Updates with unique concerns for Oakland owners & operators

IN THIS EDITION:

Oakland has been given an inch, but will it take a mile by infringing on owners' rights under the banner of a public health crisis? Some lawmakers look to cram through sweeping new rules under the banner of a public health crisis.
As governmental and nonprofit agencies increase their bandwidth and get more inventive in assistance, we relay resources to share with tenants who have expressed a documented financial hardship.
Links to other snippets of information and insights for owners and operators, with a special notation for Berkeley owners and property managers.

From the desk of Daniel Bornstein, Esq.

If the ambitious agenda of tenant advocates cannot be passed in a climate of transparency, ample notice to the public and informed debate among all stakeholders, sweeping changes to Oakland's Tenant Protection Ordinance could be stealthily embedded in edicts by the City because of newfound emergency powers granted after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our friends at the East Bay Rental Housing Association urge owners and operators to attend Tuesday's 1:30 virtual City Council meeting and email lawmakers to voice opposition to the tinkering of landlord rights in advance of the online gathering. In our latest blog , we highlight ominous measures being contemplated, offer our takes, and how you can participate in this exercise we call democracy.

We also relay updated resources to share with tenants who have communicated a hardship related to COVID-19, as governmental entities and, potentially, other nonprofit organizations have conjured the increased bandwidth and inventiveness to help people in an unprecedented time of need.

May rents due is fast approaching, leaving many nervous owners and operators scratching their heads, wondering how to enter into awkward conversations with tenants falling on tough times and what to do if the rent never comes.

You can get peace of mind knowing Bornstein Law is behind the scenes, ready to facilitate in communication and manage landlord-tenant relationships, a craft we have honed for over 26 years and will shine through the brightest in these most unconventional of times.

Oakland tenant wish list doesn’t see the light of day.

Under the guise of a COVID-19 emergency, the Oakland City Council is voting on over 60 Amendments to the Tenant Protection Ordinance.

Updated resources to share with tenants

With a deluge of unemployment claims and unprecedented need, the Employment Development Department has advertised increased capacity and relief for business owners, independent contractors, and those in the "gig economy" who have typically been unable to receive benefits. This is in addition to much-anticipated federal stimulus checks and the help from nonprofit organizations who have risen to the occasion by providing rental subsidies to qualifying tenants.

We have put together some links and sample verbiage to use when communicating with residents who experience a financial hardship as a result of COVID-19.

ACCESS THEM

More happenings and insights aggregated from our Facebook feed

Daniel goes to bat for owners, tells KPIX 5 that penalties for late mortgage payments and property taxes should be waived across the board so there's a more shared understanding of risks involved. Interviewed here.

Emeryville does some soul searching - and some legal wrangling - in deciding just how far to go with tenant protections.

A property management company forgot to use bcc when emailing a stern reminder that rent is still due in the age of coronavirus. Instead, the angry email recipients got together to organize a rent strike.

Some property managers are adding "party crasher" to their list of responsibilities, seek restraining owners for residents in flagrant violation of social distancing. When bars and clubs are closed, the party can come to a rental unit.

Finally, a bill that makes sense, paying at least 80% of unpaid rent attributable to the pandemic, in exchange for some reasonable concessions on the part of the owner.

We thought we've seen it all, but proposals are becoming more inventive. There is a law floating around that would compel landlords to slash rents by 25% across the board.

For more real-time updates, follow us .

For owners and operators in Berkeley

Although we are dedicated to educating the rental property industry on the legal terrain, we do not work on an island. We invite you to visit the COVID-19 resource page from our friends at the Berkeley Property Owners Association. The City has a unique Housing Retention Program that provides grants for Berkeley residents at risk of eviction and more information can be accessed here .