Request for Entry of Default (Application to Enter Default)

Caption must identify the attorney or self-represented party.

• Filers list a nickname or middle initial that does not match how their name appears on the complaint. The clerk matches caption-to-caption; mismatches slow processing.
• Filers leave the caption attorney/party block blank because they are pro se. The block is required for self-represented filers too; it identifies who the court reaches with orders.

Attorneys only.

• Pro se filers fill this with their employer or 'self-represented'. Leave this row blank when not represented by a law firm.
• Attorneys list only the lead partner's last name without 'LLP' or 'PC'. Match the law firm's official registered business name.

Attorneys only.

• Pro se filers type their CA driver's license number here. Bar number is the State Bar of California license number; pro se filers leave blank.
• Out-of-state attorneys fill in their home-state bar number. CA Rules of Court 2.111 expects the CA bar number; out-of-state counsel must associate local counsel and use that bar number.

Caption address required.

• Filers use the rental property's address (the same address they're suing about) when they live elsewhere. Use the address where the court can actually reach the filer with mail.
• Filers list a P.O. box only and skip the street. Per Rule 2.111 the caption needs a physical or mail address; a P.O. box alone is acceptable for mailing but list a real street if available.

Address part.

• Filers spell the city differently than the USPS standard (e.g., 'St Louis' vs 'Saint Louis'). Use the USPS-preferred spelling so the clerk's mail merge matches.
• Filers list the county here instead of the city. The caption wants city, not county.

Address part. Defaults to CA.

• Filers spell out 'California' when the field expects 'CA'. The two-letter USPS code is the convention; the clerk's database normalizes either, but two letters fits the form layout.
• Filers list a state different from where they receive mail. The caption address is the address the court uses for orders; use the actual mail-receiving state.

Address part.

• Filers paste ZIP+4 with the dash; the form's narrow box may truncate the +4. Use the 5-digit ZIP unless the form clearly accepts ZIP+4.
• Filers guess at a ZIP from memory and miss by one digit. Verify against the USPS lookup so court mail reaches the filer.

Required.

• Filers list a phone they no longer use. The court calls this number for hearing notifications; pick a reachable number.
• Filers list a work number where they cannot speak privately about the case. Use a personal number when possible.

Optional in practice for self-represented filers.

• Filers paste an email they rarely check. If the case later moves to e-service, this becomes the address the court uses; pick one the filer actually monitors.
• Pro se filers worry a blank email gets the form rejected. It does not for paper filings; rule 2.111(1) reads strictly to require email but clerks accept blanks for self-represented filers.

Identifies who the filer represents.

• Pro se filers leave this blank or write 'myself'. Use 'Plaintiff in Pro Per' or 'Plaintiff, in Propria Persona' so the court understands the role.
• Filers in joint cases list only one party. If multiple plaintiffs share counsel (or pro se status), name all parties the filer represents.

Court county on caption.

• Filers list the county they live in instead of the county where the case is venued. The case venue is set on the complaint; copy from the complaint caption.
• Filers add 'County of' as a prefix when the form already has a 'COUNTY OF' label. Type only the county name.

Court street address.

• Filers list the courthouse name instead of the street address. Use the street address so the caption matches the format clerks expect.
• Filers use an old courthouse address after a courthouse move. Verify against the county's current Find Your Court page.

Optional; only when different from street.

• Filers fill this when the courthouse uses the same address for mail. If the court mailing address equals the street address, leave this blank.
• Filers list their own P.O. Box. This is the COURT's mailing address, not the filer's.

Court city and ZIP.

• Filers list only the city and skip the ZIP. The caption needs both for routing in counties with multiple courthouses.
• Filers use the ZIP of an old courthouse location. Verify against the court's current website.

Branch name required for routing in counties with multiple courthouses.

• Filers leave this blank in counties with multiple branches (LA, San Diego, Orange, Sacramento). The clerk routes to the wrong branch and the file gets stuck in inter-branch transfer.
• Filers type the courthouse's informal name ('downtown') instead of the official branch name ('Stanley Mosk Courthouse'). Use the formal name from the court's website.

Case number on every page.

• Filers type the docket-card number with hyphens different from the official case number. Match the case number on the complaint's file-stamp exactly.
• Filers omit the leading prefix ('22STUD' vs '22UD' for LA) thinking it's optional. The full case number with prefix is what clerks search.

Plaintiff name on caption matches the original Complaint exactly.

• Filers shorten a business name ('Smith Properties' instead of 'Smith Properties LLC'). The caption must match the complaint exactly, including suffixes.
• Filers list only one plaintiff when the complaint had multiple. Use the same caption block as the complaint, including 'et al.' if the complaint used it.

Defendant name(s) on caption. If multiple defendants, list all.

• Filers list only the named defendants and skip 'DOES 1-X' if the complaint included Doe defendants. Match the complaint caption.
• Filers shorten multiple defendants to the first plus 'et al.' when the form expects all named defendants. Read the form: caption block usually wants the full list, with 'et al.' as overflow only.

Mutual exclusive request path. The 'UD default + clerk's judgment for restitution only' path is the most common for pro se landlords; clerk both enters default AND issues judgment of possession in one trip. The 'default only' path enters default without judgment, leaving the user to bring UD-110 separately.

• Pro se landlords check 'default only' (1d) when they actually want both default + clerk's judgment for possession (need 1c entry of default + 1e clerk's judgment + 1e(1) restitution-only sub-box). Without 1e(1) the clerk enters default but does not issue the writ of possession.
• Filers in general-civil money cases check 1e (clerk's judgment) thinking 'judgment is judgment'. Money judgments require court judgment under 585(b)/(c), not clerk's judgment; pick 1d, not 1e.

