The long, dark winter of COVID-19 seems to be dissipating, but for San Francisco lawmakers, tenant protections should be continued, if not amplified.
The hardship of renters has not escaped us, but what is a reasonable path moving forward? The key term is reasonable.
For the most part, we have found that rental housing providers have exercised compassion and worked out deals in order to retain good tenants and maintain cash flow, without the need for any government edicts.
Yet time and time again, tenants' advocates have asked landlords to inordinately shoulder the costs of these uncertain times.
Ordinarily, landlords have faced maddening regulations when they want to use their properties to their heart's desire. For example, moving into their property themselves or ushering in a close relative, leaving the landlording business altogether, making substantial repairs, or converting their buildings into condos.
During the pandemic, San Francisco has banned these no-fault evictions, but the Board of Supervisors recently extended the moratorium for another 90 days.
Because there have been few ways to effectuate a vacancy, we have remained strong proponents of tenant buyout agreements.
Proposals have been made, as well, to give tenants more breathing room to cough up 25% of COVID-related rent debt to be protected from eviction because of nonpayment of rent.
Let's talk a moment about commercial evictions. Facing the prospect of either having an empty storefront or filing an eviction lawsuit, we urge commercial landlords to continue negotiating payment arrangements in order to get over this hump, and Bornstein Law can certainly facilitate this dialog.
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