Is there a time limit on collecting rent payments?

"California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1161(2) limits the amount of past-due rent that can be collected with to a three-day notice to rent that was unpaid no more than one year before the notice. Since the total amount in the notice included unpaid rent from two years earlier, the entire notice is invalid and cannot be used as the basis for a subsequent unlawful detainer action seeking your eviction."

"The three-day notice would have to be served on you again, with the correct amount. You are not, however, free from debt for the prior unpaid increase. Assuming you had a written rental agreement, and were properly notified of the increase, your landlord could deduct the unpaid amount from your security deposit and require you to restore that amount."

"Alternatively, your landlord could file a claim against you in Small Claims Court for the $250. These other collection options are available to the landlord because the time limit to pursue a legal action for breach of a written agreement is four years."

Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1161(2), a three-day notice to pay rent or quit can only include rent that became due within the past year. If a notice includes unpaid rent from more than one year prior, the entire notice is invalid and cannot support an eviction action. The notice must be reissued with only the valid amount. However, the landlord retains other collection methods for older debts. They may deduct unpaid rent from a security deposit or pursue a Small Claims Court action, since the statute of limitations for breach of a written rental agreement is four years.

Read at Los Angeles Times