Many San Francisco small property owners are unaware that they are require to pay parking tax for renting out even one parking space to a non-resident. Moreover, the city made it nearly impossible for small property owners to do so by requiring them to adhere by the same requirements as large parking lot operators including:… Read More
Mayor Lee Signs New Tobacco Smoke Disclosure Policy
One of the most common complaints I receive from tenants is about their neighbors smoking. It is a difficult complaint to handle, as you are caught between two tenants: one not wanting to breathe second-hand smoke, the other wanting to feel at home and do as they please in their apartment. While it is my… Read More
San Francisco Mandates Seismic Retrofits for Soft Story Buildings
In 2010, San Francisco instituted a program that would require rental housing owners to seismically retrofit certain soft story buildings. Because the program is currently voluntary, the improvements are not being made. Therefore, legislation has been introduced to mandate retrofits. The proposed regulations would affect only wood-frame soft-story buildings built before 1978 that are at… Read More
Giving A Tenant Proper Notice for Entering Their Unit
This month, I would like to address the issue of giving a tenant proper notice when entering their apartment in order to make repairs. According to California law, a landlord can enter an apartment by giving 24-hours written notice to make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or… Read More
San Francisco Apartment Association’s Property Manager of the Year!
As I sat at my desk this morning preparing to write my newsletter, surrounded by the good cheer the holidays bring out in people and thankful for my clients who gave me yet another challenging, but successful year, I received an email bearing even more good news for 2012. I was voted “Property Manager of… Read More
SFAA Board Recommends Approaches for Apartment-Sharing
In tough economic times, it seems that people will resort to anything to make a couple extra bucks. Tenants are no different. In recent years, with the advent of short-term rental Web sites such as couchsurfing.org, airbnb.com and vrbo.com, tenants have become more likely to sublet their apartments, even for just a short-period of time…. Read More
Landlord-Friendly Recommendations for November Ballot
In a tenant-friendly city such as San Francisco, it is extra important for landlords to come out in full force on election day in order to champion for laws that will help landlords become more effective, and will limit tenant-friendly legislation. About 65% of San Francisco voters are tenants, so us landlords need all the… Read More
Scrupulous Tenant Background Checks Save Time and Money and Headaches
I’ll be the first to admit that leasing property isn’t rocket science, but it is people science. I consider myself part private investigator, part sociologist, and part psychologist when I am considering a tenant for one of my clients. I recently read a San Francisco Chronicle article about a landlord’s nightmare eviction. You may read… Read More
Reduce Kitchen Stovetop Fire Risk
While I have not experienced an extreme emergency in the 10+ years I have been managing properties (knock on wood), the possibility and worry is constantly on my mind. Over the last couple weeks as I have began preparing an emergency preparedness plan for our office and each building we manage, as well as information… Read More
THE RISKS OF RENTING ILLEGAL APARTMENT UNITS
While I receive questions from my clients and potential clients about numerous issues each day, very frequently it seems like everyone has the same question. Sometimes this is provoked by a news article or pending legislation; other times it seems like pure coincidence. The burning question the last couple weeks has been “what are the… Read More