Community Education Workshops

Mark Your Calendar: Rent Stabilization Division Annual Meeting

July 29, 2024July 30, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops

The Rent Stabilization Division will host a ‘Community Educational and Outreach Meeting’ on Monday August 5th. Present will be representatives from legal services provider Bet Tzedek, Loyola Marymount’s dispute resolution program and advocacy organization Housing Rights Center. The city’s Human Relations and Planning departments will attend too. This two-hour meeting is likely to be a replay of the past: wasted presentation time, frustrated tenants and landlords and few questions answered.

Commentary

RSO Basics and Updates Webinar: Our Review

November 11, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, Means & method plan

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.

News

Beverly Hills RSO to Hold Tenant ‘Legal Training’

February 23, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (2021)

Join representatives from tenant legal services provider Bet Tzedek and staff from the Beverly Hills rent stabilization division for a virtual ‘Rent Stabilization Tenant Legal Training’ on Wednesday, February 24th at 6 p.m. This latest community education workshop should address the recent COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act legislation that extends protection against eviction for nonpayment of rent through June.

Commentary

Our Recap of the Landlord Mills Act & Rent Adjustment Workshop

October 19, 2019July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, historic preservation, Mills Act, rent adjustment

City of Beverly Hills held its second landlord education workshop and on the agenda were the city’s Mills Act historic preservation incentive and the rent stabilization ordinance’s rent adjustment process. The Mills Act is a tool our city can use to encourage the maintenance and preservation of local register-eligible multifamily apartments. The rent adjustment allows a landlord to petition for a rent increase higher than would otherwise be allowed.

Landlord community education workshop overview of the room

Commentary

Our Recap of the Landlord Community Education Workshop

September 15, 2019July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, resident managers

City of Beverly Hills recently divided the community education workshop into separate tenant and landlord sessions. We recapped the August 12th tenant session and here we look at the September 12th landlord session, RSO Basics and Updates for Housing Providers. With two additional landlord sessions in coming months focused on specific topics like rental unit registration, turnout for this basics session was pretty light

Commentary

Our Recap of the First Tenant RSO Workshop

August 15, 2019January 3, 2020 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, Helen Morales, Jessica Gallegos

On Monday City of Beverly Hills held its first ever rent stabilization workshop specifically for tenants. We pressed for a tenant-only workshop because tenants and landlord have different concerns (not to mention responsibilities) even though we contract with each other under what we’ve called a ‘layer cake’ of tenancy law. This workshop was a big improvement over past workshops. Here’s our recap.

Microsoft's Clippy helps with tenant complaints!

News

New RSO Workshops are Scheduled

August 10, 2019July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops

This Monday, August 12th at 6pm the city will host a rent stabilization workshop specifically for tenants. RSO program staff will provide an overview of the rent stabilization ordinance amendments and discuss next steps in the policy process. But tenants need more than a high-level overview; we need help with our problems. Save the date and join us at City Hall with your own tough questions for city rent stabilization officials!

Commentary

We Need More From the Rent Stabilization Program

January 21, 2019July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot communications, Community Education Workshops

The rent stabilization websites of West Hollywood and Santa Monica are chock-full of news-you-can-use: tenant-specific workshops, archived tenant newsletters, FAQs on topics like pets and security deposits and more. Each city provides a well-organized overview of the rent laws. Why can’t Beverly Hills better communicate with those who rent here?

Commentary

Establishing Expectations is a Two-Way Street!

June 20, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot communications, Community Education Workshops, Rent Stabilization Program

City Council kicked-off our extended rent stabilization reform discussion in January of 2017 without much discussion about policy goals. Councilmembers heard plenty from tenants about rising rents, capricious landlords and predatory practices, but no specific objective for rent stabilization was identified. Well the Rent Stabilization Program has found one…but it needs revision!

Commentary

Empowerment is Missing from Education Workshops

May 14, 2018July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, empowerment, Nestor Otazu, Susan Healy Keene

City of Beverly Hills recently hosted Community Education Workshops for landlords and tenants. The purpose of this ’community education workshop’ was stated plainly on the flyer: to provide an “overview” of the rent stabilization program. It recapped recent changes to the rent stabilization ordinance and gave a heads-up about the next steps in the process. However what was not on the agenda was tenant empowerment.

News

Community Education Workshops: The Good, Bad and Ugly

May 13, 2018July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Community Education Workshops, Nestor Otazu, recap, Susan Healy Keene

City of Beverly Hills recently convened two Community Education Workshops where staff provided both tenants and landlords information about the rent stabilization ordinance. Community Preservation Manager Nestor Otazu walked though the recent changes and highlighted some key aspects of state law that apply to those who rent housing and those who provide it. Here is our takeaway.

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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