Bornstein Law

03/21/2026

Scratching our heads. Relocation payments used to mean giving a little money to help an outgoing tenant move on to new surroundings, but clearly, they've become burdensome, five figure checks. But that's enough for some cities who want to require relocation payments when the tenant simply doesn't have enough money to pay a lawful rent increase. We'll have more on this later.

Daily Newsmagazine and City Guide to Pasadena, California featuring local news, breaking news, events, weather, sports news, schools news, shopping, restaurants and more from Pasadena Now

03/18/2026

With pulse-pounding college hoops upon us, join us for some friendly bracket competition. The winner will receive $500 and an additional $500 donated to a charity of their choice.

Join the challenge. Win $500 in your pocket and an additional $500 donated to a charity of your choice.   Simple ways to earn points: 1 point for each team you correctly guess will be in the Final Four. 2 points for each team you correctly guess will square off in the Championship. 2 points […]

03/08/2026

The statutory maximum on how much landlords can charge applicants in screening fees went up negligibly, but the real story is the number of lawsuits sprouting up over what should be a routine process. Let's commit to getting our tenant screening deposit accounting in order, as we discuss here.

The $65 Lawsuit: How California Screening Fees Are Becoming a Legal Trap for Landlords For housing providers throughout California, the tenant screening fee often feels like a routine part of the leasing process. Advertise the rental, collect an application, charge a modest fee to cover the credit r...

02/21/2026

There was no shortage of topics to discuss in Thursday's webinar on new laws impacting housing providers throughout California, with an emphasis on the Bay Area. Replay here.

Attorney Daniel Bornstein discusses new laws germane to rental housing providers in 2026.

02/14/2026

An important note for owners of rental properties in San Francisco - the Rent Board has updated its library of forms that landlords need to use. If you do not use these modernized forms, there will be hell to pay.

We want to pay particular attention to Form 1007.

The Attachment That Can Derail Your Eviction: SF’s §37.9(c) Notice Trap A host of other forms have been updated by the San Francisco Rent Board, and housing providers must use these modernized forms. Relying on a defective notice can delay a landlord’s ability to recover possession of the renta...

01/25/2026

Daniel goes on the webinar circuit again on February 19th to break down new 2026 laws in an easily digestible fashion - we hope to see you there. Reserve your seat here...

01/17/2026

San Leandro has long occupied a middle ground in the Bay Area—more affordable than its neighbors, butnot cheap. It’s not a city typically associated with extreme housing regulation, but that will soon change.

In a first reading, the City Council approved a draft rent control ordinance that would sharply restrict annual rent increases and prevent property owners from banking unused increases, significantly curtailing pricing flexibility for landlords.

San Leandro Lawmakers Give the First Thumbs Up To a Draconian Rent Control Ordinance If it's not broke, why fix it? The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB-1482) was a balanced piece of legislation that addressed the needs of both tenants and landlords. The law caps rent increases on many rental prope...

01/10/2026

We rarely report any good news to housing providers, but we are encouraged that an appellate court ruled that a requirement to pay relocation assistance to tenants displaced by a large but lawful rent increase conflicts with state law and the purpose of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

Generally speaking, landlords exempt from rent control can raise the rents to whatever they like, but two words of caution. Tenants must be notified in writing of this exemption, or the property becomes subject to statewide rent caps. Two, housing providers should not raise the rents precipitously if the rent hike can be perceived as retaliatory and intended to drive tenants out.

Daily Newsmagazine and City Guide to Pasadena, California featuring local news, breaking news, events, weather, sports news, schools news, shopping, restaurants and more from Pasadena Now

01/06/2026

A belated Happy New Year to all. Our top resolutions for housing providers is off the press...

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FOR LANDLORDS & PROPERTY MANAGERS Updating leases, addenda, and disclosures to reflect changes in the law » Proactively addressing habitability issues and responding to repair requests as they arise » When raising rents, doing so properly and legally to avoid residual liabilit...

12/28/2025

We've always said that one of the biggest determinants of success of a rental business is the proper selection of a tenant. Tenant screening is all that more important in 2026, as we discuss here.

Screen Smart, Rent Safer: Best Practices for Tenant Screening in 2026 It’s become increasingly challenging for housing providers to attract desirable tenants while balancing risk management, legal compliance, and fair housing protections. These practices are especially important in the new year as...

12/21/2025

In a contradiction, San Francisco politicians talk up adding new housing stock to the city, but what about making small-scale, aging units compliant? Narrow technical requirements can make modest retrofits cost-prohibitive and wipe out any returns a landlord expects to realize. The task of legalizing unwarranted units is particularly worrisome. Many landlords think they are getting a nice, steady cash flow from renting out these rogue units, only to find out that the money can be disgorged when the rental relationship deteriorates, and the tenant squawks to the city.
https://hoodline.com/2025/12/cole-valley-landlord-says-six-inches-of-ceiling-could-cost-her-1-million/’

12/14/2025

Smoke lingers longer than one might think. Real estate agents and landlords should be aware that, effective January 1, 2026, California law will require sellers of residential properties and owners of certain properties with long-term tenants to disclose any known to***co or ni****ne residue, as well as any history of smoking activity on the premises.

Smoke Lingers Longer Than You Think: California’s New 2026 Disclosure Rule Ushered in by Assembly Bill 455 Real estate agents and landlords should be aware that starting in 2026, past smoking means present liability. California has waged a long, pioneering war on smoking. Think bans on flavors tha...