News and Views
July 13, 2008
San Francisco rents are still soaring, despite a weak housing market. The SF Chronicle attributes the increase in rents to the strength of the region's economy, the need for housing closer to places of work due to the high cost of gasoline, and "a lack of new rental units being built."
After paying more than $30,000 in rent, tenants of a sober-living complex in San Diego county are forced to find new housing when they lose their home to a foreclosure.
July 10, 2008
A 72 year-old long-time North Beach resident was unable to pay rent for two months after falling victim to a financial scam. He was evicted by his landlord, the non-profit Chinatown Community Development Corporation and ended up in the hospital for pneumonia after living on the streets.
July 9, 2008
Page Mill Properties has gobbled up half the rental housing stock of East Palo Alto, one of California's rent control cities. The company, and its countless subsidiaries, now own an estimated 1700 rental units after a buying spree in 2007, and they are imposing huge rent increases on their tenants. Some Page Mill tenants are facing rent increases as high as 50% in one year, not to mention questionable "utility" charges that Page Mill is imposing on tenants.
July 9, 2008
Relatives of a Kings county family who died in an apartment fire were awarded $29 million in wrongful death damages against the property management company who failed to maintain smoke alarms in the unit.
July 8, 2008
This article reports on various fraudulent real estate transactions that have contributed to the foreclosure crisis and alleges that many homes were bought and rented out with the intention of being foreclosed on.
A Santa Monica landlord couple have agreed to pay a total of $200,000 as part of a settlement with a former tenant and the city. The landlord couple led their former 82-year old rent-controlled tenant to vacate her home in order to rent the apartment at a non-rent controlled rate.
July 4, 2008
This Inland Valley Daily Sun article asserts that while the rental market in the Inland Valley is fairly stable for the time being, that may change if the supply of foreclosed homes are converted into rental units en masse.
July 4, 2008
A group of low-income Oakland tenants filed a lawsuit against the owners of California Hotel alleging that companies running the California Hotel were in violation of a 1990 agreement with the state requiring them to keep the building as available housing to very low income tenants.
July 2, 2008
Residents of mobile home parks in California, who own their homes, but rent the land their homes are on, are facing a battle over their rent control protections.
June 30, 2008
According to this San Bernadino Sun article, homeowners facing foreclosure are vacating their properties in order to rent them to tenants.
June 28, 2008
This article discusses how the current foreclosure crisis makes renting a better option than buying a home for some people.
June 24, 2008
This Sacramento Business Journal article reports that rental unit vacancies and new unit construction are down, while rents are increasing.
June 23, 2008
Paul Krugman examines America's emphasis on homeownership and concludes that renters can and should share in the "American dream."
June 22, 2008
Two East Palo Alto landlords have paid $25,000 as a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging that the landlords discriminated against black men in not responding to their rental applications and favoring white women.
June 22, 2008
This San Francisco Chronicle article examines the rising costs of San Francisco housing and its implications.
June 21, 2008
This article offers a closer look at tenants in foreclosures in Southern California.
June 21, 2008
This article reports on efforts in Ventura county to use foreclosed homes as housing for homeless and low-income people who cannot afford to rent or buy homes.
June 21, 2008
Front page New York Times article reports that the number of renters is on the rise, while homeownership rates saw the largest decline in twenty years.
A Fresno landlord was ordered to pay $16,000 for failing to disclose lead-based paint presence in his eight units.