City of Los Angeles Warning Airbnb Hosts of Their Obligation to Pay City Taxes
The Los Angeles Times reports that the City of Los Angeles is preparing to send Airbnb hosts warning that they must pay the City’s hotel tax. This is an interesting issue as Airbnb initially started as a way for homeowners to rent a room in their home or to rent their home while they were […]
Los Angeles Considering Expedited Process to Legalize “Illegal Apartments”
A huge issue facing landlords within the City of Los Angeles is renting units that may not have a certificate of occupancy. Often these units are garage conversions, converted apartments, or makeshit homes. Under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, a landlord can only rent a unit that is lawfully registered with the City. This […]
What is the Ellis Act?
The Ellis Act is a California law that allows landlords to get out of the rental business by taking their rental units off the market. The Ellis Act prohibits local governments from requiring a landlord to continue to rent apartment units, although local governments could enact regulations to control how landlords do so. Generally, the […]
AirBnB Renter Who Refuses to Leave and Must be Evicted
There was a recent story about a Palm Springs AirBnB renter who refused to leave a condo unit. The resident agreed to a forty four day stay and paid for the entire month upfront and. After two days, he was dissatisfied with the living arrangement and wanted a refund because the tap water was cloudy […]
Service of the Complaint and Summons in an Unlawful Detainer
After a landlord files a complaint for unlawful detainer in order to evict a tenant, the Complaint and Summons must then be served on all named defendants. There is also a special procedure to serve unnamed occupants, but I will address that in another post. Personal Service The first and most common method to serve […]
The Case of the Stripper Tenant Who Would Not Leave
KTLA recently ran a story regarding a stripper who rented a room from a family. Although the first year went smoothly, the tenant moved in some of her friends into the room, installed an air conditioner, and made strange noises at night. When the homeowners wanted to commence an eviction, they discovered the tenant had […]
Landlord-Tenant Issues Surrounding the Case of the Nanny Who Won’t Leave
The case of Diane Stretton and the Bracamonte family of Upland provides a warning to all homeowners who rent out individual rooms in their own homes. The case has received widespread attention and has left many people scratching their heads in disbelief that a live-in nanny who refuses to work can simply can stay in […]
Legal Reasons to Increase the Rent in Los Angeles
In units subject to the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, there are only a handful reasons that a landlord is allowed to increase the rent. Starting July 1, 2014, a landlord is allowed to increase the rent 3%. A landlord is only allowed to increase the rent 3% if the landlord has not raised the […]
Legal Issues with Short Term Rentals
The City of Glendale has recently enacted a noise ordinance that targets properties that require police responses due to loud music and other nuisances. Glendale’s ordinance creates a series of fines after the police respond to loud music or nuisance complaints. The Glendale News Press reports that the City of Glendale has already began to […]
How many people can you allow to live in a unit?
Limits on the number of people living in a unit are very common and often depend on the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and size of the units. However, before making a limit on the number of people living in a unit, a landlord should be aware that a low limit could make the landlord subject […]