News
Filter
The Assembly has passed a CAA-sponsored bill to help prevent local governments from arbitrarily denying housing projects.
The bill, AB 678 by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-San Fernando, adds much-needed teeth to California’s Housing Accountability Act.
The Housing Accountability Act requires that local governments follow certain legal mandates before denying housing projects that comply with their general plan and zoning rules.
AB 678 would impose penalties, including fines for governments that fail to comply with the act. That money would be placed in a housing trust fund for the construction of affordable housing. The bill now heads to the Senate for… Read More
Tagged: Affordable housingLegislation
Question: What are the reasons that a tenant can legally break a lease agreement? Is relocation due to a job change a legal reason to break the lease?
Answer: Relocation of a job by a tenant is not a legal reason to break a lease, unless the lease allows for this specific event.
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
The California Apartment Association’s offices will be closed Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. Normal operating hours will resume Tuesday.
Tagged: News
The California Assembly on Monday approved a bill that would crack down on rental property owners who discriminate against tenants based on immigration status.
AB 291 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, won approval on a 54-8 vote with 9 abstentions. The bill now advances to the Senate.
Under the bill, rental housing providers would face fines for reporting existing tenants and occupants to immigration agents.
Tagged: Legislation
Question: Do I always have to give written notice to our resident before making a repair? They called yesterday, and we simply made an appointment for the plumber to meet them at the property next week.
Answer: Normally, you would have to give a written 24-hour notice, but if the tenant and the landlord orally agree to an entry to make repairs or supply services for a specific date and time, and the entry is within one week from the date of the agreement, no written notice is required. Also, in cases of emergency or abandonment, the landlord is not… Read More
Tagged: ColumnsComplianceLegal Q&A
A record number of Californians are getting earthquake insurance, and more and more cities throughout the state are passing laws to make buildings safer in a quake.
In 2016, the number of people signing up for an earthquake policy jumped more than seven-fold compared to previous years, the California Earthquake Authority just reported.
The California Apartment Association has called on members of the Assembly to reject a bill that would undercut the state’s density-bonus law and make housing in San Francisco more expensive.
Tagged: Affordable housingLegislation
A CAA-backed petition bearing the signatures of over 3,500 Pacifica voters has prevented a temporary rent control measure from taking effect this month.
The petition, submitted to the city clerk Monday, seeks to repeal an interim ordinance that would have implemented rent and eviction controls from May 24 until November 2017.
The City Council approved the interim ordinance in April, hoping to curtail rent increases leading up to the November election, which will include a ballot measure on permanent rent control.
On a 3-2 vote, the Alameda City Council early Wednesday decided to draft just-cause eviction policies.
The city attorney will now write amendments to the city’s rent ordinance, adding to existing eviction controls. The city also has a binding-arbitration policy for rent increases over 5 percent.
The council is expected to hold a formal hearing on the just-cause provisions in mid-June.
Related content:
Renters in Alameda win ‘just cause’ eviction protections (East Bay Times, May 17)
On the heels of a pro-rent control march in East Los Angeles, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors this week voted to examine tenant protection policies for the nation’s most populous county.