A state law known as the Costa-Hawkins Act allows a landlord, whose rental property would otherwise be subject to local rent control laws, to increase the rent without legal limit if one of the tenants move out. With subtenants, Costa-Hawkins permits a landlord to...
California law permits a landlord to go out of business and remove her rental units from the rental market. This law is known as the Ellis Act. The law was passed by the California Legislature after the California Supreme Court held that landlords could not go out of...
California law seems to prohibit rental agreements from compelling mandatory arbitration of disputes. However, there is a conflict between two laws that the courts have not yet resolved. California Civil Code section 1953 states “any provisions of a lease or rental...
Death by a thousand cuts describes a form of torture. One or two cuts would not hurt. However, after many or a thousand cuts, the injuries can cause death. The court of appeals recently denied decrease in services petitions for two Santa Monica tenants. This decision...
