An embattled Governor proposes that 100% of COVID-19 related rent debt should be paid by California

We are encouraged that there are calls for the state to make landlords whole but whether this is a political stunt or it actually comes to pass is yet to be seen.

 

A Biden administration looks to roll back gains on 1031 Exchanges

The President may make good on his campaign promise to rein in this tax-deferral vehicle. The proposal is aimed to take from the well-to-do in order to fund social programs but ironically, it will stifle upward mobility and hurt the "little guy."

 

Better late than never to inform tenants of their rights under Senate Bill 91

If landlords have missed the statutory deadline of February 28, we want you to nonetheless serve the requisite notice belatedly to show a good-faith effort.

 

Plan afoot to wipe out rent debt for San Francisco businesses forced to close their doors during the pandemic

There is tremendous pain felt by commercial landlords, their tenants, and patrons after many businesses have fallen on tough times. We give our takes.

 

Landlords and property managers should not get lost in translation

Proposed legislation would require guarantors to be served disclosures in five different languages. While we oppose the bill, it also gives us an opportunity to provide a refresher on the rules when there is a language barrier between the landlord and tenant.

 

Working and learning remotely is here to stay, but tenants will return to the Bay Area

When we see familiar and new faces, there will be upward pressure on rents but until then, landlords have to wait it out and allow the Bay Area to breathe, to rebuild and re-set its cost of living.

 

Lawmakers look to expand free legal representation for tenants

The "no eviction without representation" movement has percolated to the statehouse. Rest assured that tenants' attorneys will use frivolous motions and other smoke and mirrors to drive up the legal expenses of landlords.

 

AB 1401 values people over parking

Minimum parking requirements have put a damper on new housing development, squanders valuable real estate, and inevitably drives up rent prices. A state bill looks to eliminate these draconian requirements, we observe in our latest article.

 

The movement to end exclusionary single-family housing gains steam

There are clarion calls to eliminate the red tape and build upon the success that in-laws have had in adding to sorely needed housing stock and provide a pathway for families to create intergenerational wealth.

 

David vs. Goliath: A more level playing field for private investors when buying foreclosed properties

With distrust of well-endowed corporations and speculators that can gobble up dozens or hundreds of foreclosed properties on the auction block, Senate Bill 1079 was designed to allow private investors and nonprofits to compete.

 

Legal shakedowns are proliferating when landlords and property managers summarily deny a Section 8 tenancy

We are aware of some opportunistic, bottom-feeding attorneys who are looking to sue when a prospective tenant is given the cold shoulder if they have a housing voucher in hand.

 

After thousands of gallons of water a day was wasted by vindictive tenants, our firm successfully obtained a judgment

We argued and a jury unanimously agreed that COVID-19 protections should be reserved for renters with a genuine financial hardship and do not give tenants the license to create mischief or cause damage to the rental property with impunity.

 

Commercial evictions grind to a halt during COVID

With a stroke of a pen, Governor Newsom has given local governments the emergency powers to extend moratoriums on businesses impacted by the pandemic through June 30, 2021.

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Double the trouble with two ominous bills being incubated in Sacramento

The Ellis Act is under assault as lawmakers attempt to curtail a landlord's right to exit the rental business. Another bill would establish a statewide rental registry, a measure that has repeatedly failed to gain steam but some resilient tenants' advocates refuse to accept no as an answer.

 

When should property owners pay tenants in order to voluntarily vacate the premises? We defy conventional wisdom

By paying something upfront, we get the tenant to get psychologically hooked into the buyout agreement and begin looking for another residence.

 

Hey, Mr. Repairman

To reduce exposure to the coronavirus, emergency or critical repairs that affect habitability should be prioritized, while less urgent repairs should be delayed.

 

The trade-off between rental assistance programs and tenant buyout agreements

With a pot of funds available for landlords to recoup back rent, declining market-rate rents, and an uptick in vacancies, the calculus of tenant buyout agreements has changed.

 

After San Francisco's Board of Supervisors pass new rental unit registry law, we offer our takes

Landlords in the City are already subjected to one of the most complex regulatory regimes anywhere, but for resilient tenants' advocates, it is not enough.

 

Handling an uptick in subletting and broken leases during the pandemic

Many tenants have abandoned the rental unit to seek greener pastures while others have handed over the keys to someone not named in the original lease.