recap – Renters Alliance

Tenants Things You Should Know: A Beverly Hills Community Education Workshop

February 28, 2021July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Bet Tzedek, COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act (2021), recap

On February 24th staff from Beverly Hills housing rights legal services provider Bet Tzedek and from the rent stabilization division presented the fifth and latest in a series of community education workshops. This virtual workshop focused on the local and state protection from eviction due to nonpayment of rent which is available to households affected by COVID-19; and the new State Rent Assistance Program. Here’s our recap.

City Council at the dais on March 5, 2019

News

RSO Commission’s Agenda: Ordinance Recommendations

April 4, 2019June 21, 2019 Mark Elliot recap, Rent Stabilization Commission

City Council created the Rent Stabilization Commission but left open the question of what the commission will do. Originally it would adjudicate ‘disruptive’ tenant terminations and mediate habitability disputes (and more). But last month City Council decided that commissioners should first discuss changes to the rent stabilization ordinance. A straw poll among councilmembers provided some focus for that discussion.

News

City Council Creates a Rent Stabilization Commission

April 3, 2019July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot Helen Morales, recap, Rent Stabilization Commission

City Council on April 2nd formally created a new Rent Stabilization Commission. Comprised of tenants and landlords and tasked with recommending changes to the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, it is a bold move to give tenants and landlords a real voice on issues that affect us. And it is the most tangible sign to date of the city’s commitment to the rent stabilization ordinance.

Process

RSO Study Session #4: Council Presses Pause Button

December 23, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot duplex exemption, max increase, Mills Act, probationary tenancy, recap, relocation fees, RSO study session

City Council will revisit rent stabilization at its upcoming February 5th meeting. That could be the final discussion on the next rent stabilization ordinance. Key policy choices lie ahead, though, and we have not even addressed several issues important to tenants. That’s why we urged City Council to press the pause button at the December 18th meeting. This is our recap of that meeting.

Mayor Gold at Council study session 3 2018-11-20

Process

RSO Study Session #3: The Lightning Round

November 29, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot duplex exemption, luxury exemption, probationary tenancy, recap, Rent Stabilization Commission, RSO study session

After this third City Council rent stabilization study session we can see more clearly what’s ahead for the rent stabilization ordinance. We have gained important protections since early 2017. And just last month Council eliminated no-just-cause eviction. Also landlords must now register their rental units. But on the menu is an exemption for some properties and a new ‘probationary’ tenancy proposal.

Process

RSO Study Session #1: Council Gets to Work!

October 16, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot duplex exemption, John Mirisch, Julian Gold, Lester Friedman, Lili Bosse, max increase, recap, rent banking, Rent Stabilization Program, Robert Wunderlich, RSO study session

City Council held its first rent stabilization ‘study session’ last Thursday. This is the latest step in a 18-month policy process to amend the rent stabilization ordinance. The session suggested what a final rent stabilization ordinance might look like: relocation fee schedule, exempted properties and more. However key issues — and the process itself — is still up for negotiation!

Process

2018 Dialogue #2: Rent Banking, Exemptions and Rent Adjustment

August 26, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot Dialogues 2018, HR&A Advisors, recap, rent adjustment, rent banking

This second dialogue in the 2018 series was convened to address three issues up for discussion at City Council: rent banking, exemption from rent stabilization for certain properties, and the rent adjustment process. Like the previous session, consultant HR&A Advisors presented each issue then passed the microphone to tenants and landlords for comment. These sessions are less about ‘dialogue’ and more call-and-response on a set of defined policy options.

Process

2018 Dialogue #1: No-cause, Relocation Fees, Ellis & Habitability

August 20, 2018June 22, 2019 Mark Elliot Dialogues 2018, no-just-cause eviction, recap, relocation fees

Dialogue #1 in this second round kicked off with a series of four issue presentations from city consultant, HR&A Advisors. Each was followed by followed by an open mic for public comments. Unlike last summer’s roundtable discussions, this series of dialogues is highly structured: an issue walk-through and then policy options to which the public is invited to respond. Not much of a dialogue!

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.

Commentary News

RSO Process is in the Hands of the Consultant

November 21, 2017July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot HR&A Advisors, recap, Rent Stabilization Commission

Tenants and landlords looking forward to a final rent stabilization policy for Beverly Hills will have to wait a while longer. On November 21st City Council handed over to a national consulting firm, HR&A Advisors, the task of rent stabilization analysis. The consultant will undertake data collection, analysis, and even convene additional facilitated dialogues, culminating in a process that may unfold over the next 18-22 weeks. That extends the timeline for the rent stabilization discussion to nearly two years.

News

City Council: Let’s Get on With the Program

September 6, 2017July 5, 2024 Mark Elliot John Mirisch, Julian Gold, Lester Friedman, Lili Bosse, recap, Robert Wunderlich, Sukhsimranjit Singh

Mayor Bosse tonight focused councilmembers on several key issues that are necessary to move the rent stabilization program forward: proceeding with a rental registry, funding the program, and hiring a deputy director. Other areas of council agreement included forming a tenant-landlord board and a new habitability standard. While the RSO program moves forward the next steps are yet unclear.

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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