Date the complaint was filed and stamped by the clerk. Without this date the clerk can't match this request to the case file.

• Filers use the date they signed the complaint instead of the date the clerk file-stamped it. Use the file-stamp date; the signature date can be days earlier.
• Filers misread the file stamp's smudge or use the date of a later amended complaint. Use the date of the original complaint that started the action.

Plaintiff name. Same as caption plaintiff.

• Filers type a different version of the plaintiff name here than in the caption (e.g., adds 'Mr.' or shortens 'Robert' to 'Bob'). Match the caption exactly.
• Joint plaintiff cases list only one name. Both names go here if both appear in the caption.

Names of defendants whose default is being requested. Must match the Complaint and POS-010 exactly.

• Filers list every defendant including those who already answered. Default goes only against defendants who failed to answer; an already-answered defendant cannot be defaulted.
• Filers misspell a defendant's name slightly differently than on POS-010 (proof of service). The clerk cross-checks the request against POS-010; a mismatch means the clerk cannot confirm service.

Conditional: only check this box if the Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession (CP10.5) was actually served with the summons. If checked without CP10.5 having been served, the judgment is vulnerable to challenge from any unnamed occupant.

• Landlords check this box hoping it forecloses unnamed-occupant claims, without having served Form CP10.5 (Prejudgment Claim of Right to Possession). Without CP10.5 service, an unnamed occupant can challenge the eviction even after default.
• Filers leave this blank when CP10.5 was served. Check the box so the judgment binds unnamed occupants too.

Required disclosure. Software is not an LDA/UDA. Truthful answer for self-help users using only software is 'did not.'

• Filers worry that using legal-tech software (Ezel, LegalZoom, etc.) makes them an LDA/UDA. Software is not an LDA; the truthful answer for self-help users is 'did not.'
• Filers who DID use a paid LDA leave this blank to avoid disclosure. The disclosure is mandatory; non-disclosure is itself grounds for sanctions.

Mailing of CIV-100 to defendants is required by CCP section 587. The clerk will reject CIV-100 if item 6 is blank or shows no mailing was done. Mail BEFORE filing the original.

• Filers skip the CCP 587 mailing entirely and leave item 6 blank. The clerk rejects the form back; the mailing must happen BEFORE the clerk enters default.
• Filers mail the request after they file with the clerk. CCP 587 sequence: mail first, then file. Reversing the order is the most common reason the clerk bounces a CIV-100.

Required if mailing status is 'unknown address'; otherwise blank.

• Filers fill this when they do know the defendant's address but find it inconvenient to mail. The 'unknown address' path requires actual unknown address; misuse is a perjury exposure on item 6a's declaration.
• Filers list a defendant whose address is known but stale. Stale-but-likely-correct address still requires mailing; only genuinely unknown qualifies for item 6a.

Date mailed. Required if mailing was done.

• Filers list the date they intend to mail rather than the actual date of mailing. Use the postmark date.
• Filers list a mailing date AFTER the file-stamp date on the request. The mailing must precede filing per CCP 587; an after-filing date triggers clerk rejection.

Names and addresses on the envelopes. Required if mailing was done.

• Filers list only one defendant when multiple were mailed. List all envelopes mailed (one per defaulted defendant).
• Filers paste a generic 'last known address' without spelling out the address. List name + full address for each envelope; clerks have rejected requests with 'last known address' alone.

Required for any default judgment. Most pro se landlords use the SCRA database check at scra.dmdc.osd.mil and select item 8a. If the defendant is a business entity, choose item 8e (not eligible to serve).

• Filers check item 8a (SCRA database verification) without actually running the check at scra.dmdc.osd.mil and attaching the printout. The clerk wants the printout; the checkbox alone is not enough.
• Filers default a business entity defendant (LLC, corporation) and check item 8a (individual SCRA check). Business entities are not SCRA-eligible; check item 8e instead.

Date and signature of the plaintiff or attorney. Without a date the request cannot be processed.

• Filers post-date the signature thinking the form will be filed later. Use today's date; if the filing is delayed, re-sign and re-date.
• Filers leave the date blank because they signed in the parking lot before walking in. Date and sign together; an undated signature can be rejected as procedurally defective.

Printed name of declarant.

• Filers print a nickname under the signature. Print the legal name as it appears in the caption.
• Filers leave the printed name blank because the cursive signature is 'enough'. Print legibly so docket entries use the right spelling.

Required date for the under-penalty-of-perjury declaration covering items 4 (UDA), 5 (Rees-Levering), and 6 (mailing).

• Filers date this declaration BEFORE they actually mailed the CIV-100 to defendants. Item 6 declares mailing under penalty of perjury; the declaration date must be on or after the mailing date.
• Filers re-use the page 1 date without re-dating page 2. Each declaration block needs its own date because each can be signed at a different time.

Printed name of declarant.

• Filers print the name of the LDA/UDA who helped instead of the plaintiff who is declaring. The declarant is the plaintiff (or the plaintiff's attorney).
• Filers list a different name spelling than page 1. Mismatched declarant names are a common reason clerks ask for a corrected request.

Date of the nonmilitary declaration.

• Filers date this BEFORE running the SCRA database check. The nonmilitary declaration must be made AFTER the SCRA verification was performed; the SCRA printout's date should be on or before this declaration date.
• Filers leave page 3 blank because they only need 'default'. Page 3 is required whenever a default JUDGMENT is sought; clerk's judgment for possession is a judgment for SCRA purposes.