Affordable Housing
A class action accuses Santa Monica of violating rules on maximum rents allowed under the Affordable Housing Production Program by not basing them on median income, in L.A. Superior Court.
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Anti-Harassment Law Signed for NY Tenants With Rent Control
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law Tuesday a bill that expands protections for rent-stabilized and rent-regulated tenants, criminalizing certain actions by landlords who try to force them out.
Read moreFair Housing
The United States sued Hesperia, Calif., San Bernardino County and its Sheriff’s Department in federal court, claiming its rental property/eviction ordinance was enacted to drive black and Latino renters away and discourage them from moving in.
Read moreShort-Term Rentals
A city ordinance in Austin, Texas, that bans short-term rentals of non-owner-occupied rentals is “unconstitutionally retroactive,” an appeals court in the state ruled. A provision that restricts certain types of assembly at short-term rental properties also violates the state Constitution, according to the court.
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Elizabeth Warren Unveils Plan for Tenant Protections
“Rent burdened,” the position of spending a third of one’s income on housing, afflicts some 38% of Americans. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren released a new plan Monday to address that and other problems renters face.
Read moreLA Approves Temporary Freeze on Rent Hikes, No-Fault Evictions
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a pair of emergency ordinances Tuesday freezing rent increases for tenants and barring “no-fault” evictions until a state law which does both takes effect Jan. 1.
Read moreNewsom Signs Bill Capping Rent Hikes in California
California Governor Gavin Newsom put his signature on seven bills that attempt to address the housing-affordability crisis in California.
Read moreCouple Struggles to Revive Suit Over San Francisco Lifetime Tenant Rule
A lawyer for two landlords struggled to explain to a Ninth Circuit panel Friday why his clients did not apply for an exemption from a rule forcing them to offer a lifetime lease to their tenant before they sued the city of San Francisco.
Read moreRent Control Bill Heads to California Governor’s Desk
A California bill that limits the amount landlords can raise annual rent is headed for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk after the California Assembly voted in favor of it on Wednesday.
Read moreRent Cap Bill Sails Through California Senate
A bill aimed at curtailing California’s escalating rent prices passed the state Senate on Tuesday, putting it one step closer to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Read moreCalifornia Governor Announces Deal to Cap Rising Rent Prices
California Gov. Gavin Newsom reached a deal with apartment owners and developers Friday on legislation that would cap how rapidly rents can rise as the state grapples with a housing crisis.
Read moreRent Control
El Rovia Mobile Home Park, which has 76 rental spaces, sued the City of El Monte in federal court on constitutional grounds, claiming it bought the park before the city passed its rent-control ordinance, which prevents rent hikes upon change of residence or occupancy.
Read moreDisabilities
A federal class action claims Oakland, Calif., is excluding people with disabilities from its Rent Adjustment Program because so few rental properties have disable-accessible accommodations.
Read moreLandlord-Tenant
A New York Appeals Court affirmed an award of treble damages to a tenant whose landlord overcharged for rent, saying the penalty of treble damages is not “reserved for landlords that systematically and deliberately charge unlawful rents.”
Read moreNY Legislature Passes New Tenant Protections
Dubbed by supporters as the “strongest tenant protections in history,” New York legislators passed new rent-control laws Friday that curtail landlords’ power.
Read moreRent Spikes, Gig Jobs Among Bills Facing Legislative Action
The California Legislature faces key decisions this week, including trying to reign in police use of force, prevent rent spikes, and alter labor laws affecting workers in the gig economy. Friday is the deadline for the Assembly and Senate to pass or reject bills that originated in each chamber. If they survive, they will be considered by the opposing chamber before lawmakers adjourn in September.
Read moreOregon Housing Crunch Prompts Call for Statewide Rent Control
Faced with a housing shortage and skyrocketing rents, Oregon is poised to become the first state to impose mandatory rent controls, with a measure establishing tenant protections moving swiftly through the Legislature.
Read moreSouth Lake Tahoe, Property Owners in Talks Over Anti-Rental Law
The parties embroiled in a lawsuit over a voter-approved initiative to limit the number of vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe are in mediation, according to the lawyer for the plaintiffs.
Read moreLake Tahoe’s Vacation Rental Law Put on Hold
The city of South Lake Tahoe said on Wednesday it would comply with a court order to halt the implementation of a law that set significant restrictions on vacation rentals within city limits.
Read moreLandlords
A married couple who rented out their house accuse Oakland, Calif., in a federal complaint of having passed a law that “retroactively, illegally, and unconstitutionally requires rental property owners to pay thousands of dollars in ‘relocation’ payments to tenants before the owners can repossess the property for their own use.”
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