Real Estate Law Blog
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I Defend a Client Made Homeless
My client, a father and his five-year-old son, were both forced into homelessness.
All because a landlord improperly removed this man’s belongings from his home. And they admitted it.
This is what happened to one tenant. Remember, the details of your situation could impact your case differently.
My client was a visiting professor from a foreign country. He came to the United States on an academic exchange program to teach graduate students and to conduct academic research. He was a subtenant in an apartment and paid his rent to the master tenant named on the lease.
The Case of the Tenant Who Changed His Mind
As I wrote in the blog “The Case of the Winning Defendant,” court opinions can have lots of drama like reality television. A recent case, about a tenant who changed his mind, has plenty of drama. It also has good lessons for other tenants.
What is a court opinion? Sometimes when a case is appealed, the court will write a lengthy background of the case and analysis of how the court came to its decision. Not all cases heard on appeal have published court opinions.
Sometimes tenants don’t win. Nevertheless, court opinions are important to you as a tenant. Since the court interprets laws and regulations, court decisions can affect you.
A Repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Act?
There’s a battle ahead. And it’s already started.
The first strike occurred on February 17, when California Assembly Members David Chiu (Democrat-San Francisco), Rob Bonta (Democrat-Alameda), and Richard Bloom (Democrat-Santa Monica) introduced a bill to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.
Why should you care about this? Because the Costa-Hawkins Act has significant implications to you as a tenant, particularly if you live in San Francisco and other places in California that already have rent control.
I’m Glad to be a Californian
Last Wednesday, at the San Francisco Lawyers Club Inn of Courts Supreme Court luncheon, I was honored to introduce the Chief Justice of California.
As the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, she influences how laws are interpreted. As I wrote in an earlier blog, “The Case of the Winning Defendant,” court opinions matter to you as a tenant.
Richmond’s Rent Control Measure Hangs On
Richmond’s rent control is under attack by the California Apartment Association.
The first strike came on January 6th, when the California Apartment Association filed a lawsuit against the City of Richmond over the rent control measure, which went into effect this past December 30th.
It’s no surprise that the Association, which represents landlords, would file a lawsuit. It spent slightly over $1 million to defeat rent control measures on the ballot this past November in Richmond, Mountain View, San Mateo, Burlingame, and Alameda, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Don’t Be Fooled by the Recent Decreasing Rent News
There’s been a bunch of articles recently touting the improved rental market in San Francisco and other cities in the Bay Area.
“Winter Continues to Cool Off San Francisco’s Rental Market,” claims SFCurbed. “S.F. Rents Down More Than Any Other Large U.S. City,” states SFGate. “Bay Area Tenants Get Some Relief as Rents Continue to Slide” says The Mercury News.
Yes, recent statistics show a cooling off on the upward rise of apartment rents in San Francisco and in some other parts of the Bay Area. The asking rate might even be a little reduced from 2016’s levels.
The Case of the Winning Defendant
Court opinions can be like reality television shows. They both have lots of drama.
Unlike reality television, though, court opinions include lots of fun legal stuff.
Checklist for Tenant Estoppels
The landlord or his realtor presents you with a document asking you about the details of your lease. You sign it without thinking about it. Did you just unknowingly give away some of your tenant rights?
In my last blog, “Tenant Estoppel Certificates: The Hidden Trap,” I wrote about the importance of tenant estoppels. This is a form you might receive if your landlord sells your building.
If you’re not in the legal field, you could get fooled into thinking that estoppels aren’t important.
Tenant Estoppel Certificates: The Hidden Trap
A “tenant estoppel certificate” sounds like something boring. But it can be critical in preserving your tenant’s rights.
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Mary Catherine Wiederhold
Real Estate Attorney
1458 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 533-0735
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