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COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020

By our JohnHart Attorney:  Over the past six months, there has been a flurry of different eviction moratoriums enacted by cities, counties, and even the State of California. The different local orders created a complicated framework, usually requiring an attorney to decipher which rule applied to each rental. On Monday, August 31st, Governor Newsom signed the COVID-19 Tenan...

How SB 91 Changes the Tenant Relief Act of 2020

Our attorney at JohnHart wrote this blog and I wanted to share this information with you.  As many of you know, Governor Newsom signed the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020 (AB 3088) in August of last year. This legislation provided protection for tenants who are one or more months behind in rent. Additionally, it enumerated responsibilities for landlords regarding the...

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Vaccine Reinforcements on the Way

  Debates over the reopening of schools in the Golden State continue to rage as parents, teachers, and administrators cannot seem to get on the same page. The latest news from the state’s office is a hard push to jump-start the reopening process for in-person learning. Specifically, California will save 10% of its vaccine supply for teachers starting March 1. In addition, sch...

Rent Control: Los Angeles Emergency Guideline Clarifications Leave Landlords Livid

Rent control in Los Angeles is confusing people; especially with an ongoing state of emergency gripping the city. We witnessed this first hand when we attended the Los Angeles Housing Department’s (LAHD) Wednesday, August 24th webinar. The meeting was primarily packed with landlords as baffled as they were angry. Despite his succinct responses, host Agassi Topchian, a member of the Rent S...

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Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) Explained For You

If you ask the Buyer or Seller in most real estate transactions to define an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), they will likely describe it as a down payment put toward the purchase of a property. While an EMD may eventually be applied to the purchase price of a home, its true purpose is something entirely different. In short, an EMD shows the Seller that th...

Assembly Bill (AB12) Significant Piece of Legislation in California

Assembly Bill 12 (AB12) is a significant piece of legislation in California aimed at making housing more accessible and affordable by limiting the amount landlords can charge for security deposits. Here's a simple summary that includes the exception for small landlords, along with the effective date of the bill:   What AB12 Does: Limits Security Deposits: Starting J...

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The Importance of Making It Through a Contingency Period With Both Sides Smiling

Ideally, we’d like to work in a real estate industry in which everybody wins. Contingencies, when used in good faith, help us get closer to that goal. What are contingencies? Basically, they’re conditions that can be placed on a transaction that, if not met, invalidate the transaction. This definition probably paints more of an “everybody loses” scenario than one in...

Californians Can Buy and Sell ADU Homes Like Condos Thanks to AB 1033

It’s a great time in California to own an ADU. Last year, our government made it easier than ever to build authorized accessory dwelling units (ADUs). But now, thanks to Assemblyman Phil Ting’s (D-San Francisco) recently drafted Assembly Bill 1033, it’s becoming just as easy to sell these units as ADU homes the way one would sell a condo. It’s a big step toward solv...

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Earnest Money Deposit (EMD)

If you ask the Buyer or Seller in most real estate transactions to define an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), they will likely describe it as a down payment put toward the purchase of a property. While an EMD may eventually be applied to the purchase price of a home, its true purpose is something entirely different. In short, an EMD shows the Seller that the Bu...

The Importance of Making it through a Contingency Period With Both Sellers and Buyers Smiling

Ideally, we’d like to work in a real estate industry in which everybody wins. Contingencies, when used in good faith, help us get closer to that goal. What are contingencies? Basically, they’re conditions that can be placed on a transaction that, if not met, invalidate the transaction. This definition probably paints more of an “everybody loses” scenario than one in...