Q: If I reach a deal with a tenant, they move out and take the money, do I still need to file the buyout agreement with the rental board? If the rental is located in a jurisdiction that has a buyout program that requires filing the buyout agreement with the applicable rental board, then yes, file it. The laws around buyouts often have provisions that if not all requirements are met tenants may be able to seek invalidating the buyout agreement. You don't want to expose yoursel

Q1: I want to offer my tenant a buyout, but I am worried they will say no? Is it worth making an offer? The short answer- it may be worth offering because you don't know what the tenant may say unless you ask. There are a lot of variables that go into presenting an offer to a tenant. Some of them include- your relationship with the tenant (good, bad, so-so, you can't stand each other), past offers to move out, the personal situation of the tenant, the amount of money being of

A question I get asked a lot- what are the main terms of the buyout? There are a few details you want to hash out when doing a deal. The Amount The flagship term- what will the tenant receive in exchange for moving out. There are several factors that go into this- the situation of the tenants, local buyout rules, and landlord budget. There are numerous approaches and tactics to negotiating the amount. There are nuances such as the landlord-tenant dynamic, prior attempts, age,

Recently, I read an article about how difficult it has become for attorneys when clients or pro pers (those who represent themselves without an attorney) start to get answers from AI, such as ChatGPT, that are wrong. This is not entirely surprising to me, but it now has finally made its way to my day to day. When I negotiate tenant buyouts I mainly do so directly with tenants. There are of course deals that are easy, deals that take a lot of back and forth, and deals where we

I have settled California Civil Rights ("CRD") Division cases for clients and most property owners do not realize these cases are increasingly more common. The CRD is the new re-branded name for the Department of Fair Employment and Housing ("DFEH"). The CRD is there to enforce mainly the Fair Employment and Housing Act ("FEHA"). I have dealt with the DFEH now CRD, first on the employment side for employers, and now the landlord side. Here are a few things to know about the

In my news feed came some quotes from Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia (link) that denounced Tenant Buyouts as being more or...

A common question I get asked- who does the buyout negations during a pending sale? The answer- it depends. Prior to listing a property...

Apartment owners have a very important election 2024, including the potential fate of yet another rent control measure on the ballot- the...

I want to thank those that came out to the AAGLA annual meeting and listened to me speak on buyouts. For those that could not make it I...

California has made it legal for homeowners to sell their ADUs separate from their house. The pros of this- you can make money selling...

If you are a landlord in Los Angeles you are likely family with the Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP). SCEP is a program through...

This past week the news has been buzzing about a Harvard graduate that Air BNB'd a mansion in Brentwood, only to over stay her welcome,...

Tenant Buyouts aka "Cash for Keys" are common voluntary agreements entered into between landlord and tenants for landlords to get...

Friday I posted a video on how to deal with disputes that arise, usually in the context of tenant complaints. After doing this video I...

Landlords in Los Angeles have certainly heard these two buzzwords "Cash for keys" or "buyouts". Both of those refer to the same thing- a...

As a landlord, offering a furnished house or apartment for lease can be a lucrative opportunity in the rental market. Providing a...

A headache faced by landlords from time to time are the unauthorized pets and occupants that get snuck into rentals without the consent...

One Person Business videos have been increasingly popular on YouTube. It sounds great to have help, but some people are not at the stage...

California recently passed legislation in an attempt to reduce emotional support animal ("ESA") fraud. Under AB 468 becomes effective...

The handyman is a key component to property management anywhere. The handyman is usually the most familiar with the bones of the building...