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A bill that would re-establish a tax-assistance program for California renters goes before its first committee hearing this month. AB 2175, or the Renter’s Tax Assistance Act, would provide tax rebates to low-income tenants. The bill, sponsored by the California Apartment Association and co-authored by Assemblymen Tom Daly and Phil Ting, heads to the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation on Monday, April 28. The amounts of assistance under AB 2175 would vary based on household income, beginning with $250 per year and capping at $348 per year. For many low-income tenant households, these sums would equate to one or… Read More

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Thanks to CAA, Riverside County supervisors aren’t about to create a new development impact fee to put new beds in the county jail. The California Apartment Association’s Inland Empire Division, with assistance from the Riverside Building Industry Association and Inland Empire Commercial Real Estate Development Association, persuaded the Board of Supervisors to postpone a vote whether to approve a new “Criminal Justice Public Facilities” impact fee of $1,200 per unit. The staff-recommended fee hike was on the board’s April 22 agenda. “We informed the supervisors that county staff didn’t tell us about the proposed amendments to Ordinance 659, and we… Read More

Tagged: Greater Inland Empire

The cities of Redlands and Moreno Valley have recently warned local businesses to be watchful for fraudulent fire inspectors. Opportunists are always present, but never so much as when the economy is struggling. Fire departments throughout  the Inland Empire and the rest of California have indicated an increase of both individuals and fire protection companies posing in official-looking clothing and performing questionable “inspections” in local businesses. These fraudulent individuals will disguise themselves as fire department representatives and request to perform a fire protection inspection. After these false inspections, businesses typically receive an invoice for services that are allegedly performed. The… Read More

Tagged: Greater Inland Empire

Strong opposition led by RHA Sacramento Valley persuaded the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District to put its proposed property tax assessment on hold. This action spared rental property owners from a new annual assessment of $14 to $30 per unit. The Fire District had been seeking a special vote-by-mail election to gain approval of a new “Fire Suppression Benefit Assessment.” If approved, the assessment would have raised $12 million annually to reopen five engine companies closed during the recession. RHA – a chapter of the California Apartment Association — was the first business group to oppose the assessment and others quickly… Read More

Tagged: Sacramento Valley

The California Apartment Association has written a letter to Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, detailing several defects in his anti-Ellis Act bill before he presents it to an Assembly committee next week. Passed by the state Legislature in 1985, California’s Ellis Act says no local government can require that a rental property owner continue to offer his or her housing for rent. Ammiano’s bill, which would gut the act, goes before the Assembly Committee on Local Government on Wednesday, April 23. At its core, Assembly Bill 2405 would keep contested Ellis Act evictions stuck in the court system for years on end… Read More

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Under California law, tenants can find rather simple ways to postpone evictions and keep living rent-free. In many cases, unscrupulous attorneys advertise online, offering to help tenants drag out the eviction process for months — and even years. Tenants are coached by these attorneys to check boxes on the Unlawful Detainer Answer, claiming the unit is substandard or uninhabitable. They provide no background to substantiate their claim. This very practice gives tenants an easy 30 to 60 days extra time to live in the unit rent free. They may never have to prove anything in court. Often a tenant’s answer… Read More

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Having a well-maintained landscape and common areas makes being outside pleasurable for your residents and adds value to your property. Here are a few tasks to ensure your landscape and common areas look beautiful throughout spring — and the many months ahead. Irrigation With Gov. Brown having declared a drought in California, make sure your landscape continues to receive the right amount of water to thrive without wasting one of our state’s most precious resources. It’s especially important for you and your landscape professional to check your irrigation system regularly and verify that water coverage is appropriate. Look for broken… Read More

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SANTA CLARA —  When it comes to picking apartments, it’s no surprise that tech-worker tenants want opportunities for social networking. But we’re not talking about business centers where they can hunker down to like and post pictures or squeeze in an extra hour of programming. Just ask employees at Facebook, which surveyed its employees about the amenities they want in apartment living. Turns out a venue for old-school, face-to-face socializing topped the list. “They did not care about the fitness center; they did not care about a business center; they did not care about a swimming pool, Jacuzzi — none… Read More

Tagged: Long Beach

Question: One of my tenants vacated the property and left his roommate behind. Both signed the rental agreement, and now the tenant who vacated is demanding his share of the security deposit be returned to him. Is he right? What should I do? Answer: You are not required to return or account for the use of the security deposit until you regain possession of the property after the tenants have vacated. California requires the deposit be accounted for in writing and sent to the last known address of the tenants no later than 21 days following the return of possession… Read More

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State Sen. Mark Leno needs to address apartment industry concerns about his anti-Ellis Act bill, which could lock San Francisco landlords into the rental housing business for years on end, even if they’re losing money. Those instructions came from the Transportation and Housing Committee, which narrowly approved Leno’s SB 1439 on Tuesday by a 6 to 4 vote with one abstention. The close decision came after the California Apartment Association, a San Francisco landlord and others offered compelling testimony against the legislation. About 150 opponents of the bill crowded the committee hearing room. “The comments by legislators today and the… Read More

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