California — Landlord Tried To Force Me Out Before The End Of My Paid Rental Period And Threatened To Have Her Son Come Over. Do I Have Any Legal Recourse?

Location: California

I’m looking for advice about something that happened with my landlord in San Diego County, California.

I had been renting a room in the landlord’s house for approximately 3 months. The landlord owns the house and also lives there. There is another roommate, although he is rarely home.

The arrangement was fairly informal. I found the room through Furnished Finder, but I did not have a written lease. I paid the landlord $1,250 per month through Venmo. My rent was paid through September 27.

I had a flight on September 26 and told my landlord the day before that I expected to leave around 7 AM. However, late that night my flight was delayed, so I decided to stay at the house longer in the morning so I could finish packing and organizing my belongings. I intended to tell her about the change when I woke up.

At around 8:30 AM, I woke up and the landlord was very upset because she had scheduled a cleaner to come at 9 AM based on my earlier expected departure. She told me I needed to hurry up, pack my belongings, and leave.

I told her that I understood the inconvenience, but I had paid rent through the following day and did not think it was appropriate to force me out because my travel plans had changed.

The argument escalated. She told me to “get your fucking stuff out” and said that she would have her son come over and “talk to me.” Given the context, I interpreted the reference to her son as an attempt to intimidate me into leaving.

I did not want the situation to escalate or become physical, so I continued packing and left.

At one point while I briefly went to the store and had not yet finished moving out, I returned and discovered that she had entered the room and started moving my belongings. Clothes and other personal items had been moved, and the sheets had been removed from the bed.

I have text messages documenting at least part of what happened, proof of my Venmo rent payments, and the Furnished Finder listing/communications.

My questions are:

1. Even without a written lease, would I have been considered a tenant or lodger under California law after living there and paying monthly rent for about 3 months?
2. Could the homeowner legally demand that I leave immediately when my rent was paid through the following day?
3. Does telling me to get my belongings out and threatening to have her son come over potentially constitute an illegal/self-help eviction or unlawful attempt to remove me?
4. Was she legally permitted to enter the room and move my belongings while I was still occupying it?
5. Since I ultimately left rather than waiting for her to physically remove me, would I still have any potential claim?
6. Would this be something worth pursuing in California small claims court, and if so, what damages could potentially be claimed?

I realize that changing my departure time without notifying her immediately was inconvenient, and I’m not claiming I handled the communication perfectly. My concern is whether her response crossed the line legally, particularly because I had paid for the room through the next day and felt intimidated into leaving early.

I’d appreciate any guidance on what California law applies here and whether it would be worth speaking with a tenant attorney/legal aid organization.