Matlin & Associates

I recently spoke to Shauna about a very complicated eviction situation and found her extremely knowledgeable and helpful. She listened really well, took the time to look up my property details, explained my options, and then made sounds suggestions. What a stark difference from other attorneys who wouldn’t even say if they could help until I dropped $ 200 – 300 for a phone chat!
I would hire Shauna in a heartbeat! Highly recommended.

Matlin & Associates, Shauna in particular, is awesome.
I have an upcoming potential landlord situation and she walked me through all the potential pitfalls. She really took the time to get to know our situation and make sure we had all the facts to work with. She was blunt and straightforward and didn’t waste my time or hers. I am grateful for the connection.
They’re my go-​to if we end up in a sticky situation!

Shauna is awesome! I was in a very difficult situation several months ago and she provided the legal advice and assistance that I needed. She is professional and to the point. In addition, she knows the law and is a great person to have on your side. I highly recommend her!

Gave me plenty of her time for free and clarified a situation that had a conflicting interpretation from a different lawyer. Her’s was the correct one. There are plenty of «experts» in the city when it comes to landlord-​tenant law but only some of them actually know. Shauna is certainly one of those. Get the fully story and trust in Shauna.

Shauna is phenomenal and the most responsive attorney out there.
I have wasted my time contacting three other law offices that didn’t even have the courtesy to return my phone call inquiries on their services and rates, much less discuss any details concerning a potential case with the firm.
Matlin & Associates was referred to me by another law firm based in Silicon Valley because they didn’t specialize in SF tenant laws. That was the best referral I have ever received.
Shauna has been accessible and knowledgeable from my very first phone call nearly 6 months ago and continues to be now.
The tenant has since vacated without any delays or complications because Shauna was crucially instrumental in this entire process.
She is incredibly effective and knowledgeable about S.F. tenant/​landlord rules and regulations. I will gladly pay for her professional services again if needed as well as give her referrals without hesitation.
She is refreshingly reliable, honest, and an invaluable asset to have as a landlord attorney.
I can’t say enough about how great and helpful Shauna is. She is the best! A++
Thank you Shauna, Cheers

I contacted Matlin & Associates for help on understanding landlord/​tenant rights and for advice on certain aspects of the lease agreement. Shauna Matlin answered my questions and gave me other basic advice on how to screen tenants. She was efficient, pleasant and pointed out some things that I had not surfaced in my research. When I asked her how much I owed her she said that our conversation fell within the bounds of a free initial consultation. I will certainly look to Shauna in the future if I need additional help.

I had problems with renters in a single family home situation. All the websites out there had conflicting information so it was very hard for me to figure out what was the right thing to do and what the law was. I found Shauna and found her to be very knowledgeable and efficient. She answered all my questions both on the phone and over email concisely and immediately. My renter problems were solved as she described.
Moreover, she wouldn’t even charge me for her time spent over the phone and emails, and she sent me the right contract to use, and the right letters, etc. I would definitely pay for her advice and service as it well deserved it.

I first met Shauna in the 1990s when we were young attorneys working in a very adversarial context outside the Bay Area. Over the years, I’ve relied on her expertise in this fast-​changing and challenging area of landlord-​tenant law. I have always recommended Shauna to friends because I trust her keen insights, no-​nonsense approach and her vast knowledge of how things «really» work. Shauna is one of the smartest attorneys I know and — I can say from personal experience — one of the most strategic and savvy advocates I’ve ever met.

She is definitely honest and candid about things. This really helps when dealing with difficult situations like tenants in SF. Also, I have to say she is very savvy and knowledgeable about all of the drama tenants could bring. I reached out to her desperately and she was able to help me to draft an agreement with the tenants in question. She did this very quickly and effectively. I appreciate that she was able to expedite my letter…

Shauna was a lifesaver in my Owner Move-​In Eviction process. I, as others here on Unilocal,called her based on Unilocal reviews and after several calls with other attorneys first. She was no-​nonsense and definitely knows the absurdly «pro-​tenant» laws here in SF.
First of all, who knew there was such a thing as an Owner Move-​In Eviction process. I probably should have, but I didn’t. All I wanted to do was to get back into my own condo after leaving for a few years to be with my sick sister. I was shocked to learn the extent of everything that was entailed in getting the tenant in my condo to leave when I moved back to SF. I found out quickly that a month to month lease really means nothing. The notice to vacate stated in the lease means nothing. And, the biggest ripoff of all is I had to pay the jerk to leave. Relocation fees… Over $ 5,000…Are you kidding me… on a month to month lease… my own condo? Absurd! Not to mention I never raised the tenant’s rent (it’s not a rent-​controlled condo) so he was way below market and he totally trashed my place, which is a complete other story. Shame on me… that will never happen again.
Anyway, the above paragraph sums it up and my gut-​wrenching feelings on the subject. If not for Shauna, it’s hard to tell what would have ended up happening because all I wanted to do was scream at the guy to stop being greedy and just get the F out.
Shauna just kept me focussed on getting the task at hand taken care of and she was no-​holds-​barred when it came to telling me the truth, whether it was that I was being petty (which I definitely was at times), whether I needed to be more assertive (me again), and what exactly needed to be done… no work-​arounds, but point-​by-​point what was needed. I felt extremely confident and comfortable with her knowledge on the subject matter and will use her for any and all my landlord — tenant needs in the future. She does have a NY state of mind like someone else mentioned and if you can’t handle that and want someone to coddle you or tell you untruths that make you feel better, then she’s not the person for you. But if you want a great lawyer, on your side, who gets the job done, she’s your gal.

