Elder & Spencer fights for California tenants in a broad range of practice areas.
As a tenant in California, you have rights.
We represent California tenants across a wide range of housing disputes. Whether you are facing an unlawful eviction, unsafe living conditions, or discrimination, our firm is committed to protecting your rights under state and local law.
Habitability
Cockroaches & Bed Bugs
California law requires landlords to keep rental units free from vermin. We pursue claims on behalf of tenants whose homes suffer from cockroach or bed bug infestations that landlords have failed to treat despite written notice.
Mice and rats pose serious health risks and are a clear sign of a habitability failure. We represent tenants facing rodent infestations that landlords have ignored, helping them pursue remedies and hold property owners accountable.
A functioning heating system is a basic habitability requirement under California law. When landlords fail to maintain heat, particularly during colder months, tenants may be entitled to rent reduction, repair and deduct remedies, or damages.
Water intrusion and structural ceiling damage are serious habitability violations. Left unaddressed, they can cause mold, property damage, and physical injury. We hold landlords accountable when they fail to make timely repairs after receiving written notice.
Faulty wiring, broken outlets, and inadequate electrical systems are both habitability violations and fire hazards. California law requires landlords to maintain safe electrical systems, and we pursue claims when dangerous conditions go unrepaired.
Working plumbing is a fundamental habitability requirement under California law. Landlords are obligated to maintain hot and cold running water, functional toilets, and properly connected sewage systems.
Denial, harassment, or different treatment based on race, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or immigration status is unlawful under the FEHA and the federal Fair Housing Act.
Rules that limit where children may play, which units families may occupy, or that effectively exclude families with minor children are unlawful under the Fair Housing Act. We represent families subjected to discriminatory policies at any stage of the rental process.
A functioning heating system is a basic habitability requirement under California law. When landlords fail to maintain heat, particularly during colder months, tenants may be entitled to rent reduction, repair and deduct remedies, or damages.
Landlord harassment, including illegal lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats, and entering without proper notice, is prohibited under California law. We pursue civil remedies and statutory penalties against landlords who attempt to force tenants out through intimidation.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different. We offer free case evaluations, and no attorney’s fees are owed unless we recover compensation; clients may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses. Recognitions by third-party legal directories are based on their own criteria and do not imply specialization or certification. Descriptions of practice areas do not constitute certification or specialization unless expressly stated. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by any government agency.
David Elder
Of Counsel
David Elder earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and his master’s degree from the University of Louisville before receiving his Juris Doctorate from Western State University College of Law.
He began his career in criminal defense, where he developed strong advocacy and trial skills before transitioning to civil litigation. Mr. Elder now brings that experience to housing law, fighting to protect the rights of tenants across California.
Lanetta Rinehart
Of Counsel
Lanetta Rinehart earned her law degree from Loyola Law School in 2000, graduating near the top of her class. Even before becoming licensed, she served as a certified law clerk, representing hundreds of tenants in habitability cases, an experience that sparked a lifelong commitment to housing rights.
Over the past two decades, Ms. Rinehart has handled habitability matters involving thousands of tenants in every county in California. She has tried cases involving habitability and environmental exposure in San Francisco, Bakersfield, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and San Diego.
Ms. Rinehart has studied under top national experts in exposure claims involving mold, pests, pesticides, asbestos, bromine, and other environmental agents. She has lectured on landlord-tenant law, negotiating habitability cases, and environmental exposures, and her work has been published in magazines.
Chandra Spencer
Partner
In 2007, Chandra Spencer founded her own law practice to provide quality legal representation to tenants and protect their housing rights. In 2013, she partnered with Margaret Elder to form Elder & Spencer LLP, expanding their impact across California.
Ms. Spencer earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1996, along with a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from California Lutheran University in 1994.
Chandra is a Board Member of the Consumer Attorneys of California and is the Community Service Chairwoman for the Women’s Caucus. Chandra is also an Executive Board Member for the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities, and will be their President in 2028.
Outside of work, Ms. Spencer enjoys SCUBA diving, traveling, and spending time with her family and three dogs.
Margaret Elder
Partner
With over 30 years of experience in housing law, Margaret Elder brings extensive knowledge, insight, and compassion to the tenants she represents. She advocates for clients facing slum housing conditions, discrimination, retaliation, and violations of rent control ordinances, and has successfully tried cases to verdict in both state and federal courts.
Ms. Elder began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Fair Housing Council of Orange County, where she worked to ensure government compliance with fair housing laws. She later joined an insurance defense firm representing landlords accused of housing violations. This experience gave her unique insight into the defense side of litigation. Ms. Elder then founded her own practice exclusively representing tenants, which expanded into Elder & Spencer LLP when she partnered with Chandra Spencer in 2013.
Ms. Elder graduated cum laude from Western State University College of Law. She earned three American Jurisprudence Awards, served on Law Review, and competed in Traynor Moot Court and Ferguson Honor’s Moot Court.
Outside of her legal work, Ms. Elder trains and competes as a master women’s rower.
