Rental Housing - May 2017

Rental

Housing EAST BAY RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION | MAY 2017

FAMILIES & FAIR HOUSING

How to avoid setting rental policies that unfairly target children

PLUS: ANOTHER JOB WELL DONE BY EBRHA’S LEGISLATIVE TEAM AN IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT HUD’S CRIMINAL SCREENING GUIDELINES

Contents

East Bay Rental Housing Association

MAY 2017

Volume XIV, Number 5 | May 2017 EBRHA OFFICE

3664 Grand Ave., Suite B, Oakland, CA 94610 tel 510.893.9873 | fax 510.893.2906 www.ebrha.com EBRHA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jill Broadhurst | jbroadhurst@ebrha.com DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Tina Bocheff | tbocheff@ebrha.com PUBLICATIONS & COMMUNICATION PRODUCER

Esteban Cortez | ecortez@ebrha.com ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Cathy Hayden | chayden@ebrha.com MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR

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18

Optimize Your Tenant Screening Process

Children & Fair Housing

BY ANGIE

WATSON-HAJJEM

BY BECKY BOWER

24

Angelisa Ross | aross@ebrha.com MEMBERSHIP & ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Angelique Johnson | reception@ebrha.com EBRHA OFFICERS PRESIDENT Wayne C. Rowland VICE PRESIDENT Luke Blacklidge VICE PRESIDENT Jack Schwartz SECRETARY Fred Morse TREASURER Abbe Sultan EBRHA DIRECTORS

Symon Chang, Nathan Durham-Hammer, Irina Gelfenbeyn, Reggie Hairston, Brent Kernan, Carmen Madden, Conor Murphy, Michael Pallas, Rick Philips, Jason Russell, Judy Shaw, Carlon Tanner PUBLISHED BY

East Bay Rental Housing Association PUBLISHER

An Important Refresher

Wayne C. Rowland MANAGING EDITOR Jill Broadhurst EDITOR Tina Bocheff

BY ALLISON LEUNG

ART DIRECTOR & COPY EDITOR Esteban Cortez ADVERTISING

Tina Bocheff | 510.318.8303

6

NEWS

EBRHA and Affiliates Help Stop AB 1506!

8

28 ESQ&A When Service Animals Act Up

BY ELAINE LEE

CAPITOL INTELLIGENCE

Rental Housing is published monthly for $36 per year by the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA), 360 22nd Street, Suite 240, Oakland, CA 94612.

Another Job Well Done in Sacramento

BY RON KINGSTON

Events & Directory

10 EVENT PHOTOS CalRHA’s Legislative Day

BY CALRHA

32 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 34 V ENDOR DIRECTORY 38 M EMBERSHIP INFORMATION 38 A D INDEX

28 INDUSTRY TRENDS A Winning Combination

BY PAULA MUNGER 30 MAINTENANCE TIPS Preventing Mold Overgrowth

BY TODD AVENARIUS 2 RENTAL HOUSING

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Rental Housing (ISSN 1930-2002-Periodicals Postage Paid at Oakland, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RENTAL HOUSING, 3664 Grand Ave., Suite B, Oakland, CA 94610.

Rental Housing is not responsible for the return or loss of submissions or artwork. The magazine does not consider unsolicited articles. The opinions expressed in any signed article in Rental Housing are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of EBRHA or Rental Housing.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal service or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent person should be sought. Acceptance of an advertisement by this magazine does not necessarily constitute any endorsement or recommendation by EBRHA, express or implied, of the advertiser or any goods or services offered.

Published monthly, Rental Housing is distributed to the entire membership of EBRHA. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced without permission. Publisher disclaims any liability for published articles. Printed by Jostens Printing Co. Copyright © 2017 by EBRHA. All rights reserved.

PHOTO: JOHN TORNOW / CC BY 2.0

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contributors TODD AVENARIUS Todd Avenarius is the Director of Customer Engagement with Golden State Flow Measurement. Todd joined GSFM to lead the implementation of sales strategy for the company, and to help launch AquaTrip in the U.S. GSFM is the exclusive distributor of AquaTrip leak detection systems in the United States. In bringing AquaTrip to market, GSFM brings 20 years of experience in the conservation, management and optimization of water and its revenue.

