El Nino is a weather pattern produced by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. The El Nino phenomenon is associated with extreme weather around the globe. In California, it typically means a wet winter with higher than normal rain levels. An El Nino is predicted for this winter continuing into 2016. In order… Read More
Happy New Year! What to Expect in 2015
January 19, 2015 by
A new year brings new hope for us as landlords and unfortunately new determination for tenants’ unions to pass more tenant-friendly legislation. Landlords were successful in 2014 in knocking down some landmark legislation and court rulings aimed at making owning properties more difficult and costly, including SB 1439 (Leno) and Levin vs. San Francisco. 2015 vows to… Read More
Give a Tenant an Inch, They’ll Take a Mile…And More!
August 22, 2014 by
While we all try to get the best tenants possible, occasionally a bad one slips through the cracks, or we may purchase a new building and inherit such a tenant. They may pay their rent late, create nuisances for other tenants or create safety hazards in the building. While it can be a frustrating and… Read More
In a Wave of Bad New for Landlords, A Small Victory for a Lingsch Realty Client
July 24, 2014 by
I truly love my job and count my blessings each day for the wonderful opportunity my grandfather bestowed on me. However, I would be remiss if I did not confess that the current media portrayal of the rental market and tenants’ sense of entitlement frustrates me. From tenants’ unwillingness to cooperate with construction that will… Read More
Preserve the Ellis Act
April 20, 2014 by
San Francisco lawmakers have introduced a pair of bills to the state legislature that would hamper a property owner’s ability to quit the rental housing business. The pending bill, which would force buyers to own a building for at least five years before they could evict tenants using the Ellis Act, has moved out of… Read More
What is the Ellis Act?
March 21, 2014 by
The Ellis Act has taken center stage in San Francisco real estate media in recent months. While those evoking the Ellis Act or tenants displaced by the Act are well versed in what it is and what it means, bystanders may not. I would like to give a brief overview of the law and current… Read More
Cultivation and Consumption of Cannabis: What You Need To Know
February 19, 2014 by
Walking down the street in San Francisco, it might surprise people that marijuana is not legal. The free-spirit attitude of the 1960’s Haight-Ashbury days has persevered, and indeed, most law enforcement officials turn a blind-eye. However, as a multi-family building landlord, you still need to know your and your tenants’ rights with regards to cannabis… Read More
A Landlord’s Prospective on Leasing
December 12, 2013 by
This is a continuation of last month’s blog post in which I chronicled my apartment hunting experience from a tenant’s prospective. This month, I focus on what I felt landlords and leasing agents could improve. PRICING San Francisco is under rent control, so it is in a landlord’s best interest to rent an apartment for… Read More
Apartment Code Violations About to Go Public
August 22, 2013 by
The San Francisco Department of Public Health recently unveiled Code for America, a health and safety history of every house and apartment in San Francisco. This uniform, machine-readable data format-authored by Rajiv Bhatia and Cyndy Comerford from the San Francisco Department of Public Health-will show the entire known history of building, everything from code violations… Read More