Question One: We have a tenant whose parking space is blocking the trash bin. Since the 80’s, there hasn’t been a problem with trash being picked up until now. He intentionally parks his car so that trash doesn’t get picked up, in hopes of getting a different space. There are no available spaces at this…
Are California landlords losing control over their properties, rental income, and possibly future appreciation? It sure seems that way with the passage of new laws like statewide rent control and expanded tenant rights (AB 1482), mandatory Section 8 housing (SB 329), etc. What may have taken a lifetime to accumulate could now be threatened by…
Dear Dan: Hello – so far, I have only had one out of three tenants have a problem paying rent. She is on a partial pay reduction, but she was unable to pay half of her April rent. I have a one and one half month security deposit. She is cooperative and her place is…
There is a difference between a leader who fights for a cause for the betterment of their community and one who games the system in a hypocritical pursuit of their own agenda. In critical times such as these, we need more of the former and as few as possible of the latter. On May 1,…
Access to the Premises Although Civil Code 1954 allows a landlord to access a unit for specified reasons, that access can be properly denied by a tenant during this pandemic. While a landlord can always enter the unit during an emergency, this is not the case for other reasons. For example, the tenant would be…
Hello everybody. Let’s start with a multiple choice pop quiz about options: Assume that a landlord gives his tenant an option to extend the term of their lease by five years provided that the tenant exercises the option in writing on or before Sunday, July 4, 2021, i.e., Independence Day next year. If the tenant…
Dear Friends: Thank you for your articles. Let’s start at the beginning. The overwhelming, vast majority of apartment owners are small family-owned groups. Yes, the true “mom and pop” owners. Elena Popp, who has run the Eviction Network Service for 20 years or longer, was attempting to defend tenants and losing in those jurisdictions wherein…
A smart friend presented at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) national gathering in January. He noted that we never know in advance what causes the next recession. He mentioned that if the Chinese virus were especially contagious, it could reach the U.S. and cause recession. Another friend called me in early February. He pondered the…
In this time of uncertainty and struggle, amid danger and misinformation, the last thing we should do is assume the worst about each other. Crises like the current pandemic inevitably divide people to some extent (and this one divides us physically from one another), but when we rigidly refuse to give the benefit of the…
With COVID-19 affecting every aspect of daily life, it’s important for tenants to know that their landlords, property managers, and real estate agents are keeping lines of communication open. Learn how housing professionals are using technology to manage tenant communication during COVID-19. Be Prepared Tenants are going to continue to have a lot of questions…