Explainer – Page 3 – Renters Alliance

Ellis Act Evictions: Senior and Disabled Occupants Get More Time

May 17, 2022 Mark Elliot Ellis Act, eviction moratorium

Localities in California are allowed to regulate the price of rental housing and even to impose restrictive conditions on evictions. However a locality cannot force a residential rental property owner to stay in the apartment leasing business. The state’s Ellis Act allows the landlord to exit the business by evicting all tenants for redevelopment or some other purpose with only 120 days notice. Senior and disabled tenants can stay in their home for up to a full year. That additional time is useful for finding replacement housing and it provides additional leverage if the household negotiates a cash buyout. Here is what you need to know.

Explainer

Electric Vehicle Chargers Upon Request: What You Need to Know

April 18, 2022May 2, 2024 Mark Elliot electric vehicles

Electric vehicles have found a strong market in high-income Beverly Hills because state and federal rebates have taken some of the shock out of the sticker price and incentives exist for single-family EV home chargers. What about multifamily? More than half of Beverly Hills households have no access to at-home vehicle charging. To address it Sacramento enacted a law to require landlords to install an EV charger upon request but the law is not helping EV owners. Here’s what you need to know.

Explainer

If Gas-Powered Blowers are Banned, Why Are They Still Around?

January 10, 2022January 11, 2022 Mark Elliot leaf-blowers

The California Air Resources Board has finally clamped down on gasoline-powered leaf blowers by banning the sale of new machines starting in 2024. It is about time! This scourge of urban living has gotten a free pass from regulators for far too long. Localities have been banning them for years — Beverly Hills outlawed them in 1978 — yet these portable, point-source pollution emitters remain an everyday nuisance for residents everywhere.

Explainer

How to Register for Beverly Hills e-Notices

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021 Mark Elliot Ask Bev, e-notice

Beverly Hills provides a service called ‘E-notice’ that will send city notices by email. The link to the subscription service is in the footer of the city website. Click though and you’re greeted with a blank login screen (above). There is no information about the service or why it is useful. Registration is at least a three-step process. But it’s worth it to receive rent stabilization division announcements and Rent Stabilization Commission agendas. We walk you through the sign-up process.

Explainer

What Type of Construction Requires a City Permit?

December 12, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot means, permits

Beverly Hills regulates interior and exterior construction through building permits. The process ensures that work will comply with state and local building codes. But permits also protect multifamily occupants from construction conditions that could compromise public safety and to some extent shield tenants from impacts that negatively affect habitability. However too much work occurs without the required permits. We should know which type of construction requires a permit and what to do if the work is not properly permitted.

Explainer

Cash-for-Keys Buyouts: What You Need to Know

October 29, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot buyouts, Santa Monica

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.

Explainer

Excessive Heat Watch is Declared: How to Beat the Heat

June 14, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot health and safety, heat advisory

Summer heat has arrived! We will see the temperature rise into the 90s this week so tenants without air-conditioning are urged to take care! Seniors who reside on upper floors of older buildings without air conditioning are the most vulnerable. Beverly Hills buries heat emergency information deep into the city’s website so we want to share some of the resources we’ve found to help keep cool.

Explainer

How the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act Affects You

February 28, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot AB 3088, COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (2021), SB 91, Tenant Act (2020)

Renters Alliance is hearing from tenants who have delayed paying rent and are now confused to receive a notice from the landlord about a new state law called the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (SB 91). Some have received a 15-day pay-or-quit notice and are wondering if they should have paid 25% of the rent due. Don’t be alarmed. For those who have delayed rent under the Beverly Hills moratorium those requirements may not apply. Let’s take a look at how the local and state moratorium differ.

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Holiday Construction is a No-No in Beverly Hills

February 15, 2021December 11, 2021 Mark Elliot BHMC 5-1-205, BHMC 9-1-107, holiday construction ban

Is this story familiar? You wake up on a holiday like Presidents Day. Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy the peace & quiet. Two guys hop out of an unmarked junk van with a contractor’s saw and a stack of plywood and set up shop on the front lawn. With loud banging they begin to remodel an apartment in the building. Who do you call on a weekend or holiday when city hall is closed?

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Explainer

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

December 11, 2020July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot AB 3088, eviction moratorium, Tenant Act (2020)

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?

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Beverly Hills COVID-19 Rent Subsidy Round 1: What You Need to Know

November 16, 2020July 5, 2024 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.

Explainer

My Landlord is Asking for an Estoppel. Need I Sign It?

July 16, 2024July 29, 2024 Mark Elliot

An estoppel certificate is a legal document that simply establishes the terms and status of a rental agreement (or lease) for a third party like a prospective buyer. Typically a tenant is asked to complete an estoppel when purchase negotiations advance and that request may come from the current owner or an agent working on behalf of a prospective buyer. It is nothing to fear; it is a standard step in the sale of real property. In any case the lease or rental agreement may require the tenant to complete it. When presented with an estoppel to complete and sign you may have questions. Here is what you need to know.

Explainer