal delivery to the tenant is the default; if no one is home, leave with a person of suitable age at the rental and mail a copy; if nobody is at the rental, post + mail. The UD-100 summons later requires standard CCP §415.10/§415.20/§415.45 service. Rent-control cities (Oakland, SF, Berkeley, LA, San Jose) layer extra notice-form rules on top.

Notice types we serve

3-day pay or quit

CCP §1161(2). Tenant has 3 court days to cure (pay or vacate). Excludes weekends + holidays. Most common pre-UD notice for non-payment.

3-day cure or quit

CCP §1161(3). Breach of covenant other than non-payment (unauthorized pet, lease violation). 3 days to cure.

3-day quit only (no cure)

CCP §1161(4). Waste, nuisance, illegal use, subletting. No cure period — vacate or face UD.

30-day notice (month-to-month, <1yr)

CC §1946. Tenant under 1 year — 30 days. Local rent-control may extend.

60-day notice (month-to-month, ≥1yr)

CC §1946.1. Tenant of 1 year or more — 60 days. Local rent-control may add just-cause requirement.

90-day notice (Section 8 + foreclosure)

CC §1161b. Federal housing assistance + post-foreclosure tenants.

UD-100 summons + complaint

After the notice period runs, file UD-100 with the court + serve on the tenant. CCP §415.10 / §415.20 / §415.45 govern.

Writ of execution (EJ-130)

After judgment for landlord, writ tells the sheriff to remove the tenant. We courier to the sheriff for execution.

How it works

Step 1

Upload notice

AI confirms it's the right CA form for your stage (3-day vs 30-day vs UD-100), checks the notice period math against today's date.

Step 2

Personal delivery attempt

CCP §1162(1) — hand to tenant. GPS-stamped. ~70% of evictions resolve at this step.

Step 3

Sub-service if no one home

CCP §1162(2) — leave with person of suitable age at the rental + mail. Service complete on mailing.

Step 4

Post + mail (CCP §415.45)

If nobody at the rental + reasonable diligence shown, post conspicuously + mail. Service complete on mailing. Posting requires court order for UD-100 (not the pre-filing notice).

Step 5

POS / declaration filed

POS-040 for personal/sub-service. For posting, a declaration of service is filed with the court. PDF + original mailed.

Pricing

Pre-filing notice (3 / 30 / 60 / 90-day)$99
UD-100 summons + complaint$99
Posting (after diligence + court order)$99
Writ of execution courier to sheriff$50
Same-day add-on (CA metros, before 11am)+$25
Rush add-on+$30

Common mistakes

Wrong notice for tenancy duration

30-day vs 60-day depends on length of tenancy (CC §1946 vs §1946.1). Wrong form = invalid notice = wasted time.

Filing UD-100 before notice period runs

3-day notice = 3 court days, not calendar. Weekends + holidays don't count. We auto-compute the earliest UD filing date.

Ignoring rent-control just-cause rules

Oakland, SF, Berkeley, LA, San Jose, AB-1482 statewide for ≥15-year-old buildings — just-cause notice is required.

Posting UD without court order

CCP §415.45 posting on a UD-100 requires a court order showing diligence. Posting without the order = invalid service.

FAQ

Does AB-1482 just-cause apply to my notice?

AB-1482 covers most CA residential rentals built before 2007 (15+ years old, rolling). It requires just-cause notice for evictions of tenants 12+ months in residence. We validate against your property + tenancy details on intake.

Can I post the 3-day notice if the tenant won't answer?

CCP §1162(3) allows post + mail for pre-filing notices when no one is at the rental — no court order needed for this stage. For the UD-100 summons posting requires court order (CCP §415.45).

What if the tenant moved out before I could serve?

You can still file an UD for the unpaid rent — service by publication is allowed under CCP §415.50 with a court order. Most landlords just drop the UD if the unit is back.

Oakland / SF / Berkeley rent-control notice forms?

Each city has its own notice form layered on top of CA-statewide. We validate the form against the property's address + jurisdiction before service.

Upload your eviction notice

$99 standard. Same-day capability in CA metros. AI validates the notice form against your property + tenancy.

Servd is an AI-assisted process serving platform, not a law firm. CA landlord-tenant law is complex and varies by city; we serve papers but do not provide legal advice. CA tenant resources: selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/eviction-landlord.