You have been approached by the landlord with a cash offer to vacate your apartment. It is called a buyout. Should you take it? Is it a fair offer? Do you have leverage to negotiate a better offer? We urge you to know your rights before you take the cash. A rent-stabilized tenancy in Beverly Hills is worth more than you think. So let’s talk about the buyout and your options when the landlord comes calling with cash in hand.
Homeowners on the 200 block of South Crescent Drive are petitioning City Council on Tuesday, November 16th to modify the preferential parking zone on their block. They want a new ‘No Parking Anytime Permit Q Exempt’ designation. Only Q-permit holders could park. That may benefit a few dozen homeowners but it would inconvenience visitors who depend on an hour of parking without a Q-permit. More important, if approved the designation would push that parking demand to numerous adjacent multifamily blocks where capacity is already limited.
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Beverly Hills rent stabilization division this week hosted a webinar Q&A titled RSO Basics and Updates. It is the latest virtual ‘training’ on tenant and landlord responsibilities. Helen Morales, deputy director of the rent stabilization division, walked through the basics: history of the rent stabilization ordinance, reasons for no-fault termination, the city’s moratorium and more. Dry stuff mostly, but there are a few nuggets to highlight before we render our verdict.
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The Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission on November 3rd will discuss a rent stabilization ordinance amendment concerning a new habitability standard for rent-stabilized housing, housing inspections and other policies related to maintenance of the rental housing stock. This is not the first city policy discussion about it. Fifteen years ago City Council considered and rejected a rental housing inspection program that might have made all the difference to tenants today. Will this time be any different?
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Relocation fees will make another appearance on the Rent Stabilization Commission’s agenda on November 3rd. It is a continuation of a discussion that has proceeded in serpentine fashion through five prior meetings since November of 2020. They commission’s task is to decide if whether the Beverly Hills rent stabilization ordinance should be amended to revise the amount of relocation fees awarded when a tenancy is terminated. Here is what to expect from the commission’s discussion.
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City Council has agreed to extend the Beverly Hills local moratoriums on evictions and rent increases to April 1, 2022. In a nod to the continuing uncertainty and economic impacts of COVID–19, council also agreed that tenants should not face a double rent increase this year. That means rent-stabilized tenants will see only a 3.9% rent increase once the moratorium expires. That is a win for tenants and particularly those who might be displaced but for moratorium protections while we ride-out the long tail of this pandemic.
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If the Rent Stabilization Commission has its way, all moratorium protections for tenants that were enacted during the pandemic would come to an immediate end. Commissioners have recommended to City Council that payment of full rent should resume — and that no-fault evictions and evictions for nonpayment should go forward too. Rent increases would also resume as early as December if City Council agrees at its October 26th meeting.
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According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation is marching upward. After years of very moderate increases in consumer prices, the bureau in September reported a 5.4% increase nationally with consumer prices bumping up 4.6% in our region over last September. Those price hikes will push our rents up too — especially for single-family and condominium renters — once our local moratorium on rent increases is lifted. Let’s look at inflation and its effect of inflation on housing costs for both prospective and current tenants.
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The voters have spoken! Only 37% of voters supported the recall and that is well short of the 50% threshold necessary to unseat Governor Gavin Newsom. However Beverly Hills voters were more likely to support the recall than our neighbors. The fact is that a deep red conservative streak runs through Beverly Hills and that makes us something of an outlier in the region. How did the recall vote break? Let’s look at the precincts!
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The Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission will hold a special meeting on Monday, September 13 at 6 pm to discuss COVID–19 moratoriums on no-fault eviction and rent increases as well as potential amendments to the rent stabilization ordinance concerning relocation fees. It is a special meeting because the last regular meeting was cancelled. And it is carryover business because both issues have already been discussed but not resolved.
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On September 14th City Council will formally review a Planning Commission decision to allow Sixty Hotel to continue to keep its rooftop open until 2 AM on weekends and until midnight on weekdays. Despite neighbor complaints the Planning Commission declined to impose any additional restriction on hours or occupancy. So neighbors took their complaint to city hall in July and council agreed it warrants further discussion. Let’s look at the issues going into Tuesday’s evening meeting.
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The Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission on September 1st will likely decide whether to recommend to City Council that tenant
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