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July 3, 2024
On the eve of Independence Day, we are hard-pressed to celebrate the rights of property owners. The U.S. Supreme Court allows local governments to enforce bans on homeless encampments, leading to a better quality of life for owners and renters alike. We are quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle about a "family mess' surrounding a Russian Hill Property that sold for a ridiculously low price because of a long-term tenant paying little rent.
June 27, 2024
Rent registries are in vogue and there are penalties for not complying. We put together a guide on registering rental units throughout the Bay Area. Although tenants' advocates are relentless in advancing their agenda to erode these rights, we are encouraged that some ominous bills have failed in the statehouse. We revisit efforts to repeal Costa-Hawkins and share updated numbers on rent increases and a form to use when there is a change in ownership or management.
June 15, 2004
Temporarily displacing San Franciscans when the landlords make substantial repairs. An update on ongoing discussions about increased tenant protections in unincorporated parts of Alameda County. Pivoting back to San Francisco, the calculus has changed with General Obligation Bond pass-throughs..We address the vexing problem of "porch pirates" stealing packages in rental units and introduce competing ballot initiatives in Berkeley.
May 27, 2024
Perhaps no legal topic has incited so much emotion or created such a media firestorm as pets in rental units. In this Memorial Day edition, we discuss a new law that would prohibit blanket policies that ban pets.
After having the privilege of being invited to speak to the Berkeley Property Owners Association, we summarize developments there and share the PowerPoint slides of our discussion. '
May 17, 2024
It is OMI season at Bornstein Law. While San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley have prohibited Owner and Relative move-in evictions for educators and minor children living in the household during the school year, school is about to go on summer break. This presents a limited window of opportunity for owners to recover possession of the unit through these no-fault evictions.
We also discuss recovering damages, unpaid rent, and how to recoup unpaid rent after legislation increases the jurisdictional limit in small claims courts.
May 10, 2024
A recap of our speaking engagement with San Francisco real estate professionals on a host of topics including rent registry requirements, the City’s empty home tax, rules relating to micromobility devices, tenant buyout agreements, and much more.
May 4, 2024
By enacting a new ordinance, San Francisco lawmakers have made it nearly impossible to remove unwarranted units without first legalizing them. Owners of so-called "vacant" properties in San Franciso are facing a punitive tax but a lawsuit challenging the measure is progressing along.
Pivitong to Alameda County, lawmakers and outside mediators attempt to bring landlord and tenant groups together to reach a compromise on legislative proposals floated.
April 27, 2024
After eight years of soul-searching and sometimes raucous debates, Concord ushers in new rent and eviction controls. After high-profile cases have increased outrage over squatters, we feel that the tides are turning on these parasitic guests.
A new Berkeley initiative that favors landlords and tenants alike. We remind housing providers that resident managers are employees under the law.
April 18, 2024
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has foisted a new financial burden on housing providers with an ordinance that requires them to pay an inordinate amount for public services and capital improvements that benefit all residents.
With the deadline looming for California's "Balcony Bill," owners of multifamily properties are urged to act now. We field several questions from followers and more news from around the web.
April 11, 2024
Our industry partners have gotten creative in their attempt to defeat the Justice for Renters Act by introducing a ballot initiative of their own. Under the dome of the Capitol, lawmakers look to meddle with rules surrounding security deposits and tenant screening fees.
We conclude by talking about the hallmarks of good property management.
A replay of our webinar talking about the best practices in property management given the new realities rental property owners face. The San Francisco Rent Board releases numbers on eviction notices and it contradicts the narrative of tenants' advocates that evictions are on the rise.
Having an emotional support animal does not give owners the license to create a nuisance for neighboring residents. Effective April 1, 20024, owners endeavoring to transition tenants out of a rental unit by way of a substantial renovation - dubbed a "renoviction" - are subject to additional responsibilities under a new state law.
March 30, 2024
Like a bad neighbor, State Farm isn't there for property owners and this is indicative of a larger problem we discuss. Talks between landlord and tenant groups in Alameda County break down and the Board of Supervisors tell them to return to the drawing board.
MORE RESOURCES
Downloadable PDFs to understand complex legal processes in an easily digestible fashion. Informative webinars, white papers, podcasts, and more. Whatever it takes to educate the rental housing community on how to survive and thrive in a complicated regulatory regime.
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