News: Posts by Mike Nemeth
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In a well-intentioned but unnecessary step, the San Jose City Council on Thursday passed an emergency ordinance to protect furloughed federal workers from eviction.
Under the legislation, approved by the council on an 8-0 vote, landlords may not evict federal employees and contractors for nonpayment of rent if those tenants have gone without pay due to the budget stalemate in Washington, D.C., which dragged on for more than a month.
Although President Trump on Friday announced that the government would reopen for three weeks, San Jose’s emergency ordinance on evicting furloughed federal workers remains in effect. The ordinance was worded… Read More
Tagged: Evictions Tri-County
As the partial U.S. government shutdown lingers, the impact on both renters and landlords continues to grow.
At this point, eight-hundred-thousand federal employees have gone several weeks without a paycheck, and many will have an increasingly difficult time paying rent.
“Like Americans in the private sector, many federal employees rely on each and every paycheck to cover critical expenses, including housing,” Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas says in this news release.
While pay for federal employees is already frozen, dollars for Section 8 housing choice vouchers could dry up by March should the stalemate continue.
Under these scenarios — and… Read More
Tagged: News
Question: I have a tenant who is on a long-term lease. Recently, however, the tenant brought in a roommate and has been out of town for over 30 days. I am concerned that the roommate intends on staying and that my original tenant may have moved out for good. What are my legal options?
Answer: If you have a clause in your lease which prohibits the assignment or sublet of your lease agreement, you do not have to consent to the roommate. You could ask the roommate to fill out an application to rent and thereby identify who the roommate… Read More
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
California’s new governor is taking a multi-pronged approach to the state’s housing crisis that would remove barriers to construction, add financial incentives for cities and counties to build, and bring heftier penalties to those that don’t build their fair share.
In total, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget includes $7.7 billion across multiple departments and programs to address housing and homelessness issues across the state.
Tagged: Affordable housingLegislature
It’s against federal law to hold a Section 8 voucher-holder accountable for a local housing authority’s failure to pay the rent. This means that a property owner cannot require a Section 8 tenant to pay the housing authority’s portion of the rent or evict a tenant because the housing authority’s payments are delayed.
The California Apartment Association wants to ensure that its members understand this regulation, as the partial federal government shutdown has dragged into its fourth week.
At present, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has enough money for Section 8 payments in February, but the same… Read More
As the recovery from California’s wildfires, and related protections against rent gouging continue, CAA would like to remind its members of its updated compliance paper — Anti-Price Gouging Laws – States of Emergency.
CAA has updated this Industry Insight paper to address more frequently asked questions and to address changes to the law under AB 1919 by Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg.
Wood’s legislation clarifies existing law that makes it a misdemeanor to raise rents more than 10 percent after a state of emergency is declared.
Emergency declarations prompted by wildfires in 2017 and 2018 triggered the state’s anti-price-gouging protections, which… Read More
Owners of rental housing in unincorporated Los Angeles County can now access a digital toolkit for help navigating a temporary rent control ordinance approved late last year.
This online resource comes from Los Angeles County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, which is responsible for enforcing the interim ordinance.
Visit rent.lacounty.gov to access the toolkit, which contains information for property owners and renters, as well as details about the ordinance and news updates.
Question: After a lease expires and it is month-to-month, how much notice must a tenant give me in order to legally terminate the lease? He says one week. Is this true?
Answer: In California, 30-days written notice is required to terminate a month-to-month tenancy and can be served by either party at any time during the tenancy. If all of the occupants have been in possession for one year or longer, the landlord must serve a 60-day notice.
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
Although Santa Cruz voters rejected a rent control initiative by a wide margin this past fall, the city’s newly elected council has chosen to pass components of the measure anyway.
In the Nov. 6 election, CAA helped secure the resounding defeat of Measure M, an initiative that would have brought both rent control and “just cause” eviction policies to the city of Santa Cruz.
Tenant advocates demanded rent control at this week’s Inglewood City Council meeting, but the city’s mayor said the policy isn’t the best path forward, pointing to Santa Monica as evidence.
Outside groups and a small number of renter activists staged a mobilization during Tuesday’s council meeting, calling for both rent caps and “just cause” eviction measures.