Lanlord Refuses to Give the New Keys to the Tenant

[Nadya_25]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? CALIFORNIA
The place I currently live in is a bit unique. It’s located at the top of the hill in Hollywood Hills, CA. Since all of the cars must be parked at the bottom of the hill there is an elevator that services the houses that are located at the top of the hill. The elevator is located in a tower, which can only be accessed through the key-locked gate. Once you get past the gate, you have to use another key to call the elevator and finally once you are inside the cabin you have to use the key again to make the elevator go.
There is an Elevator Association that is responsible for the elevator maintenance. On December 1st, 2004 they had both the gate and the elevator re-keyed and posted a note telling the home-owners to pick up their keys from the Homeowners Association and for the tenants to pick up their keys from their landlords.
I’m in a dispute with my landlord right now and he absolutely refuses to give me my new keys. Since December 1st I haven’t had any access to the elevator, I’ve been having to use a very steep and long staircase (and on top of everything it’s very dark at night – it goes thorough very thick trees and it’s quite scary when you are by yourself) to access my house, which makes it practically impossible for me to do anything. For example: I can’t go grocery shopping, because I can’t haul the heavy bags up that staircase (I barely make it up by myself as it is); I can’t have a friend of mine over, because he’s leg is broken; I can’t move anything in or out - I’ve been needing to empty my storage but I can’t now, because it’s an impossible task without an elevator.
Please HELP!!! What can I do to make him give me the keys?

 

[seniorjudge]

"I’m in a dispute with my landlord...."

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[Nadya_25]

Landlord Refuses to Give the New Keys to the Tenant

I reported several major problems with the apartment (leaking roof, faulty wiring, flooding of the kitchen when shower is on, garbage disposal broken and kitchen sink is un-usable and so on) to the landlord at the end of September (7 days before new months rent was due). By the time October rent became due the landlord still hasn’t lifted a finger to fix any of the problems I reported. So I held back rent. He filed eviction and began all kinds of retaliatory actions: cutting off my electricity for a couple of hours here and there; physically disconnecting my internet cable at the cable box and after I figured that out and connected it back he simply cut the cable that was running through his storage space in half and put a pad lock on the storage door , so I couldn’t get in and try to fix it; hosing off the deck above me and ruining all of my stuff that was sitting below by getting it wet, letting his dog **** right in front of my door and never cleaning it up and so on and so forth; and the latest one is the key withholding. I do have a trial date set but it’s not until the end of February and I can’t wait that long until I have my keys. So I was wondering if I can somehow force him to give me the keys or may be the Elevator Association can be forced to give me the keys. After all they are the ones ultimately responsible for anything to do with the elevator, including issuing keys.