Legal Q & A – By Richard Beckman, Attorney
Question 1: Has San Francisco changed its ‘Ellis Act’ relocation payment law again?
Legal Q & A – by Dennis Block, Attorney
Question One: I have a tenant in Los Angeles, under rent control, who is a hoarder. She has stacks of boxes, newspapers, clothing and other items throughout her unit. Some of the rooms are so filled with items, that the room literally cannot be accessed. I have previously written to her demanding that this must…
California’s New Sick Leave Law Starting July 1, 2015 – By Dale Alberstone, Esq.
Hello everybody. I am hopeful that AOA members recall from my discussion in the March 2015 issue of this magazine that effective July 1, 2015, California’s new sick leave law comes into effect. In general, it provides that every employee in the State of California who works more than 30 days per year is entitled…
HJTA Initiative Would Make Housing More Affordable – By Jon Coupal
As part of an ongoing effort to help those who struggle to keep a roof over their heads, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has filed an initiative that would increase the homeowners’ exemptionand the renters’ tax credit. This is the first step in qualifying the initiative, the California Homeowners and Renters Tax Relief Act of…
Want a Raise … In Taxes? – By Jon Coupal
Proposition 13 was created to strictly limit what’s called your ad valorem property tax – the tax linked to the value of your home when you bought it – the amount that appears “above the line” on your property tax bill.
Federal Legislation Threatens 1031 Exchanges – By Jade Bossert
IRC 1031 allows owners of investment property to defer capital gains taxes, on the sale of property, so long as another investment property is purchased per the rules of the IRC 1031. Tax deferred exchanges have long been utilized by apartment complex owners to defer taxes and build their investment portfolios. Many owners of multifamily…
Seismic Retrofit Financing and Tenant Pass-Throughs – By Deborah Lopez
As building owners move forward with implementing the Mandatory Soft Story Retrofit (MSSR) program, there may be some confusion about the financing programs and pass-through allowances available for the costs of complying with the program.
BREAKING NEWS: IRS Announces Imminent Limitations on Use of Discounts to Save Estate Taxes! – By Attorney Kenneth Ziskin
In mid-May, 2015, a senior Treasury Department Estate and Gift Tax attorney announced that the government will soon issue regulations that will limit, or even eliminate, the ability to use “discounts” to save estate taxes for your family. She projected that the IRS would adopt (or propose) these new regulations before the end of September,…
Five Ways to Keep Good Tenants – By Robert Cain
How much does it cost to find a new tenant? We lose at least a month’s rent. Then there’s the advertising and marketing costs, the trips to the property for showings, the time spent screening. After that, we endure the aggravation, the no-shows, the no-way-I-would-rent-to-them applicants, and the stress over no rent to cover the…
Executing the Move-In Inspection and Dealing With Move-Outs – By Lori Hammond
The completion of a move-in inspection is a document with serious legal ramifications. Without a complete and executed move-in inspection form, management has no documentation to show the condition of the apartment at the time of move in. An executed document shows the resident accepted the condition of the apartment with whatever notated findings. There…