News: Posts by Mike Nemeth

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In partnership with the California Apartment Association, Energy Upgrade California has developed tips for saving energy and money while making homes more comfortable. As a property owner or manager, do your part for energy conservation — and help your tenants save on their power bills — by distributing “A Renter’s Guide to Saving Energy: Manage Your Energy Use and Save Money!” The flier includes a list of eight tips for saving electricity. These suggestions cover everything from washing clothes in cold water to using curtains or blinds to shade living spaces from intense sunlight. The list also gets into the… Read More

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On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a CAA-sponsored bill aimed at ensuring that tenants check their rental agreements before subletting their apartments via short-term home-sharing websites. Brown signed SB 761 by Sen. Isadore Hall two weeks after it advanced from the Senate floor by a vote of 38 to 0. While subletting is typically forbidden in rental agreements, and can even lead to eviction, many tenants don’t know this. SB 761 will put the onus on operators of home-sharing websites — such as Airbnb, HomeAway and Flipkey — to remind apartment renters to check their leases… Read More

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Question: How long should I retain an application that was denied?  How long should the application and the rental agreement be saved after a tenant moves? Answer: The statute of limitations for fair housing cases ranges from six months to five years; the statute of limitations for a written rental agreement is four years. The statute of limitations is the time someone has to file a lawsuit. Therefore, you should keep your application documents a minimum of five years. Question: Can we use a recent Section 8 inspection report as a standard of habitability in an eviction case? Answer: The… Read More

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Several bills that would affect the rental housing industry are a vote or two away from heading to the governor’s desk. After the state Legislature returns Monday from its summer recess, they’ll likely take about two weeks to hold final hearings on the following CAA priority bills: On the Senate floor AB 447 (R-Maienschein) Insurance Discrimination – This bill would prohibit insurers from discriminating against a property owner who offers housing for tenants with Section 8 vouchers or who are in other low-income programs. The Senate floor vote is one of two final stops for this bill. If passed by… Read More

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As an owner of rental property with a swimming pool, you may have read  about the new federal regulations that apply to pool wheelchair lifts in swimming pools.  Chances are, however, that the new  requirements don’t apply to your property. Still, confusion has abounded among rental housing owners and managers since the U.S. Department of Justice released its Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. Unlike prior versions of the standards, last year’s release contains provisions relating to swimming pools and wheelchair lifts. For existing residential rental housing, these standards apply to new construction or major remodeling. So if… Read More

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Question: When typing up a new lease, should we use the spelling of the tenant’s name as it appears on the application or on the resident’s driver’s license? Answer: It is important to be consistent on how you spell the tenant’s name in the event legal action is necessary.  It is best to use the name exactly as it appears on the driver’s license and request that the resident fill out the application in a manner consistent with this request. Question: If a one-year residential lease is broken, what becomes of the security deposit? Answer: Once the tenants have vacated… Read More

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(As required by Article 4, Section 4.16 of the CAA Bylaws.) The 2015 CAA Nominating Committee, chaired by Ron Granville, CPM, (Woodmont Real Estate Services, Belmont) is pleased to announce the slate of candidates for seats on the 2016 CAA Board of Directors. We would like to thank CAA members for their participation. Due to the precise requirements detailed in the Bylaws of the Association which indicate a specific number of seats available for each Classification of Membership, the job of the Nominating Committee was particularly challenging. Voting is scheduled to open to the members of the California Apartment Association… Read More

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At a special meeting Wednesday, Aug. 5, the Richmond City Council officially approved its rent control and just-cause-for-eviction ordinance and scheduled it to take effect in 30 days. The council had previously planned to implement the law effective Dec. 1. A council member, however, pushed to fast-track the process, leading to a series of special meetings over the past week. After Wednesday’s second reading of the ordinance, the council ratified it by a 4-1 vote, becoming the first Bay Area city to adopt rent control in decades. Other cities in the Bay Area also are examining rent control and may… Read More

Tagged: Contra Costa

National Night Out visited Lido Apartment Homes in San Bernardino this week. The annual community-building event came to this apartment complex Tuesday, Aug. 4, thanks to Cannon Management, Atap (All Things Are Possible) and CAA’s Greater Inland Empire Division. Observed across the country, National Night Out brings police and residents together under positive circumstances, fostering better relationships between residents and law enforcement, building camaraderie among neighbors and making streets safer. Over 150 attendees gathered at Lido Apartments for the event, as well as 30 vendors and a number of city officials. Representatives from the city of San Bernadino included police… Read More

Tagged: Greater Inland Empire

Question: I have a lease with two male tenants. The lease specifies two occupants only. One of the tenants has a girlfriend who’s spent the night every day of the week for the last month. How do you determine when a guest is an occupant? Answer: Unless the tenant admits to having another person move into the rental unit, you need to prove that they are occupying the unit through circumstantial evidence. Proof of facts such as receiving mail at the premises, coming to and from work on a daily basis, present on weekends, or making requests from management all… Read More

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