BECKY BOWER Becky Bower is a writer for ResidentScreeningBlog.com and the Communications Executive at Contemporary Information Corporation (C.I.C), a nationwide tenant & employment screening company. She holds a degree in English with a focus in creative writing from CSU Channel Islands and is a published writer.

ELAINE LEE Elaine Lee is an attorney practicing in the Bay Area, specializing in real estate law and estate planning.

She is also real estate investor who has successfully acquired, developed and managed commercial and residential real estate for the past 28 years. Her cyberhome is www.elaineleeattorney.com.

ACTIVATE YOUR VOICE 1. EBRHA On Your Side Have you experienced a situation or ruling that you feel infringed on due process as a property owner? We constantly hear about outcomes that are just plain wrong. EBRHA collects member experiences in order to make changes to a broken and biased system. Tell us your story today at www.ebrha.com 2. Grand Jury Complaints This investigative body looks at complaints received from citizens alleging mistreatment by officials, suspicion of misconduct, or government inefficiencies. To file a complaint, send an email to grandjury@acgov.org.

ALLISON LEUNG Allison Leung serves as Managing Editor & Content Architect for BiggerPockets.com, the largest resource for real estate investing tools, information, and networking online. A lifelong writer and editor, she strategizes content for the BiggerPockets Blog, which houses over 7,500 articles covering everything from house flipping to detailed investor case studies.

PAULA MUNGER Paula Munger is the Director, Industry Research & Analysis at NAA, where she is building an active NAA research program. Paula gathers, analyzes and synthesizes data and information to arrive at the most meaningful and relevant insights.

3. Attorney Complaints The Office of Chief Trial Counsel reviews complaints of unethical conduct by attorneys licensed to practice in California (this includes Rent Board hearing officers and tenant attorneys engaged in suspicious misconduct). To file a complaint, go to www.calbar. ca.gov, find the “Quick Links” on the left side, and then click on “Attorney Complaints” and complete the application.

ANGIE WATSON-HAJJEM Angie Watson-Hajjem is the Fair Housing Coordinator for ECHO Housing, a non-profit housing counseling agency. Angie investigates housing discrimination cases and provides counseling, mediation, and fair housing education to members of the rental housing industry, tenants and the community at large.

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EBRHA IS HERE FOR YOU. KEEP US INFORMED ON ANY COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THESE AGENCIES.

3664 Grand Ave l Suite B Oakland, CA 94610 P 510.893.9873 l F 510.893.2906 www.ebrha.com l news@ebrha.com

EBRHA has approved the following ‘Basic Principles’ drafted by the Public Policy committee. It is meant to encapsulate fundamental ideas shared by our EBRHA membership and to create a foundation for further political activities on behalf of the EBRHA membership. We welcome your comments and suggestions. We also welcome finally beginning a healthy dialogue with our neighbors about rental housing and how we can work together to solve the current housing shortage. Only by listening to everyone and sharing all of our experiences and data can we make real, measurable progress in addressing this critical need.

EBRHA BASIC PRINCIPLES 1) About EBRHA The East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) represents rental-housing providers in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Our members provide quality, affordable housing, and are the bedrock of a vital, productive community. As residents and local families invested long-term in our communities, we personally feel the successes and failures of housing policies in our daily lives.

We are our communities. EBRHA members are overwhelmingly mom-and-pop homeowners. For many of us, rental income is the primary source of retirement income. EBRHA members include union members, city employees, teachers, retired workers, and folks on fixed incomes. We include your aunt and uncle, grandparents, cousins, beat cops and firefighters, doctors and dentists, neighbors, church members, etc.

We share many concerns and interests with our customers; renters with whom we agree to provide impermanent housing on our properties. We support fair treatment for renters. We support existing Federal and State laws defining our rights and responsibilities.

