Your deadline
The answer has to be on file with the court before the response period printed on the SUM-130 summons runs out: 10 days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays, after the day you were served. It also has to be served on the landlord's attorney with a proof of service. Once it is on file the landlord cannot take a default judgment against you.
- Form
- UD-105
- Official name
- Answer, Unlawful Detainer
- Who gives it to you
- Filed by you, the tenant, in response to the complaint
- The clock it starts
- Must be filed within the response period on the summons, normally 10 court days from service
- Version shown here
- Rev. January 1, 2026, optional form
What to do if you are served a UD-105
- Deny what is not true. Item 2 of the answer lets you deny the complaint's allegations generally or specifically. Denying puts the landlord to the burden of proving each claim at trial.
- Check every defense the facts support. Item 3 lists the affirmative defenses: defective notice, payment or tender of rent, breach of the warranty of habitability, retaliation, discrimination, waiver, improper service, and failure to follow a required procedure. Add the facts for each one you check.
- Sign the verification. Because the complaint is verified, the answer has to be verified too. Each tenant who is a defendant should sign, or the court can treat the answer as defective.
- File, pay or waive the fee, and serve. File at the court named on the summons with the first appearance fee or a FW-001 fee waiver request. Have someone who is not a party mail or hand a copy to the landlord's attorney and file the proof of service. Keep the stamped copy.
The UD-105, Answer, Unlawful Detainer, is the document that keeps an eviction case alive for the tenant. Everything on the landlord’s side of the packet is designed to run out the clock; the answer is what stops it. Once a signed, verified answer is on file with the court, the landlord can no longer ask the clerk for a default, and the case has to be decided on the facts instead.
What the form does
The answer has four parts:
- Denials. Item 2 lets you deny every allegation in the complaint or deny specific ones. A general denial is common for a short complaint; a specific denial is used when some allegations are true and others are not.
- Affirmative defenses. Item 3 is the heart of the form. Each checkbox is a legal reason the landlord should not win even if the basic facts are true. The ones raised most often in California are a defective or improperly served notice, rent that was paid or tendered and refused, breach of the warranty of habitability, retaliation for complaining about conditions or asserting a right, discrimination, the landlord accepting rent after the notice period, and a landlord who failed to follow a required procedure such as stating a just cause or paying relocation assistance.
- Facts. Space to explain, in plain language, why the defenses apply. This is where the differences you found between the notice, the complaint, and the cover sheet go.
- Verification. Because the landlord’s complaint is verified under penalty of perjury, the answer has to be verified too. Every tenant named as a defendant should sign.
Filing it
The answer is filed at the courthouse named in item 1 of the summons, not at the courthouse closest to you. Courts charge a first appearance fee based on the amount the landlord is claiming; if you cannot afford it, a FW-001 Request to Waive Court Fees is filed with the answer and the clerk accepts the filing while the request is decided.
After filing, a copy has to be served on the landlord’s attorney, or on the landlord if there is no attorney, by someone who is not a party to the case, and a proof of service has to be filed. An answer that was filed but never served, or served by the tenant personally, can be attacked.
What happens after the answer
The landlord will normally file a UD-150 Request to Set Case for Trial, and the court will set a trial date quickly, usually within about three weeks. Between the answer and the trial there may be discovery, a settlement conference, or a negotiated move-out. An answer on file is what gives you a seat at that table.
If you are past the deadline
File anyway, as fast as possible. The landlord cannot obtain a default until they request it and the clerk enters it, and many landlords do not request it on the first day. If a default has already been entered there are motions to set it aside. Call us with the summons in hand and we will tell you where the case actually stands.
Frequently asked questions
What is a UD-105 form?
The UD-105 is the Answer, Unlawful Detainer, the Judicial Council form a tenant files to respond to an eviction lawsuit in California. It denies the landlord's claims, raises the defenses that apply, and, once filed, prevents the landlord from winning by default.
How long do I have to file a UD-105?
The answer must be filed within the response period stated on the SUM-130 summons, which is 10 court days from the day you were served under the current form. Court days exclude weekends and court holidays. If the deadline has already passed, call anyway; a response can still be filed until the clerk enters a default.
How much does it cost to file a UD-105?
Courts charge a first appearance fee to file an answer, and the amount depends on how much the landlord is claiming. If you cannot afford it, you can file a FW-001 Request to Waive Court Fees with the answer, and the court will accept the filing while the request is decided.
What defenses can I raise on a UD-105?
The form has checkboxes for the most common ones: the notice was defective or not served properly, the rent was paid or offered, the landlord failed to maintain the unit, the eviction is retaliatory or discriminatory, the landlord accepted rent after the notice, and the landlord did not follow a required procedure such as just cause or relocation assistance. There is space for other defenses and for a statement of facts.
Does filing a UD-105 stop the eviction?
It stops the case from being decided against you automatically. With an answer on file there can be no default judgment, no writ of possession, and no sheriff, unless the landlord wins at trial. It also gives you leverage to negotiate more time or a move-out agreement.
Can I file a UD-105 without a lawyer?
Yes. The form is written for self-represented tenants. The risk is in getting the defenses, the verification, the fee, or the service wrong, any of which can cost you the case. We prepare and file answers for tenants every day, and the consultation is free.
This website provides general information about the California eviction process and is not legal advice. Court forms are reproduced from the Judicial Council of California; confirm you are using the current revision before filing.