Renters Alliance – The Voice of Multifamily Residents in Beverly Hills Since 2017

Local Moratorium vs. Tenant Act Which Rules Apply? [Updated]

December 11, 2020December 29, 2020 Mark Elliot

The Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020 was signed by Governor Newsom at the end of August. Among other things, the legislation enacted the Tenant Act to establish a statewide framework for delaying rent due to COVID-19 financial hardship. It did so by preempting local moratoriums like ours. The Act also mandates a new process for requesting rent forbearance and, importantly, a new deadline for repaying back rent. What does it mean for Beverly Hills tenants?

Explainer

Stephen Copen Lays Down the Law: “Get off My Lawn!”

January 4, 2021January 4, 2021 Mark Elliot 152 S Reeves, Stephen Copen

Let it be known that Beverly Hills landlord Stephen Copen threatened to call the cops on ‘Little Guy,’ an unprepossessing Shepherd-Chihuhua senior who has a penchant for sniffing lawns up and down Reeves Drive. His offense late on Saturday night: trespassing on Copen’s lawn at #152. Little Guy was guilty. And this wasn’t his first offense. So Copen’s phone came out and Little Guy and I had to make a getaway. But not before a frank exchange of views!

Commentary

Making the Means and Methods Plan Better: Our Recommendations

December 19, 2020December 19, 2020 Mark Elliot means and method plan

The city requires a means & method plan when construction will affect other tenants in a multifamily property. The plan discloses the nature of the work, identifies likely impacts, and proposes measures to mitigate impacts. But we hear from tenants that the means & method process is not protecting them. The process needs improvement and here is what we recommend to make it work better for tenants.

News

City Council Approves Higher Solid Waste Rates

December 12, 2020December 13, 2020 Mark Elliot 209 S Hamilton, solid waste rates

Beverly Hills city council this week agreed to raise the refuse charge paid by multifamily customers to take care of solid waste collection and alley maintenance. Beginning in January 2022, multifamily rates will rise every year to double by 2025. The alley maintenance charge will rise by 170%. These rate hikes will culminate in a per-apartment charge of $66 per month which can be passed-through to tenants if the lease allows. It’s a steep hike that has multifamily customers shouldering the biggest burden.

Explainer

Local Moratorium vs. Tenant Act Which Rules Apply? [Updated]

December 11, 2020December 29, 2020 Mark Elliot AB 3088, COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020, eviction moratorium, Tenant Act

Commentary

The Winter of Our (Pandemic) Discontent

December 7, 2020 Mark Elliot pandemic

Seems like turnover in Beverly Hills residential rental housing is on the increase. Or maybe it’s just my neighborhood. After a spring and summer put on hold by the lockdown, I began to see ‘no parking’ signs pop up through the fall. Sometimes signs stacked one upon another. Moving vans occasionally doubled-up at the curb and always they seemed to haul-away furnishings but never deliver them. Is there an exodus underway?

News

Proposed Solid Waste Rate Increase Returns to City Council [Updated]

December 6, 2020December 10, 2020 Mark Elliot Public Works, solid waste rates

City council last month considered whether to impose a steep rate hike for solid waste and alley maintenance. The proposed rate schedule would have raised rates much more steeply for multifamily customers than for single-family. We questioned the fairness of it and especially the regressive structure of the alley fee. Surprisingly, city council agreed to send it back to staff for additional analysis. Now it comes back to council but multifamily will get no break.

News

RSO Commission to Consider Relocation Fees

December 2, 2020 Mark Elliot relocation fees, Rent Stabilization Commission

City council has tasked the Rent Stabilization Commission with discussing important aspects of the city’s rent stabilization ordinance and then recommending to council whether changes should be made. Up next is relocation fees: should the fee requirement be eliminated — or should the relocation fee amount be reduced or in some way modified? Here’s our preview of the commission’s relocation fee discussion.

Commentary

Solid Waste Rate Increase: An Open Letter to City Council

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 Mark Elliot solid waste rates

Dear Mayor Friedman and members of the city council: Before you is a recommendation to increase solid-waste rates over five years. A new solid waste collection contract is forcing the city’s hand and we fully expect you to approve the proposed rates. However it should be noted that the rates, if approved, will force multifamily customers to shoulder even more of the burden of covering the city’s residential solid waste collection cost. Here are some observations.

Explainer

Beverly Hills COVID-19 Rent Subsidy: What You Need to Know

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 Mark Elliot COVID-19, COVID-19 rent subsidy

Beverly Hills city council in September agreed to create a $1 million rent subsidy program to help COVID–19 affected tenants in the city pay the rent. The objective of the program is to provide a measure of stability to tenants in their moment of need. The program is also intended to benefit landlords by providing rental income that might otherwise be delayed due to COVID–19. But the devil is in the details. Here’s how it works.

Analysis

Election 2020: Beverly Hills Steps to the Right

November 9, 2020November 10, 2020 Mark Elliot Election 2020, Proposition 21

California voters have spoken! Biden/Harris prevailed with 65% of the statewide vote and handed Trump/Pence a defeat by a margin of thirty points — a showing matched by just a few left-leaning states. But Los Angeles County leans even more blue: the Biden/Harris ticket won over 71% of county voters. How did Beverly Hills voters swing?

News

Solid Waste Services Rates are Rising and You May Pay

November 2, 2020November 13, 2020 Mark Elliot solid waste rates

On November 17th city council is poised to sharply increase the cost of solid waste services and alley maintenance. Every landlord pays these charges but some don’t pass the cost on to tenants. That may change: rising rates may prompt landlords to add a surcharge for refuse. As more tenants pay, we will notice just how steeply those costs will rise over the next five years. Let’s take a closer look at the proposed rate increase and see why this is a bad deal for multifamily customers.

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Explainers