Astute landlords, property managers, and real estate professionals are always in the know.
We religiously send out email broadcasts with the latest happenings and insights germane to the rental housing community and our most recent ones are here.
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April 11, 2025
We announce the winner of our March Madness contest and offer some takes on the growing trend of Berkeley landlordings renting out to students by the bed. A pair of bills is being incubated under the dome of the Capitol. One of them aims to remove squatters, while the other proposed legislation would allow tenants to pay rent after a 3-day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit expires. We chime in.
March 28, 2025
We admonish housing providers in San Francisco to update their lease agreements and notices to reflect the Rent Board's change of address. In good news, Concord revamps its rent ordinance by placing a more reasonable cap on annual rent increases and exempting small landlords from just cause eviction protections. Our take on a law that would allow tenants to pay rent even after an eviction action has begun, and we chime in on Oakland's mayoral race.
March 13, 2025
We submit that tenant buyout agreements are more attractive given a new law that elongates the eviction process. At the last minute, Oakland finds funds to pay for attorneys representing tenants in eviction actions by tapping into vacancy taxes.
March 5, 2025
With DOGE ripping through federal spending like a chainsaw, nervous housing providers participating in Section 8 are questioning whether they will get the timely, reliable payments from HUD they’ve come to expect. Landlords are also on edge as immigration enforcement efforts are amplified and ICE agents target individuals in rental communities.
February 24, 2025
We explore what the law says about the mutual responsibilities of landlords and tenants relating to water usage. The raging fires in Southern California highlight the importance of developing an emergency preparedness plan. After Oakland passes a new regulatory regime, it’s unclear whether the recalled mayor had the authority to cast a tie-breaking vote. More developments from around the web.
February 14, 2025
After marathon meetings and long, cantankerous public debate, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors added new tenant protections for unincorporated parts of the county. We are encouraged that California may follow in the footsteps of other states by enacting tougher litigation to deal with the vexing problem of squatters who have held property owners hostage by camping out, refusing to leave, and producing bogus documentation.
February 7, 2025
We revisit security deposit accounting in light of new law and discuss what can be deducted. Owners of commercial buildings need to be aware of protections now afforded to small businesses and nonprofits, and Concord looks to tweak its rent control ordinance.
January 28, 2025
Landlords in certain buildings have an obligation to report positive rental histories to credit reporting agencies if the tenant elects. We review new rules relating to tenant screening fees and the new requirement to accept the first qualified tenant.
January 23, 2025
With micromobility devices continuing to burst into flames, we explore state law and San Francisco’s fire code regulating the storage and charging of these devices. What price-gouging bans mean for housing providers.
January 11, 2025
While a handy guide summarizes new laws related to Accessory Dwelling Units, our larger concern is legalizing unwarranted units in the shadows. A 360-degree view of relocation payments in no-fault evictions. What to do when a previous owner does not vacate the property after ownership exchanges hands. After years of debate and discussion, landlords in unincorporated parts of Alameda County now have a sense of clarity on a new regulatory regime. San Francisco’s ill-conceived Empty Homes Tax has now been officially nullified. Owners of commercial properties and their agents are urged to familiarize themselves with a new law that affords protections to certain qualified tenants, guardrails normally reserved for residential tenancies. Our heartfelt thoughts on the raging wildfires, what housing providers need to know when disaster strikes, and how to contribute to those in need.
December 31, 2025
Businesses are in a suspended state of ambiguity as courts wrangle over the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act. We take a trip around the Bay Area for legal updates. Tenants now have more time to respond to unlawful detainer actions. The pitfalls of buying foreclosures and complying with credit reporting requirements if the tenant opts in to have their timely payments reported.
December 12, 2025
In an annual tradition, we present the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for housing providers. Facing a massive budget deficit, Oakland lawmakers look to impose a punitive tax on landlords, and enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act is paused after a federal judge rules that the law is unconstitutional.
December 3, 2025
With an incoming Trump administration, what landlords should know about tenants with an undocumented status. A movement to mandate air conditioning in rental units will be costly to landlords. Housing providers in Concord should be aware of rent registry requirements now in place. We reshare our video of the new laws the rental housing community will have to contend with in the New Year, along with other snippets on the web.
November 25, 2025
There will always be challenges for rental housing providers but there is a lot we should be grateful for. In this Thanksgiving edition, we name some developments we are encouraged by. With the holiday shopping season upon us, we also forewarn landlords of porch pirates and provide advice on how to avoid and respond to the brazen theft of packages.
