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The California Apartment Association’s offices will be closed Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday.
Tagged: News
The California Assembly on Monday approved a bill that would crack down on rental property owners who discriminate against tenants based on immigration status.
AB 291 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, won approval on a 54-8 vote with 9 abstentions. The bill now advances to the Senate.
Under the bill, rental housing providers would face fines for reporting existing tenants and occupants to immigration agents.
The bill also offers protections against eviction for tenants whose landlords demand to see Social Security numbers or other validating documents even after the landlord previously approved the tenant for occupancy with or without… Read More
Tagged: Legislation
Question: I have a tenant who left her window open when it rained, causing water damage to the floor. She said she did not have to pay for the damage because we have insurance for this type of thing and we did not lose anything. What should I tell her?
Answer: Your insurance has nothing to do with a tenant’s responsibility for negligence. If your insurance paid for the damage, they would have the right to be reimbursed by the tenant who caused the water damage. You would also be able to recover the deductible you paid. If the tenant… Read More
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
A record number of Californians are getting earthquake insurance, and more and more cities throughout the state are passing laws to make buildings safer in a quake.
In 2016, the number of people signing up for an earthquake policy jumped more than seven-fold compared to previous years, the California Earthquake Authority just reported.
Why? The California Earthquake Authority, or CEA, said the 52,000 new policies put in force last year were the result of two things:
Increased awareness about the threat of a major earthquake
Lower insurance premium costs and a greater number of options available
“Perhaps Californians are considering… Read More
The California Apartment Association has called on members of the Assembly to reject a bill that would undercut the state’s density-bonus law and make housing in San Francisco more expensive.
AB 915 by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, is awaiting a vote by the full Assembly, which could come as early as Monday. If it passes, the bill will progress to the Senate.
The state’s density-bonus law gives developers an incentive to include affordable housing in their projects. In exchange for including affordable units, developers get to build more market-rate units, helping their projects “pencil out.” AB 915, however, would… Read More
Tagged: Affordable housingLegislation
A CAA-backed petition bearing the signatures of over 3,500 Pacifica voters has prevented a temporary rent control measure from taking effect this month.
The petition, submitted to the city clerk Monday, seeks to repeal an interim ordinance that would have implemented rent and eviction controls from May 24 until November 2017.
The City Council approved the interim ordinance in April, hoping to curtail rent increases leading up to the November election, which will include a ballot measure on permanent rent control.
The grass-roots effort for a referendum on the interim ordinance included volunteer work and other resources from the California… Read More
On a 3-2 vote, the Alameda City Council early Wednesday decided to draft just-cause eviction policies.
The city attorney will now write amendments to the city’s rent ordinance, adding to existing eviction controls. The city also has a binding-arbitration policy for rent increases over 5 percent.
The council is expected to hold a formal hearing on the just-cause provisions in mid-June.
Related content:
Renters in Alameda win ‘just cause’ eviction protections (East Bay Times, May 17)
On the heels of a pro-rent control march in East Los Angeles, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors this week voted to examine tenant protection policies for the nation’s most populous county.
The board Tuesday directed staff to conduct research that includes an analysis of the rental market, an inventory of local stakeholders and the identification of best practices for tenant safeguards, both in California and elsewhere. Supervisors will then appoint a working group who will have 180 days to make policy recommendations.
Supervisors Hilda Solis and Shiela Kuehl coauthored the motion for the study and working group.
“Countless residents… Read More
Question: I have a tenant who never pays his rent until he receives a three-day notice. We normally serve notices on the eighth of the month even though the rent is due on the first. He is on a one-year lease, and I don’t know my legal rights.
Answer: You can try serving him with a three-day notice to pay rent or quit earlier than the eighth of the month. If he fails to make payment within the three-day period, you have the right to refuse the rent and commence eviction proceedings.
Question: One of our tenants has a guest… Read More
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
A CAA-sponsored bill that would boost construction of micro apartments — especially in areas near public university campuses and public transit — has advanced to the state Senate.
On Thursday, the Assembly unanimously approved AB 352 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles. The bill is now and awaiting a hearing date in the Senate’s Rules Committee.
The bill, one of three housing-supply bills sponsored by the California Apartment Association this year, would help prevent local governments from establishing roadblocks to “efficiency dwelling units,” which usually measure 220 square feet or less. Like AB 943, Santiago authored this piece of legislation.… Read More