2) EBRHA Basic Political Positions a. We SUPPORT rent subsidies for renters in real need, funded by the whole community. b. We SUPPORT the housing policies of most communities in the U.S. where functioning rental markets based on competition between owners keep rents fair, promote housing quality and encourage investment in maintenance and new construction to balance housing supply with demand. c. We strongly OPPOSE government imposed rent subsidy programs that assist renters that have no need, or that are funded by only an arbitrary subset of property owners. These programs (mislabeled “Rent Control”) only worsen housing shortages, damage their communities, and both overly burden the wrong owners and subsidize the wrong renters.

3) Our Vision for the Community a. Maintain ongoing, honest conversations with the community, informed by real data, about the costs and benefits of price controls on residential rents. b. Any rental assistance program is carefully designed to respect all stakeholders, achieve reasonable, rational objectives, and avoid unacceptable consequences, such as reducing much-needed housing investment thereby worsening housing shortages. c. Uphold the basic Constitutional rights of all citizens. The U.S. and California Constitutions established that all homeowners must receive Due Process in all government deliberations affecting their property. Sufficient time must be allowed for all stakeholders to be heard and for careful deliberations before creating housing policies. d. Subject all government housing programs to regular, independent evaluation to inform any changes, remove failing programs, and sunset all programs unless continued need is clearly demonstrated.

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COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT

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title newshere

New EBRHA Lease & Forms Now Available to Members EBRHA is pleased to announce that

EBRHA and CalRHA Affiliates Help Stop AB 1506 (The Repeal of Costa-Hawkins)! introduced AB 1506, the most threatening piece of legislation to property owners in the last 20 years. The bill would have repealed the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which would have allowed local governments to enact extreme rent control laws. EBRHA is happy to report that AB 1506 was pulled and put on hold Thursday, April 6, just one day after EBRHA spent the day lobbying for and against a handful of housing bills at the State Capitol. These lobbying efforts, also known as Legislative Day, were the result of a partnership between CalRHA and its sister associations throughout the state of California. However, THIS IS NOT A VICTORY, as Assemblymember Bloom hopes to bring the bill back in 2018. EBRHA will keep you informed on ways to get involved in the coming months. AB 1506 (Bloom) would have allowed your city or county to: ban rent increases to new tenants in existing housing (also known as vacancy decontrol); apply rent control on all new construction, including rental units built after 1995; and require single family homes to once again be subject to rent control. EBRHA would like to thank all members for being part of the successful movement to oppose AB 1506. Special thanks to EBRHA and Bay Area Homeowners Network members who attended Legislative Day in Sacramento.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER RICHARD BLOOM (D - SANTA MONICA)

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newly revised and remarkably userfriendly forms are now available. The new forms will help rental property owners and managers with the application, offer to rent, lease and month to month agreements, move-in and move-out, mold, notice requirements and so much more.

The lease and month-to-month form has incorporated all of the mandatory disclosure issues instead of providing separate forms for each and every issue. In this way, forms will not be lost or over looked.

As always, forms will be fillable through your browser or document viewer, allowing you to complete them faster. Now, it is your turn to use the forms. Go to www.ebrha.com and log in to your member account to get started.We hope you find it an excellent member benefit.

Reminder: Emeryville’s Residential Landlord And Tenant Relations Ordinance in Effect April 1, 2017 Important reminder: The City of Emeryville has adopted Ordinance

No. 16, the “Residential Landlord and Tenant Relations”Ordinance, which is effective April 1, 2017. According to the text of the ordinance, it was adopted to “increase certainty and fairness in the residential rental market in the City by addressing just cause eviction, antiharassment, and relocation assistance.”

The Ordinance applies to most rental properties in the city, with some exceptions including dwelling units in hotels, motels, lodging houses and rooming houses; nonprofit cooperative housing; and units exempted under state laws, such as single family homes or new construction as defined in the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Some of the significant changes under the Ordinance include the addition of Just Cause for termination of tenancies and relocation assistance for no fault terminations.

Associated forms and notices are now available on www.ebrha.com on the “Forms” page. For more information and to download the ordinance, go to ebrha. com/city-of-emeryville.

