Illegal utility shutoffs and the penalties
No. Shutting off your utilities — electricity, gas, water, or heat — to pressure you into leaving is illegal in California and is a recognized form of landlord harassment.
Civil Code Section 789.3 specifically prohibits a landlord from cutting off or deliberately interfering with utilities to force a tenant out, even when rent is owed. It also bars removing doors, changing locks, or taking a tenant's belongings for that purpose. When a landlord breaks this law, they can be held responsible for the tenant's actual losses plus additional penalties the statute allows for each day the utility is shut off.
This applies whether the landlord physically shuts off a service, fails to pay a bill they are responsible for on purpose, or otherwise interferes to make your home unlivable.
Losing utilities can quickly make a home unsafe, so this should be treated seriously. If your landlord has shut off or threatened to shut off your utilities, write down what happened and when. A free, confidential review can explain how to hold your landlord accountable and what compensation may be available.
This is general information about California tenant rights, not legal advice. Every situation is different.