Landlords

I Need My Adult Child to Move Out of My House: What Can I Do?

I see these stories time and time again—adult children acting like spoiled brats and misbehaving in their own parents’ home. Whether it’s not wanting to clean up after themselves or, even worse, a drug addiction that’s going downhill and the child refusing help, the parents are living day in and day out with an unhealthy [...]

By |2020-06-16T20:17:33-07:00February 6th, 2017|Landlords, Life Stuff, Real Estate|0 Comments

Can Tenants Email or Text 30-day or 60-Day Termination Notices in Residential Month-to-Month Tenancies in California?

I have been running into situations where residential landlords and tenants have been sending emails to one another to give notice to terminate their month-to-month tenancies. For some landlord-tenant relationships, the tenancy ends without any issues. However, in many situations, there are usually problems. There might be a tenant who has allowed other persons to [...]

Get Help Fixing Dangerous Power Lines and Gas Fixtures

I recently read a legal post from a resident of San Bruno asking lawyers what he should do about a very low-hanging high voltage power line that was running through his property to supply power to a neighbor’s building. The man said someone could touch the line by hand. Have no fear, this situation can [...]

Hang Your Clothes Out in the Sun! Your HOA Can’t Tell You They Don’t Allow Clotheslines Any Longer

For those who like the scent of fresh air and the warmth of the sun when drying your clothes, you no longer have to fear your HOA or your landlord. California passed legislation last year that went into effect on January 1, 2016, as Civil Code sections 1940.20 and 4750.10, that you can hang your [...]

By |2016-05-13T07:31:36-07:00April 27th, 2016|Landlords, Life Stuff, Property Managers|0 Comments

Tax Sale Properties: Know What You Are Buying Before You Bid!

I’ve seen a lot of stories about individuals and families who purchase properties at a county tax sale. From time to time in California, you will see public sale notices from county assessors to sell property for unpaid property taxes. The county conducts a tax sale to recover the unpaid property taxes due on the [...]

By |2020-06-16T20:17:34-07:00April 20th, 2016|Landlords, Life Stuff, Real Estate|0 Comments

Three Key Tips to Dealing with Tenant Repairs

I get a lot of rolling eyes when I give my standard speech to landlords about dealing with tenant repair requests and habitability problems. I get questions, especially from landlords who are going through eviction proceedings, such as, “Do I have to go fix the broken item? The tenants haven’t paid rent in three months.” [...]

By |2020-06-16T20:17:34-07:00April 13th, 2016|Landlords, Property Managers|0 Comments

Don’t Allow Scams with Your Rental Home

As many of you know, the housing market in the Bay Area has been, in one word, “crazy” with a shortage of housing units available for sale and rent. I was recently out and about looking at properties for sale when I spotted a big sign in the front yard of one of the listings. [...]

If only I would have…

I get this all the time with clients who are landlords. If only I would have taken the time to order a credit report. If only I would have checked references. If only I would have required a full security deposit and not taken it in payments. If only … I would not be experiencing [...]

It’s My Rental Unit, So I Reserve the Right to Inspect It If the Provision Is in the Rental Agreement, Right?

I have come across this question a lot from landlords and property managers who have provisions in their rental agreements to conduct an annual inspection or twice yearly inspections. The main reason for wanting an inspection is to make sure a rental unit does not fall into disrepair. But some landlords want to use inspections [...]

By |2016-05-06T22:16:47-07:00March 16th, 2016|Landlords, Life Stuff, Property Managers|0 Comments

Hire a Property Manager If You Are going to Own Properties Out of State

An issue I always run into in my landlord-tenant practice is the do-it-yourself owner who wants to maintain a landlord-tenant relationship and do everything from another state. This is often a huge problem for landlords who live quite far away. If a problem arises, they may have to travel long distances to handle their rental [...]

By |2020-06-16T20:17:35-07:00March 9th, 2016|Landlords, Life Stuff, Property Managers|0 Comments