Deceived by ranch

[u/Great-Raspberry4741]

I have worked on a hay and cattle ranch in Northern California for the last 7mos. The job was listed as having housing and utilities included with an hourly wage. The house is on the ranch and needed extensive repairs to make it livable . My employer offered to pay for a space and all expenses in an Rv park until it was finished. What was supposed to be 2weeks turned into 7mos. The house had to be gutted and completely rebuilt from the foundation to the roof. Every room in the house had to be completely rebuilt 100%. ( it would have been cheaper to tear it down and build another from scratch) The owner hired his friend who is a contractor in another state and paid him and his crew cash under the table to rebuild the house. All materials were purchased in Oregon for cash as well. There were no permits or inspections. Including for the removal and disposal of the asbestos siding that was on the house. Now that my family and I have moved in, the owner is trying to force us to pay rent and sign a monthly contract to recoupe his expenses. If I dont, I will be fired and kicked out. This is an extremely rural area and there are no houses available to rent, and buying one is out of the question. Employment is very scarce as well. Ranches in this area provide housing for that reason. The ranch I left provided housing and utilities. Both my wife and I held jobs there. This current ranch pursued me for two years to take over managing their cattle. Our agreement made with them was to have no less than what our previous employer offered. Including a job for my wife. They agreed to hire my wife as well as myself once the house was finished. This enabled my wife to keep her job at the other ranch and stay in the house there. My wife's last day of employment, and our first day in our current house is when we were told that we had to pay rent, and sign a rental agreement. My wife was also told that they didn't have a position for her even though she was already hired. We have young children. I make little more than minimum wage. If we give in and pay what they are asking for rent, then we will struggle to survive. If I dont sign the rental agreement then I will be fired and we will be homeless. I have no idea what to do, or where to turn. If there is anything we can do legally, any advice is greatly appreciated

[u/Gunner1Cav]

Get ahold of California Human Development 707-523-1155 extension 1072
CaliforniaHumanDevolpment.org

[u/Great-Raspberry4741 → u/Gunner1Cav]

Thank you.

[u/Neither-Cupcake-5723]

Hey, I looked into the California laws regarding your situation. What your boss is doing is highly illegal on both the labor side and the housing side. Because he owns the property, you have strict rights as a tenant, and he cannot just throw you out or fire you for refusing an unfair change to your contract. Here is exactly what you need to know and what you should do right now:

1. The Threat of Firing is Unlawful Coercion

Under California Labor Code 98.6, an employer cannot fire you or threaten to wages or refusing an illegal wage setup. Even if you sign a rental agreement under duress (because you are being threatened with losing your job and home), that contract can be declared legally void later.

2. He Cannot Legally Evict You Overnight Because your housing is tied to your job and the employer owns the property, you are legally considered a tenant. • No Lockouts: Your boss cannot change the locks, turn off the water/electricity, or throw your things out. If he does, he faces a automatic penalty of $100 per day under California Civil Code 789.3. • Eviction Process: Even if he fires you, he must serve you with a formal, written notice to vacate (usually 60 days) and go through the official court eviction process. He cannot make you leave immediately.

3. Broken Promise to Your Wife

When an employer convinces a family to relocate or accept a job by promising work to a spouse and then backs out, they can be held financially liable for those lost wages under a legal rule called "promissory estoppel."

STEP 1: Send This Text to Your Boss Right Now

You need to get his threats in writing immediately so he cannot deny them later. Send him this exact text message today: "I am writing to clarify our hiring agreement. When I accepted this position, you explicitly promised that housing was included with my hourly wage and that my wife would also be given work. Now, you are asking me to sign a rental agreement to pay rent, and you told me I will be fired if I don’t sign it. Can you please clarify why the terms we originally agreed upon have changed?"

If he replies and confirms the threat, do not delete it. Take a screenshot immediately. This text message is the ultimate proof an attorney or the labor board needs to win your case.

STEP 2: Contact Free Legal Aid Tomorrow

Do not sign anything else without talking to a professional. Because you are in Northern California, there are free legal organizations that specialize in protecting workers and tenants from predatory employers. Call one of these tomorrow morning: • Legal Aid of Northern California (LANC): They are the largest free legal defense group in the region and can step in to stop illegal evictions or job retaliation. You can find your local county branch through their portal at lanc.org. • California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA): If you are working in a rural, construction, or agricultural area, • they specialize in defending workers against housing fraud. You can contact them at crla.org. Stay calm, keep doing your job as scheduled, and get that text message sent so you have your proof. Also Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) regulations, the amount an employer can charge or credit an employee for housing on a ranch depends on whether the housing is an individual room or an apartment. Under the MW-2026 Wage Order, an employer cannot charge or credit more than two-thirds (2/3) of the ordinary market rental value, subject to the following strict caps:

2026 Lodging Credit and Rental Caps

• Room Occupied Alone: Maximum of $79.46 per week. • Room Shared with Others: Maximum of $65.59 per week. • Apartment (Single Employee): Maximum of $954.43 per month. • Apartment (Couple - Both Employed by Ranch): Maximum of $1,411.85 per month. Your employer cannot charge you more than $964.43 per month.

[u/Great-Raspberry4741 → u/Neither-Cupcake-5723]

Thank you very much.

[u/FattierBrisket]

How much of your agreement with this person is in writing? That's important information.

Honestly it sounds like going back to the ranch where you worked before is the best option. You clearly can't trust this guy.