Legislative Update for July 2017
By DANIEL BORNSTEIN, ESQ.
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Before we close the curtains on July, we wanted to chime in on a couple recent measures affecting Bay Area landlords. The landlord attorneys at Bornstein Law have been phenomenally busy as of late and it seems that before we have time to exhale, there are new initiatives aimed at curtailing landlord rights being cooked up. With that in mind, we introduce our first series of legislative updates, a bi-weekly digest of rules and regulations that stand to impact Bay Area Property owners.
We have a mixed bag of news at this juncture.
On a positive note, the Fremont City Council has put a halt to rent control measures after hearing from a throng of landlords and tenants in a July 11th meeting. The City is electing to add muscle to the existing resolution program, which mediates rent increase disputes between property owners and tenants, at least for the moment. “Right now, this is not the time”, according to Mayor Lily Mei, though noting she is not necessarily opposed to rent control, and so Fremont landlords may have to re-visit the battle at a later date. None the less, let’s chalk this in the “win” category.
The prevailing voices at the packed meeting argued that the solution to the housing crisis throughout the Bay Area is to increase housing and not penalize landlords, a sentiment we have steadfastly maintained at Bornstein Law. Read our latest post on these market forces.
While the blanket policy of rent control was rejected, the debate on how to protect tenant rights and mediate disputes is spirited and far from over. This East Bay Times article goes behind the scenes.
On a different and more ominous front, the tenants coalition in Mountain View is lobbying the city’s Rental Housing Committee to publicize Dec. 23 as the effective date of Measure V, the rent control law approved by voters in November 2016’s election.
If the tenant rights camp is successful, Mountain View landlords would be required to refund considerable amounts of rent money collected for the period during which a court-ordered postponement of the city’s rent control law was in effect. We express grave concern over this new push and Measure V in general, a piece of legislation that has been touted as a way to clamp down on housing expenses, but “in at least one regard it’s fast becoming a money pit for Mountain View”, according to this Mountain View Voice article that examines the financial consequences of Mountain View’s experiment in rent control.
Stay tuned for future legislative updates from the premier landlord-tenant attorneys at Bornstein Law, serving San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Mountain View and the entire Bay Area. Follow us on Facebook to get dialed in.
As the founding attorney of Bornstein Law, Broker of Record for Bay Property Group and expert witness, Daniel Bornstein is a foremost and well-respected expert in landlord-tenant disputes and other property management issues with over 23 years of experience in handling real estate and civil litigation related disputes in and throughout the Bay Area. More than a litigator, Daniel manages rental properties, assists in completing real estate transactions and is well known for his educational seminars. He is always eager to answer questions and engage with Bay Area landlords, property owners and real estate professionals. Email him today.
