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Question: What are we allowed, by law, to charge a tenant as a security deposit? Answer: You are allowed to charge up to twice the amount of the monthly rent as a security deposit, so if the rent is $1,000, you can charge up to $2,000 for your deposit. If the property is furnished, you can charge three times the amount of the rent. Question: We have added a number of clauses to our Rules & Regulations Addendum and wish to have our tenants sign the new form, as well as signing the CAA addendum about mold. Answer: If you… Read More

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Question: I have a tenant who caused a fire in an apartment which resulted in a substantial amount of damage. The fire department concluded the tenant was at fault. Can he be liable for my deductible? And, can I take it out of his deposit? Answer: Yes, in fact he is responsible for all losses suffered (your insurance company may want to pursue him). Question: I have renters who recently informed me that they are moving. The lease does not end for another six months. Now what happens? Answer: The tenants are liable for the rent up to the date… Read More

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Question: Can I give a rent increase anytime during the month or just on the first day of the month? Answer: If you have a month-to-month tenancy with the tenant, you can serve a written 30-day notice (or 60-day notice if you are increasing the rent more than 10 percent within the last 12 months) to increase the rent at any time of the month. Question: We are planning on selling a rental house. The tenants said they do not want a lock box put on the front door. Can we do it anyway? Do we still have to give… Read More

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Question: How can we determine if the roaches in the apartment were the result of bad housekeeping? Is it our responsibility to get rid of the roaches? Answer: Ask your pest control professional to give his or her opinion on how the roaches came into the apartment unit. The court will rely heavily on expert testimony in these cases. If you can prove the tenant was responsible for the infestation, they are responsible for the cost of removal. Question: If our tenant sublets, and the sublessee defaults in the rent, do I give a notice to the tenant or the… Read More

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As with most business relationships, dealings between tenants and landlords are growing increasingly digital — and that usually leads to greater convenience. Take last year’s CAA-sponsored bill that allows tenants to receive their security deposit refunds by direct deposit. That change makes it easier for everyone. But digital communication doesn’t meet legal muster on all fronts. In this L.A. times piece, a landlord asks if using email to notify a tenant of termination of tenancy is legal. It isn’t. In fact, landlords have to face very specific steps to inform tenants they’re facing eviction. Should this change? And if so,… Read More

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Question: What are we allowed, by law, to charge a tenant as a security deposit? Answer: You are allowed to charge up to twice the amount of the monthly rent as a security deposit, so if the rent is $1,000, you can charge up to $2,000 for your deposit. If the property is furnished, you can charge three times […]

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Discriminating against tenants – even if unintended — has long flown in the face of both California and federal law. But just how the law plays out in court has varied by circuit across the country. A new rule, issued Feb. 8 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, aims to change that. HUD’s final rule on implementing the Fair Housing Act’s Discriminatory Effects Standard includes guidelines that standardize what constitutes discrimination through “disparate impact” and what it takes to prove it in court. First, HUD clarifies that the plaintiff bears the burden of proof. In the rental… Read More

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A tenant advocacy group says it’s launched a campaign to stop “security deposit theft” by California landlords. San Francisco-based Tenants Together has dubbed the initiative “It’s Your Money.” The campaign website, www.YourDeposit.org, includes information about tenants’ rights, protecting security deposits — and a platform for frustrated renters to post their stories. “Millions of dollars are being stolen from tenants every year,” Dean Preston, executive director of Tenants Together, says in a news release distributed Thursday. “It’s gotten so bad that tenants paying their security deposits don’t ever expect to see that money again. Something has got to change.” While the… Read More

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Receive a $5 discount off the regular price on Orchard Supply Hardware’s selection of carbon monoxide detectors. Coupon offer valid in store through March 2.

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For the first time, California and federal accessibility standards are in sync. The updated 2013 California Building Code aligns access regulations for everything from parking spaces and handrails to housing, says the state’s Division of the State Architect. The division developed the new regulations, which integrate state building code provisions with those from the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. The regulations put in place a single set of requirements that meet both state and federal accessibility mandates. The commission adopted the package last week, and the changes take effect Jan. 1, 2014. “Adoption of the 2013… Read More

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