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
November 20, 2013 by
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
Spooky San Francisco
October 17, 2013 by
Greetings! Owning and renting property in San Francisco can be a scary experience, but not as frightening as these foreboding Fog City abodes. Enjoy these chilling tales in honor of Halloween! Best, Natalie Atherton Mansion, 1990 California Street Believed to be haunted by George Atherton, the feeble son of Faxon D. Atherton and Dominga de… Read More
San Francisco Garbage Rates Rise
September 24, 2013 by
Garbage rates for apartment buildings, single-family homes and commercial buildings will rise over the next few years, after the progressive rate hike was approved by the San Francisco Department of Public Works. The new rate hike does not include a passthrough provision. One of the biggest changes to the new rate structure set by the… 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
How To Deal With A Party Animal Tenant
July 30, 2013 by
No matter how well you screen tenants, it is inevitable that you eventually encounter a tenant who lives a party life much to the chagrin of his neighbors. The hard part about managing party animals who are disturbing other tenants is that unless you living on the property yourself, it becomes a game of “he-said-she-said.”… Read More
San Francisco Mandates Seismic Retrofits for Soft Story Buildings
February 22, 2013 by
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
Landlord-Friendly Recommendations for November Ballot
October 16, 2012 by
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
September 10, 2012 by
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
August 14, 2012 by
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