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Polished cars and polished professionals got to shine under one roof during the 12th Annual CAA Greater East Bay GEMM Awards.
On the evening of Aug. 20, the East Bay’s top rental housing professionals gathered at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, home to some of most coveted automobiles around.
In 16 categories, the CAA Contra Costa Napa Solano Division and RHA Serving Southern Alameda County honored the region’s most elite individuals and properties.
And here they are:
Category: Porter/Groundskeeper
Honoree: Antonio Morales
Muirwood Gardens, FPI Management, Inc.
Category: Maintenance Technician
Honoree: Jason Cranson
Villa Palms, Sequoia Equities.
Category: Maintenance Team… Read More
Tagged: Events Contra Costa
With the support of CAA, the San Jose City Council formed an advisory group to explore possible changes to the city’s rent control ordinance.
Creation of the advisory group came Tuesday by a 9-2 vote and establishes a task force with both rental property owners and tenants who will seek sensible solutions to address the calls to amend San Jose’s rent control ordinance. The decision marks a victory for property owners that was overlooked in much of today’s media coverage.
The newly formed advisory committee will meet in public over the next few months to review information and consider possible… Read More
Tagged: Rent Control Tri-County
Question: Several of our tenants have complained to us about the neighboring property. The people who live there work on their cars in the driveway at all hours and have loud and wild parties almost each weekend until dawn. What are my legal responsibilities?
Answer: You have a right to inform the owner of the neighboring property and request their assistance in resolving the problem. Recommend that your residents contact the police during the time of the disturbances.
Question: What is the most useful information on the tenant’s application for collection purposes?
Answer: The most useful for locating former residents… Read More
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
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
Tagged: News
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
Tagged: Legislation
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
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
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
Tagged: Bed bugsLegislation
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
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
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
(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
Tagged: Leadership