Renters Alliance – Page 3 – The Voice of Multifamily Residents in Beverly Hills Since 2017

City Council pictured at the formal meeting June 27, 2023

City Council OKs Biggest Chapter 5 Rent Increase in Decades

July 8, 2023July 8, 2023 Mark Elliot max increase

City Council has approved the highest annual rent increase for Chapter 5 rent-stabilized tenants in decades. At 5.9% this year’s increase is nearly twice the rate of inflation for our region. It falls hardest on long-term rent control households that are headed almost exclusively by seniors who live on a fixed-income. Meanwhile Chapter 6 tenants get a relative break with a 3.2% rent increase. Yet there is no sign on the horizon of the often-mentioned rent subsidy which was left for dead by a City Council committee a full year ago. What are our councilmembers thinking?

News

City Council to Decide This Year’s Maximum Allowed Rent Increase [Updated]

June 25, 2023July 12, 2023 Mark Elliot max increase

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that inflation has moderated: the annual change in the cost of goods and services in our region is 3.2% which is down from a high of 8.5% last summer. That is good news for Beverly Hills rent-stabilized tenants because the maximum allowable annual rent increase is ordinarily pegged to inflation. But this is no ordinary year and City Council will contemplate a rent increase that is greater than the rate of inflation when it meets on June 27th. The key question: will moderating inflation mean a moderate allowed annual rent increase?

News

RSO Commission Recommends Up to 10% Annual Increase (incl. pass-throughs)

June 22, 2023June 22, 2023 Mark Elliot max increase, Rent Stabilization Commission

Among the issues referred to the Rent Stabilization Commission for discussion by City Council in 2018 was the maximum annual rent increase. The percentage increase is the top-line figure that most of us care about: how much more rent can the landlord charge? We caution tenants to instead think about the bottom line: how much can the total cost of my housing rise if pass-throughs surcharges apply. The commission has recommended to allow the bottom-line total cost to rise by as much as a 10% over the prior year — just like the old exorbitant 10% cap on the Chapter 6 rent increase. How did we get back to the bad old days?

RSO Deputy Director Nestor Otazu at the June 7, 2023 Rent Stabilization Commission meeting

News

RSO Commission OKs Pass-Through of Seismic Retrofit, Other Fees

June 21, 2023July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot pass-through

The Beverly Hills rent stabilization commission in June agreed to recommend certain pass-through surcharges for rent-stabilized tenants. If city council agrees then landlords could pass-through half the cost of seismic retrofit and half the cost of the $67 rent stabilization fee that is paid by landlords. Also recommended is a pass-through of $100 monthly for each additional occupant not on the lease. These surcharges could add a few additional percentage points to the annual rent increase.

News

What Happened to the Beverly Hills Rent Subsidy?

June 19, 2023July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot qualified tenant subsidy

This summer will be a difficult time for some Beverly Hills tenants. The one-year rent repayment period has expired so rent delayed pursuant to the city’s moratorium is now due in full. In July landlords can again raise the rent with the percentage to be decided by city council at the upcoming June 27th meeting. And August 1st is the first in a series of rolling monthly deadlines for repayment of rent delayed pursuant to the Los Angeles County moratorium. Housing costs will be more of a burden than ever. What happened to that Beverly Hills rent subsidy?

News

Unsuccessful Recount and Unlawful Cheval Blanc Flyers: Who is the Common Thread?

June 17, 2023June 18, 2023 Mark Elliot Cheval Blanc, Sunny Sassoon

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder certified the results of the May 23 referendum on Cheval Blanc and it failed to pass by a margin of only 80 votes. Yet LVMH didn’t spend more than $3 million on the YES on Measures B & C campaign — more than $1,000 per vote! — to concede defeat to local yokels. So the Hail Mary play was to demand a recount. Now that has wrapped and the voters have the last word: Measure B & C fail and the proposed Cheval Blanc goes down to defeat.

News

Consumer Prices in May Show Annual Decline of 3.2%

June 14, 2023August 10, 2023 Mark Elliot CPI, max increase

Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the latest consumer prices data and the good news is that inflation has declined considerably from last year’s historic peak of 8.5%. The May-to-May price data for our region show an annual percentage change of only 3.2% and that suggests a more moderate maximum allowable annual rent increase for Beverly Hills rent-stabilized households starting in July. That is unless our councilmembers decide to allow landlords significantly greater than 3.2% so they can recoup rent increases delayed by the moratorium.

News

Community Development Director Decamps for (Literal) Greener Pastures

May 30, 2023May 30, 2023 Mark Elliot CDD, Timothea Tway

Musical chairs continues in city hall with the surprise announcement that our Community Development director, Timothea Tway, will soon leave the city after a decade with the city. Tway came on board as a planner but quickly climbed the ladder culminating with a recent promotion to department director in January. While that’s a lot to walk away from, the greener pastures of San Luis Obispo no doubt promises a better quality-of-life. Still the shake-up begs many questions. Foremost among them: What will her departure mean for rent stabilization?

News

City Appoints Nestor Otazu New Deputy Director for Rent Stabilization

May 30, 2023June 15, 2023 Mark Elliot Nestor Otazu, Rent Stabilization Program

City of Beverly Hills has appointed Nestor Otazu, longtime manager of the Community Preservation division, as the new deputy director of the rent stabilization division. Otazu fills the vacancy that opened after the city dispatched the former deputy director in February. For Otazu this represents a step up in the city’s organization chart as he moves from management to senior management. What does this appointment mean for rent stabilization and the tenants who rely on it?

News

LVMH Conditionally Concedes, “Will Respect the Outcome”

May 27, 2023May 29, 2023 Mark Elliot Cheval Blanc

The county registrar today released the second round of election results for the Measures B & C referendum and the opponents winning razor-thin margin of 60 votes has nearly doubled to a still-thin 123 votes. The problem for LVMH is that the registrar says there are only 135 ballots yet to be processed. The next update is on Tuesday June 2nd and the results will be certified on June 6th. The Yes on Measures B & C in a statement have conceded defeat. But is this really the end for Cheval Blanc?

News

Moratorium Rent Repayment Deadlines are Approaching!

May 25, 2023July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot eviction moratorium, LA County eviction moratorium

he bill for rent that was delayed using a city, county or state moratorium is soon coming due. Rent that was delayed using the Beverly Hills moratorium must be repaid by June 1st as the 1-year forbearance period comes to an end. So all rent arrears incurred between March 15, 2020 and May 31, 2022 must be repaid in full within the next week. Also the bill for rent delayed using the Los Angeles County moratorium rent repayment is coming soon. And Beverly Hills rent-stabilized households can expect to see a rent increase on July 1st or soon after. Talk about a tough summer!

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