On the heels of last year’s successful defeat of a series of tenant-friendly laws, Democratic Assemblymen David Chiu of San Francisco, Richard Bloom of Santa Monica and Rob Bonta of Alameda have introduced legislation proposing new tenant protections. The following laws, which aim to make it harder to evict tenants and extend timelines before evictions… Read More
California Apartment Association Working to Passthrough Legislation to Support Landlords
The California Apartment Association is working with the California State Legislature to passthrough legislation that would benefit landlords. Several pro-housing bills made progress this week by making their way out of their respective committees. Legislation affecting density, including the legalization of in-law units, is included in the legislation, which would make it easier for property owners… Read More
San Francisco 2015 Ballot Issues that Affect Landlords
The November 3 ballot is teeming with issues with outcomes that will affect property owners. While several of the propositions seem worthy of your vote on the surface, digging a little deeper reveals that the result of their passage may not have the intended effects. See how Lingsch Realty voted below. Prop A: Affordable Housing… Read More
Preparing for El Nino
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
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!
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
Preserve the Ellis Act
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
Cultivation and Consumption of Cannabis: What You Need To Know
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
Apartment Code Violations About to Go Public
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