My illegal guest unit was taken down by the city- Landlord told City no one lived there and never served me proper vacate notice. I was told by landlord to get a hotel and they would rebuild. He is not allowed to re-build and he refuses to pay re-location. Can the City of Los Angeles put a lien on his properties?

Do I need to sue him in court?

I'm confused. You lived in an illegal unit? Did you have a lease?

Yes, I had a lease and lived there for 3 years. The Landlord was busted by code enforcement to tear down the illegal kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Leaving one big room without any amenities. He lied to the City and said no one lived there- despite furniture and electronics- so he never served me proper notice- not only that, he promised to rebuild the place back up and told me to stay at hotels until he got the permits to re-build.

He is not able to rebuild per the city of Los Angeles. The city is asking for relocation and he will not pay. He also kept my Security Deposit and stated I owed him back rent- which is totally bogus. This landlord is a real criminal.

Ok, so the city asked him to pay relocation and he hasn't? Yes you will need to sue him. If you get a judgement, you will still have the issue of how to collect.

A lien on all his properties to collect judgement.

All a lien does prevent him from selling the property until the lien is satisfied.