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News and insights that are germane to landlords, property managers, and the professionals who serve them.

While our mission is to keep you up to date, the law is in a constant state of flux. Please consult an attorney before acting on any information contained on this page.

San Francisco looks to give problematic tenants more time to pay rent or turn over a new leaf

A proposed ordinance would require landlords pursuing certain types of evictions to first provide their tenants written notice and an opportunity to cure, unless the eviction is based on an imminent health or safety issue.

New Year's resolutions for landlords and property managers

As we look into the mirror, there is a lot we have learned in what has been a tumultuous year for our community. In an annual tradition, here's what made our top 10 list of how we can improve in the New Year.

Putting people over technology when it comes to tenant screening

Tenant screening has always been a vitally important part of landlording and property management that has become all the more relevant in the age of COVID. Of course, we live in a digital age and while technology plays a part in tenant screening, it is no panacea. And the cloth cuts both ways.

Tenant buyout agreements: some tricks of the trade

We dispense some tips when negotiating an ethical, legal, and enforceable tenant buyout agreement.

The movement for denser housing builds momentum

It's finally sinking in that more housing, not increased regulation, is the answer to solve our affordable housing dearth.

Should landlords raise the rent just because they can? A bit of strategy

We don't have a crystal ball but we can do the next best thing in giving a 360-degree view of the market and impart some thoughts on getting cash flowing again.

Tenants may soon get a bigger megaphone to air out their concerns under an ordinance proposed by San Francisco lawmakers.''

In this blog, we impart some advice in the eventuality that tenant organizations are formed and the landlord feels cornered by residents who express grievances.

Space is a scarce and prized commodity in the Bay Area so it is no wonder why parking has become a vexing issue for drivers, landlords, and tenants

Physically removing a vehicle can fix an immediate problem, but it can invite acrimony later on.

The good, the bad, and the ugly about rental housing inspections

Keeping a rental unit in habitable condition is a three-fold responsibility between landlords, tenants, and municipalities policing the relationship, but these lines are often blurred.

Although lawmakers pass a bill establishing a fund to fight evictions, Governor Newsom refuses to sign it

The "no eviction without representation" movement has its roots in San Francisco, but AB 1487 would have created a statewide fund that would, among other things, provide direct legal representation to tenants staring at eviction.

California cracks down on fraudulent practices surrounding emotional support animals

A newly enacted law sends a clear message that accommodations should be reserved for people with a genuine need for four-legged companions and puts some common-sensible measures into place to ensure that there are no abuses.

Our takes on the Supreme Court decision to strike down the federal eviction moratorium

While the SCOTUS decision will have little impact on California, it does teach us an important civics lesson in the separation of powers.

Using Temporary Restraining Orders to respond to violence or threats by tenants

Temporary Restraining Orders can be sought to immediately control the behavior of bad actors in a rental unit but the court is typically reluctant to order the removal of a tenant from a rental unit through civil harassment proceedings, preferring instead to rely on the unlawful detainer process to secure possession for a landlord.