This November, our industry faces its toughest challenge in almost thirty years: Saving Costa-Hawkins from repeal and preventing the inevitable rebirth and expansion of vacancy control. More than enough ballot signatures have been collected and certified to place the Costa-Hawkins repeal measure on the November 2018 state ballot, meaning between now and then the campaign
We bought a tenant-occupied duplex and didn’t revise the lease at the time of purchase. The same tenant is still there, and there are some changes we’d like to make to the lease, including use of common areas. Can we change the lease, two years after taking ownership? You must first serve a thirty-day written
A unit of mine had a bedbug infestation. Per the pest control operator’s (PCO) instruction, my tenant had to dry clean all of her dry-clean-only clothing and now wants a reimbursement. Am I responsible for her dry cleaning bill? Further, will I be required to let all prospective tenants know about this now-remedied bedbug inspection
What is the difference between a service animal and a comfort animal? And are guests of my tenants allowed to enter the building with both despite my “no pets” policy? This discussion begins with an admonition to all landlords that service and comfort animals, often collectively referred to as assistive animals, are not pets. Therefore,
This is a very relevant yet complicated question that inevitably faces almost every landlord at some point. Indeed, I myself have faced numerous tenant deaths both as a landlord and a landlord attorney. While researching this topic, I came across many websites not just from authorities in California but from all over the nation. The
I found out that a master tenant has rented a “windowed closet” as a bedroom to a subtenant. The subtenant has been living there for three months. Is this legal? The reality is that, absent clear lease language defining what constitutes a permissible bedroom, the landlord may not be able to prohibit this type of living arrangement. This