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

No on Prop. G

With election day around the corner, politicians are finalizing legislation for the ballot. One proposition that affects real estate investors is Prop G. Prop. G imposes a 14 – 24% tax on residential properties with 2 – 30 units, including single-family homes with in-law units, if they are sold within five years of ownership. The tax… 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

In a Wave of Bad New for Landlords, A Small Victory for a Lingsch Realty Client

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

What is the Ellis Act?

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

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

New Laws for 2014 That Affect Property Owners

Smoke Detector Compliance: Effective July 1, 2014, a battery-operated smoke alarm will not be legal unless it contains a non-replaceable, non-removable battery capable of powering the smoke alarm for at least 10 years. Until July 1, 2015, an exception to this rule applies to smoke alarms ordered by, or in the inventory of , an… Read More

A Landlord’s Prospective on Leasing

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

A Tenant’s Perspective on Leasing

I recently found myself on the other side of my business, as I searched for an apartment in San Francisco. I decided I wanted to move back to San Francisco after almost ten years of Peninsula living.  I rented out my house and took the plunge into apartment searching. I decided to use this opportunity… 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

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