Legal Q & A – Roommates – By Franco Simone, Esq.
Q: I have two tenants and they are in the middle of a one year lease. One tenant has a family emergency and has to move out temporarily. The other tenant would like to stay and find a new
The Recent Increase of Lawsuits Filed Against Apartment Owners – By Anthony C. Guichard
As a rental property owner myself, I am often faced with the same issues most income property owners are. It becomes difficult at times to concern ourselves with addressing parking lot issues, when our focus is mostly geared toward the actual unit/dwelling with attention on paint, appliances, carpet, plumbing, electrical, etc. and we disregard the…
DetailsEstate Planning for Apartment Owners: New Laws Shift Focus to Income and Property Tax Savings – by Kenneth Ziskin, Attorney
When “The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” (“ATRA”) became effective in 2013, estate planning for most apartment owners turned upside down. Before ATRA, fear that expanded estate tax exemptions (beginning in 2001) might expire lead many planners to emphasize
DetailsExit Strategy Part II – Repositioning Your Real Estate Assets to Simplify Your Life – By Cliff Hockley
As Baby Boomers age, they realize that things may need to change with how they handle their real estate investments. First of all, they may be tired of dealing with the details that are involved with the day to day operations of real estate investments; secondly, they start having to come to grips with their…
DetailsThe Secret to Managing Drama-Free Rental Property – By Rob Armstrong
If you’ve never heard of Jessica Carde, consider yourself lucky. She’s the now infamous “nightmare tenant” who, although apparently near penniless, preyed on homeowners by finding high-end homes for lease and giving the owners a heart-wrenching story about her circumstances to convince them to rent to her – then
You Could Face Penalties for Tenants’ Water Usage – By James Duffy
California is currently facing a water shortage problem and some municipal utility agencies (“utility agency”) are imposing restricted water allotments. Exceeding the allotment may result in a steep penalty assessed against the landlord.
Legalizing an Unwarranted Unit – By Terrence Jones
I recently helped a client with an evaluation of her property, a well-located two-unit building with approximately 3,000 square feet of living space. She purchased in the Richmond area because of the district’s large units and appealing location – between the
Three Important Steps For Welcoming New Property Management SuperStars! © – by Ernest F. Oriente, The Coach
Once you have hired a new property management SuperStar, the next step is critical. It’s now time to welcome this SuperStar into your property management company in a way that will accelerate their success and
Three Good Ideas to Fill Your Vacancies – By Marc Courtenay
As a property owner and/or manager, you may already have many successful ways to quickly fill your vacancies with well-qualified, new residents. My hope is that I can add a long list of intuitive and counter-intuitive suggestions that have worked and will keep
How to Get a Good Tenant in a “Bad” Neighborhood – By Robert Cain
What do you do if you live in a bad area but you have a nice townhouse to be rented out? I have a three bedroom, 1 ½ bath with central air, alarm system, six foot privacy fence, 1 ½ car garage but when I tell people the address it deters them from