November 18, 2025
We delve deeper into new laws going into effect in the New Year, including the mandate to change locks when domestic abuse rears its ugly head and a ballot initiative passed by tenants’ advocates in Berkeley. We explain that San Franciso’s vacancy tax has been invalidated for now and review an ominous set of proposals moving forward in Oakland. In Concord, meanwhile, housing providers can petition for rent increases to realize a fair return on investment.
November 6, 2025
Housing providers should celebrate the defeat of Proposition 33, dubbed the “Justice for Renters Act, and be relieved that with the passage of Proposition 34, Michael Weinstein and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will no longer be able to divert funds from patient care to fund a radical agenda of expanding rent control.
October 31, 2025
A new law called the Corporate Transparency Act will mandate certain companies to divulge the ownership behind them or risk hefty fines for not bringing their business to the light of day. In Oakland, there is a stalemate as the Economic Development Committee (EDC) kicks the can down the road and agrees to revisit a host of proposals to strengthen tenant protections and punish landlords who have not paid their business license tax.
October 19, 2025
We review state laws germane to rental housing providers that have been passed. While tenant protections traditionally have been reserved for residential renters, a new law gives certain commercial tenants a bill of rights. New legislation will upend the way foreclosed properties are purchased and ensure that a homeowner’s lifetime investment in their property will not be stripped away and at the same time, make lenders whole.
October 11, 2025
The requirement to inspect balconies has been postponed until 2026, but we suggest that owners do not wait until the last minute. Another reason to oppose Proposition 33 is a projected shortfall in revenue because of decreased tax assessment values. We impart some advice on how landlords can avoid costly lawsuits and someone shares their story of living with a hoarder.
October 3, 2024
In this update on Alameda County, we are encouraged that Berkeley lawmakers have shelved the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) yet there is an agenda in Oakland to institute further rules and penalties for landlords. After a long debate in unincorporated parts of Alameda County, it appears that increased relocation payments for no-fault evictions and requirements to mediate landlord-tenant disputes is in the offing.
September 27, 2024
Under a new law, tenants will be allowed an extra five days to respond to an unlawful detainer action. Landlords will be required to photograph the rent unit immediately before a tenant moves in, at the end of the tenancy, and before and after any necessary repairs or cleaning. We approve of a law allowing tenants to have timely rent payments reported to the credit bureaus. With a proliferation of lawsuits filed by tenants, we impart tips on how to avoid them.
September 19, 2024
An appellate court invalidates San Francisco’s rule allowing tenants ten extra days to cure nuisances and other leach violations. The SF Board of Supervisors endorse Proposition 33 and signal their intentions to expand rent control for a huge swath of housing previously exempt. We talk to Richard Woon, a real estate developer running for City Attorney, and provide a handful of legal tips.
September 7, 2024
When the owner’s goal is to recover possession of the rental unit, we are not big fans of mediation. We revisit the intractable problem of hoarding in rental units and link to legal tips.
August 30, 2024
We take on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This law affords extra protections to certain vulnerable individuals, and share a handy cheat sheet that outlines the steps when landlords or tenants give notice to terminate the tenancy or the lease is about to expire. We field a handful of questions and dispense legal tips, along with other newsworthy items from across the web.
August 16, 2024
With election season upon us, we explore ballot competing ballot initiatives in Berkeley and a pair of measures that either aim to expand rent control or bar an activist healthcare organization from introducing future measures. In a guest viewpoint, it is argued that when rental income and the upside potential of a property declines, values fall and so will tax revenues.
August 4, 2024
In an only-in-San Francisco moment, the Board of Supervisors prohibits software that spews out suggested rent amounts to charge. We share a handy guide for gaining access to a rental unit when the tenant refuses to let landlords or their agents in, or instances when the owner doesn’t have keys.
July 25, 2024
The Biden-Harris administration proposes nationwide rent control and we offer our takes. With a sea of political signs, can housing providers limit what signage is on their properties? We share some cautionary remarks for investors looking to buy foreclosures and provide an update in Berkeley’s competing ballot measures.
July 17, 2024
While the value of a tenancy has always been huge, it is all the more valuable now if Weinstein 3.0 passes and the rental market becomes subject to vacancy control. We discuss ways to effectuate a vacancy and provide an update on the protracted discussions underway about increasing tenant protections in Alameda County. Finally, we invite you to an annual fundraising event for District 1 Supervisor David Haubert.
July 3, 2024
On the eve of Independence Day, can are hard-pressed to celebrate the rights of property owners. The U.S. Supreme Court rules that cities can enforce bans on sleeping in public places, a decision that can improve the quality of life for landlords and tenants alike. We tell the San Francisco Chronicle that an absurdly long lease appears to be valid after a Russian Hill property was sold at a bottom-barrel price.
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.
Questions? Email daniel@bornstein.law.