I can’t thank Alex Merchant enough! He gave me what must have been hundreds (thousands?) of dollars worth of his time and expertise, completely free of charge. I saved countless hours and what will likely total to 5 figures. I went from feeling stressed, frustrated and taken advantage of, to knowing exactly what my options are, what the likely outcomes will be and feeling in control of my situation.

Even when Alex was out of office for the week, he returned my calls and followed up when he didn’t get ahold of me at first. He was a total professional, very knowledgeable and 100% on my side. All the other lawyers I talked to were amateurish in comparison. Thank you Elke & Merchant!

Quick, helpful and honest advice.

I'll begin with some perspective, I called every attorney on the list I received from the SFTU to approach my issue. I had been working with another attorney from the list of recommendations when I was put in touch with Elke & Merchant LLP. They agreed to see the details of my case (within mere weeks of a statute), approached me with reasonable and ardent skepticism, and then, although properly critical, were continuously supportive and detailed in communication as I prepared in great detail my case to present to them. The guidance I received from Tom and Catalina led to a well sculpted timeline, and frankly facilitated the necessary open dialogue to articulate a real case where one existed.

Elke & Merchant LLP has one of the best reputations of all tenants rights firms in San Francisco. Both partners spend a substantial amount of time not only working on contingency cases, but volunteering directly with the SFTU and other advocacy organizations. Tom and Alex make a particularly well rounded team for a two-partner firm, with complementary specializations, and Catalina is a bright young lawyer dedicated to the cause. Perhaps the most compelling trait is their unwavering authenticity. While many tenants lawyers in SF have been worn down by years of experience dealing with a combination of difficult clients, an unjust system and the woes of evil organizations, attorneys and general systematic incompetence, Elke & Merchant have maintained an impenetrable reputation for treating each tenant they counsel with nothing less than a fiduciary integrity. They will take your case if you do your end of the research, and they will fight for you with their all. Do you work, listen to them, and justice will be served.

We found ourselves in a very stressful situation with our previous landlord. After making many visits to the city office and SFTU, I was just so happy and relieved when I was directed to Alex eventually. Not only Alex is professional and knowledgeable, he is also a compassionate individual, where you know he was going to be just the right lawyer representing our case. He was able to quickly understand our situation, give us options of what we could do, and communicate with us throughout the entire case. Even after I left SF for good eventually, he made sure to keep us updated on the settlement. THANK YOU ALEX!

The best tenant attorneys in San Francisco

We first met Tom at the SF Tenant's Union. He was, as he does weekly, volunteering his time to counsel potential clients like me and my wife. We had been wrongfully evicted from our rent controlled apartment in San Francisco and were lost, confused, and eager to find help. After a brief consultation, Tom assured us that we had a strong case, had been victims of several illegal acts, and he and his partner, Alex, would take on our case. After months of frustration, anger, and degradation from our prior landlord, we walked out of that meeting with Tom feeling like we finally had hope.

Diligent & passionate about their expertise, Tom & Alex exuded confidence while keeping expectations level set. At a point where we were on the brink of losing hope, they came in driven to seek justice for us and would not rest until a fair settlement was reached.

We recommend Tom Elke & Alex Merchant for any legal matters related to tenant law with the highest regard.

I have had an excellant experience with Tom Elke. He has been very knowledgeable and really helped me understand my rights as a tenant. I highly recommend him.

I first met Tom Elke at the SF Tenants Union clinic in the Mission District. I am a tenant in SF and I was so pleased to meet Tom - an experienced attorney dedicated to the community. His advice at the clinic was a life-saver and gave me the confidence to deal with my apartment issues.

I work as a social worker and I've met with several tenants' lawyers over the years. Tom stands out as the most qualified, successful, and down-to-earth attorney in SF!

I had several issues at my apartment that came up later on and I emailed Tom. He responded right away and was available by phone to answer all of my questions.

I am so happy to be in touch with him, to have such reliable, responsive support on short notice. He clearly explained every complicated tenant law provision that I was dealing with. His attitude is inspiring - he is confident, polite, dedicated, and positive.

I will definitely return to his office when any future questions arise. I recommend him to anyone in the Bay.

My wife and I ran into issues with our landlord when they tried to raise our rent above the allowed amount using Costa Hawkins, claiming we did not permanently reside in our apartment because we went on an extended vacation. Tom was quick to respond to our initial inquiry, and the fast responses didn't stop there! Tom is exceptionally knowledgeable with tenant rights and the law. Tom worked with us while we were in South America, walked us through everything, and was always (I mean it) available for us when we needed to talk. Tom quickly gave us the ins and outs of our case, what could be challenges and what steps needed to be taken. Most of all, he delivered! I would (and already have to anyone will listen to me) recommend him and his team to any tenant that needs great representation. He saved our vacation and our home.

Alex Merchant is the best San Francisco tenant lawyer.

I consulted Alex for a client's landlord-tenant problem, and Alex has been incredibly generous with his time and input. He told me how the client ought to proceed to sue his landlord for failing to provide my client with a safe and habitable home and for failing to respond to my client's numerous notices of nuisance and harassment. He knows everything about landlord-tenant law!

Alex is a passionate advocate for tenants and is such a decent and warm person. I am really glad I was fortunate enough to have met Alex several years ago when we worked together.

Even though Alex and his partner are super busy working for tenants and helping tenants, Alex made time to speak and meet with me several times and gave me solid advice about how to help my client, who has a horrible landlord and is living in deplorable conditions.

Thank you, Alex!

After i have read what others have wrote in the reviews here I must agree 100% with all of the positive and beneficial statements spoken of. My main attorney was Tom Elke, he was absolutely the right person for my situation.

Disclaimer, I will first state that I may write the wrong law lingo as I am not an attorney but I hope all will understand the gist of my review:

I was a tenant and the landlord served me with an Unlawful Detainer. The case dragged out more than 8 or so months, not from my side but the landlords side. Tom stuck with me through out all of it. He just understood, plain and simple, and was willing to fight for it. There was no BS or small fees here and there that i have heard others previously in my situation spoken of with other firms.

Since the landlord/ and their attorney I believe didn't have their heads screwed on straight. They wasted time and dragged things out. During this process inevitably Tom was out of town for a small amount of time. So i had the privilege of working with Alex Merchant. Alex was with me during my deposition. And even though their side kept me in the room about 6 hours Alex stayed concentrated and focused on all of the oppositions questions aiding me throughout. I left exhausted, but completely pleased again by my choice of attorneys.

In the end, I left the whole case feeling great about the outcome. I did not stay in my apartment, but Tom got me a 'great' settlement $$$ that has helped me moved on from the annoyance/stress of living under the old address. I now have a great new apartment and cannot thank Tom & Alex enough.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, my final advice. CONTACT - HIRE - RETAIN the services of Elke and Merchant. They are both great to work with, speak the truth, and can lead you through the correct paths to take; along with helping you understand your options.

Tom came highly recommended through some friends and I could not have been more impressed. Tom is professional, easy to deal with and is very thorough. You can really tell that he cares about people and doing the right thing in general. I would absolutely recommend Elke & Merchant LLP for your legal needs.

My roommate and I retained Tom to help us through an unlawful detainer filed by our landlord. Tom's expertise gave us confidence & we were very pleased with the outcome. Since then he’s become my starting point for an array of issues & has delivered great recommendations when the topic falls out of his expertise. I much appreciate how Tom has always made time for a quick chat or word of advice for my questions.

Tom & Alex are extremely knowledgeable, ethical, professional and helpful & I couldn't recommend them any higher.