In a desperate pickle, I interviewed 5 different attorneys before finding Ms. Matlin. What a Godsend. She was able to offer me very clear advice, reassurance and help getting my problem tenant out of my home. I am so appreciative for her help in completely remedying a very bad situation. I cannot recommend her enough!

I called Shauna about a problem I was having with contract/​tenant, and although she didn’t serve my area, as I live further south, she was able to help me and answer my questions fully. I really appreciated how she spent time to help and treated me with patience and respect.

I contacted Shauna this afternoon and had a question a regarding landlord-​tenant issue. She went above and beyond my question, perfectly understood my situation and gave me a straightforward advice. I will def work with her should my issue escalate. Thank you, Shauna!
–Al

I cannot recommend Shauna highly enough, I would give her 10 stars if I could. She is a smart and honest straight-​shooter who understands the law and has enormous clarity when it comes to communicating it. I greatly value her expertise and believe all SF landlords could benefit from talking with her — not only those who are dealing with tenant issues, but those who want to avoid issues down the road.

I found Shauna through Unilocal and am glad I did!
She has a New York state of mind which I really appreciate. She is excellent at uncovering the facts and presenting the options in a no BS manner. As a landlord, I didn’t necessarily like what she had to say about my (lack of) rights, but at least the options where laid out and a game plan could be formed. I wouldn’t say that was true with the other attorneys I interviewed.
I highly recommend Shauna!

I just bought some property here in San Francisco and wanted some legal advice about SF renters laws and property management. I saw the reviews for Shauna and all looked positive so I called and was greeted by a very rude and rushed person. After about 30 seconds she told me they don’t handle property management they were lawyers. I knew that and was calling for legal advice but they cut me off and hung up before I had a chance to explain why I called. Is it because I am a man? I really don’t understand why I got treated so badly. Maybe bad day at Matlin & Associates.

I contacted Shauna specifically based on the other reviews about her. Like one of the other reviewers, I contacted various other lawyers who were basically useless. I finally found Shauna, who was incredible from the very beginning. She answered all of my questions and knew what to do right away. Shauna keeps her word, is honest and responds very quickly. Also, she is a straight shooter and is extremely knowledgeable. If I could give her more stars, I would.

shauna is amazing. i’ve never met her in person but that didn’t get in the way of her ability to help me!
i found myself in a bad situation with a nightmare tenant. i spoke with several (as in 8+) lawyers to see what my options were. shauna was knowledgeable, patient, and most importantly FRIENDLY when it came to answering my numerous questions. this was even before i had decided to go with her! many other lawyers wouldn’t even let me explain my situation until they received a check from me.
shauna quickly prepared all the necessary documents, helped me keep my costs low and answered the millions of questions i had. she was so approachable and helpful that i felt comfortable asking her for help and advice throughout the entire process. i can only imagine if i had gone with any of the other lawyers i spoke with — i would either be in debt after being billed for asking all the burning questions i had, or on my way to having a heart attack from all the stress of not being able to ask any questions!
i’ll come right out and say that i was a total stress case when dealing with my tenant situation. and on top of that, i was freaking out rather badly too. this is where shauna’s awesomeness comes out. i would write (probably excessively long) emails to her explaining whatever worry was plaguing me at the time, and within a few hours, if not minutes, i would get a response from her. it didn’t matter if it was 10 AM on a tuesday morning, or 7 PM on a saturday night on a holiday weekend — i would get an answer quickly which made the entire process so much bearable. she’s cool as a cucumber, which helped me a lot to calm down.
time is often of the essence when it comes to dealing with tenant situations, and her speediness made all the difference, not just in dealing with the tenant, but also for keeping my own sanity intact.
i’ve never had to deal with lawyers before, but i get the sense that she went above and beyond to help me with my case. i hope to never, ever, ever find myself in the situation i was in when i retained shauna, but if i should be so unlucky to need a lawyer again, shauna is the only one i’ll be contacting.

Shauna just completed my case against my Sub-​Tenant who refused to pay rent and refused to vacate. I am happy to report, the Sub-​Tenant is no longer in my flat. I highly recommend her services. I don’t intend to go through this again but if I do, or know of anyone in similar circumstances, I will be advising them to retain Shauna.
For every roadblock my Sub-​Tenant tried to put up, Shauna was there to counter it with action that resulted in a Settlement being reached as quickly as possible. She gave accurate, reliable advice on the best way to achieve the desired result and also kept me aware of costs allowing me to budget effectively.

My initial experience with the San Francisco eviction process was horrible (time consuming, frustrating, stressful and expensive) until I found Shauna Matlin. I was in the 5^th month of an eviction case that should have taken less than 6 weeks. The attorney I hired had filed several requests for judgments, reconsiderations, and continuances that had little to no chance of winning and did not make any sense in my situation. It finally dawned on me that something was wrong and I needed to shop for a new attorney in San Francisco.
I spoke to a few attorneys before selecting Shauna Matlin. During our first conversation on the phone she had no reservations reviewing information about my case from the San Francisco Court website to provide me a better assessment of what was happening and why I was not winning any judgments. Shauna explained to me in detail the current issues and what she could and could not do. It was clear by our conversation; she knew San Francisco eviction law, the requirements to get an eviction and had the savvy to work the system.
Shauna took my case that had a number of issues and negotiated a settlement within 3 weeks that resulted in an eviction one week after the settlement. Shauna Matlin is amazing!!!
I can not say enough about Shauna Matlin, I will definitely be using her for all my tenant related issues.
Vanessa Lindsay