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If you own or manage property in Menlo Park, make sure you’re following the city’s new “right to a lease” law. The California Apartment Association has created a Q&A to help you stay in compliance.

Tagged: Tri-County

Question: A new tenant signed a six-month lease. Now, he claims he feels unsafe because of an incident at the property and wants to terminate the lease. The tenant claims he has a 72-hour period to rescind the lease after it is executed. Is this true? Answer: There is no 72-hour right of rescission for residential leases.

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The Fresno City Council on Thursday approved a CAA-supported ordinance to address substandard housing, a problem recently highlighted by local news media. The ordinance incorporates a free rental registry and a percentage-based sample interior inspection program to ensure compliance with state housing law. Properties that pass inspection would then be allowed to self-certify.

Tagged: Greater Fresno

The city of San Jose has adopted a use-it-or-lose it approach to rent increases. On Tuesday, the City Council voted to eliminate the banking provision from its rent control ordinance. Under banking, owners of rent controlled properties can decide to forgo allowable rent increases one year, knowing that they can apply the unused increase sometime in the future.

Tagged: Tri-County

If you need to seismically retrofit your apartment building, chances are good you’ll need to borrow money to do so. But what if you’re having trouble getting approved for a loan? That’s where the new California Seismic Safety Capital Access Loan Program comes in. The program itself doesn’t loan money, but it lessens the financial risk for participating banks, making them more likely to offer loans to small-business owners, like mom-and-pop landlords. The state’s Pollution Control Financing Authority received $10 million from the Legislature last year to administer the program, which went live last month. Representatives are seeking banks to… Read More

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Concord’s Housing and Economic Development Committee on Monday recommended adoption of a rent-mediation program. The committee recommends that such a program address disputes over rent increases of 10 percent or more in months.

Tagged: Contra Costa

After hearing arguments from the California Apartment Association, a Contra Costa Superior Court judge said she would decide within the next week whether to halt enforcement of Richmond’s rent control law.

Tagged: Contra Costa

Question: What are the guidelines for landlords regarding bedbugs? One of my tenants moved in and found a bedbug infestation after a week. She claims the unit had them. I maintain there were none and possibly her furniture became infested in storage. Who is responsible? Answer: Liability would fall on the tenant if the landlord can prove there were no bedbugs in the unit prior to the tenant moving in. This could be done with circumstantial evidence such as testimony from the prior tenant. A pest control expert could also be hired to render their opinion as to the cause… Read More

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Before a sold-out crowd Thursday, renowned economist Christopher Thornberg delved into the state of California’s rental housing market, including its present cooldown following several years of robust growth. Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, said growth has slowed as more housing supply has entered the pipeline. He offered his comments while kicking off the California Apartment Association’s Tri-County Outlook 2017 at Mountain View’s Computer History Museum. His talk also included an overview of the national election, its implications for the rental housing industry, and how proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act may affect renters.

Tagged: Tri-County

A court hearing originally scheduled for today on CAA’s challenge to Richmond’s rent control law has been delayed until next Wednesday. The hearing is now set for 9 a.m. Feb. 1. It was rescheduled due to a calendar conflict in Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Tagged: Contra Costa