Bornstein Law

For owners of vacant properties, Halloween can be especially risky. Some rock-throwing teenagers and even older hooligans will take trick-or-treat all too seriously when they spot a house with no sign of life. Replace locks, make the house look lived in, and perhaps ask neighbors to be on the lookout.

This economist known for predicting bad news says "involuntary savings" - all of the money that has piled up with a lack of expenditures during the pandemic - has kept single-family home sales surprisingly strong, and he remains bullish on multifamily.

San Francisco lawmakers want to cut a deal with landlords of 10 or fewer units. In exchange for waiving rent debt, landlords could receive 50-65% of the rent owed. We are still digesting the ordinance.

Are you sure no one will trip over a tombstone this Haloween? Is there proper lighting? Ample warning of a loose brick or cracked sidewalk? With so many ghosts and goblins coming to the door on Halloween, property owners are well-advised to prepare now for the unique liability Halloween presents.

Advocates for Prop 21 have been plastering the airwaves to sell their new version of radical rent control, but do these ads pass the fact check? There is a bit of misinformation floating around.

During the pandemic, people moved away from San Francisco, and the ensuing demand for rental units in neighboring cities kept the rents up. Not anymore, as rent prices are in a state of malaise everywhere and Oakland cannot buck the trend.

We've been preaching about new laws and rules on here, in talks, and other venues, but we put together a white paper that ties a lot of it altogether in a single, cohesive document. You can download it here.

As a post-debate note, one landlord sent a letter to his tenants threatening their rent would be doubled if Joe Biden wins the election. Everyone has first amendment rights, but this owner very poorly exercised them, and it may very well lead to consequences for him.

We love art and we are artists ourselves. Meet the new person who will be behind the artistry of Airbnb, someone who is known for turning consumer tech on its head.

With the loftiest rents, prices have had a lot of room to fall. If tenants have any bargaining room and the best chance of becoming a winning contestant in the game show of let's make a deal, they are in the Bay Area.

A ballot measure in Oakland would remove the $1,000 limit on fees the city can impose. If this cap is eliminated, it would open the floodgates to punitive, exorbitant fines for landlords and other citizens and so our community is urged to strike it down.

Photo we took of an ad for TANC, a tenant union whose motto is "Don't move, fight!" Their mission is to stop landlords, developers, and cops from looting their community. Capitalism is the source of all of these social and housing woes, the group says.

Landlords continue to make concessions with smaller retail tenants, though it's reported that national chains are adamant about paying no rent at all. As for potential tenants looking to open up shop, they run into onerous permitting requirements by the city.