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Question: I have rented an apartment to an unmarried couple. The boyfriend’s mom is the co-signor. The boyfriend is moving out and wants his and his mom’s name taken off the lease. I don’t care if the boyfriend leaves, but I think his mom is still responsible. Am I right? Answer: Most co-signor agreements, also known as guarantee contracts, provide that the guarantee of performance is through the term of the lease. If so, the mom would most likely remain responsible, even if her son moves out. Question: My tenant has some damage to the outside window to the house… Read More

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For years, tenants facing eviction have delayed the process by making unmeritorious claims regarding the presence of mold. A California bill, however, would undercut this delay tactic by clarifying when mold constitutes a substandard housing condition. While SB 655 by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, provides that mold is a substandard housing condition, it will only rise to that level if a health officer or code enforcement officer has determined that it is extensive enough to endanger health or damage property. The bill specifically provides that  a property owner has no obligation to repair a mold problem unless the owner… Read More

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Despite repeated demands from renter groups over the past year, the Burlingame City Council last week declined to move forward with an eviction-for-cause ordinance. The ordinance was one of several proposals being considered during a study session. Other ideas from Mayor Terry Nagel included a mediation program and requiring property owners to pay relocation assistance for tenants who get a 60-day notice to terminate a tenancy. Despite the public and local rental owners having roughly 72 hours to respond to the July 13 meeting, CAA Tri-County assembled a small coalition of local rental owners and Realtors to attend the meeting… Read More

Tagged: Tri-County

More than 250 golfers and guests gathered Monday in San Mateo for a California Apartment Association event that raises thousands of dollars annually to battle homelessness in the Silicon Valley. The CAA Tri-County Charity Golf Tournament generates money for the Housing Industry Foundation, a nonprofit that helps individuals and families in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties remain in or return to stable housing. The foundation also helps provide renovations to shelters operated by other nonprofits in the region. The amount of money raised by the tournament is still being tallied. Besides assisting HIF, the CAA Tri-County tournament brought rental… Read More

Tagged: Tri-County

When it comes to calculating school developer fees, covered walkways are off-limits. A CAA-sponsored bill signed into law this week removes any ambiguity on the matter. The law already says that walkways in apartment complexes – not being livable spaces like apartments themselves – can’t be assessed for the purpose of school developer fees. But in some jurisdictions, as more builders have opted to cover walkways, they’ve incurred developer fees. While walkway covers protect people from the elements, they’re not livable spaces and aren’t assessable, clarifies AB 715 by Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim. CAA sponsored this bill to make sure… Read More

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In just four days, the Richmond City Council will again take up a proposal to institute rent control and a just-cause eviction ordinance. CAA is calling on its members with property in Richmond to attend the Tuesday, July 21, meeting and argue against these flawed policies. As they have in recent meetings, tenant advocates Tuesday will likely make impassioned pleas for rent control and a just-cause eviction ordinance, while arguing against the creation of a rent mediation board, the most sensible option under consideration. It’s imperative that CAA and its members continue to dispell the myths surrounding rent control and… Read More

Tagged: Contra CostaSolano

A panel of multifamily experts on Wednesday will discuss emerging issues, including threats to the rental housing industry and possible ways to respond. The Leadership Networking Luncheon is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. July 22, at Frankie, Johnny & Luigi’s Too at 11891 Dublin Blvd., Dublin. Registration runs from 12:45 to 1 p.m. The Rental Housing Association Serving Southern Alameda County, a chapter of the California Apartment Association, is organizing the event. Speakers include: Joshua Howard, senior vice president of local public affairs for CAA. John Sullivan, chairman of the RHA Mediation Committee and an apartment owner. Verne Perry,… Read More

Tagged: Rental Housing Assn. of Southern Alameda

Get your brand in front of 600 rental housing professionals as they celebrate excellence in the rental housing industry at CAA Greater Fresno’s Mark of Distinction Awards Dinner. Sponsorships are now available for the 18th annual event, which comes to the Fresno Convention Center on Nov. 7. The event goes from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and sponsorship and registration info is available by clicking below.  

Tagged: Greater Fresno

While the economy looks good on paper, America didn’t exactly come bounding back from the Great Recession. The recovery, according to Professor Jay Prag of the Drucker School of Management, has come slowly and strangely, hindered by a series of fiscal policy missteps, courtesy of the federal government. “I’ve been around watching this stuff since the ’80s, and this has been a weird economic period with the United States,” said Prag, the keynote speaker at the California Apartment Association’s Professional Property Managers’ Forum in June. The CAA Greater Inland Empire event attracted about 90 rental housing professionals to the DoubleTree… Read More

Tagged: Greater Inland Empire

Question: How long should we retain old leases at our apartment complex? I have heard two years. Is this correct? Answer: The statute of limitations (the time one has to bring a lawsuit) for written leases is four years. Therefore, leases should be retained a minimum of four years from the date of the vacancy. Question: One of our tenants is buying a home and gave us a 30-day notice. Now the tenant wants to extend escrow 15 more days beyond the 30-day period. The tenant is willing to pay for the additional rent. Should we require a new 30-day… Read More

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