Oakland Rent Adjustment Program (RAP) Announces New CPI of 2.3%, Effective July 1, 2017 The Oakland Rent Adjustment Program (RAP) recently announced

the new CPI pass-through rate of 2.3%, effective July 1, 2017. Rent can only be raised once a year. As a reminder, rent increases can only happen every 12 months after a tenant’s move-in date or 12 months after the last rent increase.

California law requires that tenants receive written notification 30 days in advance. For rent increases greater than 10%, tenants should receive 60 days notice. NOTE: Oakland rent law prohibits rent increases higher than 10%. The Oakland Rent Adjustment Ordinance (O.M.C. 8.22.070) allows an annual rent increase based on the regional Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). The “CPI rate” takes effect on each July 1 and remains in effect through June 30 of the following year.

A rental property owner can raise rent above the CPI rate, based upon the justifications listed on the Oakland RAP website. One justification is “banking”, which refers to deferred allowed annual rent increases. These annual rent increases are determined by the City and are also known as CPI increases or annual general rent increases. Annual rent increases that were not given, or were not given in full, can be carried forward to future years.

Subject to certain limitations, property owners may defer giving annual general increases up to ten years. General increases that were not imposed within ten years expire. If challenged, evidence of the rental history of the subject unit is required. The current annual CPI rate for rent increases effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, is 2.0%. The rate is not applied to rent increases that take effect earlier than July 1, 2016. RH

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COLUMN

capitol intelligence

severe regulation of rental housing. It is with that backdrop that your leadership approached this year’s Legislative Day in Sacramento.

Legislators and their staff members were very cordial in making limited time available to address these important issues, both in generality and specificity.

We grouped to oppose several regulatory bills affecting both new and existing housing in juxtaposition with funding measures deserving of support, notwithstanding their effect on taxes—a tough sell. As one might expect, we received mixed signals on the tax issue, but largely Thanks to EBRHA’s lobbying team for another favorable reactions on bills that we opposed. successful Legislative Day. BY RON KINGSTON At the top of bills opposed was AB 1506 (Bloom), which proposed to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act, a significant 22-year old housing measure that excluded from rent control single-family homes and all developments built after 1995 (or earlier if a rent control ordinance exempted new construction from a specific point in time), while giving owners of existing housing stock in rent controlled communities the right to establish initial and subsequent rental rates. That 1995 Act was approved by the Legislature to put the brakes on local governments’ overreaching and strict rent control ordinances that were spreading throughout the State and negatively impacting the economy and the housing industry. Its repeal would usher in a new wave of local ordinances adopting the strictest forms of price and rent controls, which would also cover single-family homes and condos, in addition to apartn April 5, EBRHA members ments. The result would be catastrophic. gigantic backlog of unmet need. The and leadership joined with We stressed to the legislature the devrepeal of the redevelopment law—both leaders of other independent astation that would result during those cursed and praised—left a huge bilCalifornia Rental Housing Associameetings. Our meetings lion dollar hole in tax tion (CalRHA) affiliates to meet with “The State must with the legislators and proceeds dedicated to their legislators in Sacramento to continue to address their staff followed a construct and improve discuss several important bills of special massive red alert. Within low and moderate income the housing shortinterest to owners and managers of age problem two days of our Legishousing. The disappearresidential rental housing. The largely through investing lative Day, the author ance of that sustainable unspoken underlying theme, of course, in affordable home decided to shelve the source of funding has is what legislative action may be taken bill for the year. The fostered a number of pro- development and to address the obvious and growing rehabilitation, rental pressure to repeal the posals for replacement, California housing shortage. There are and homeownerCosta Hawkins Act is some modest and others too few homes for too many people ship assistance and off for the year but by bold. It also has generwith too few private or public resources community develop- no means should we ated a call from some to address current needs, as well as a ment.” feel Mr. Bloom and the quarters for more and

Another Job Well Done in Sacramento

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residents of our rental units will drop this issue. One committee has already announced they will continue to hold hearings on the cost of rental units. Mr. Bloom has stated he will not let go of his bill and plans to have the bill heard within seven months from now.

Following a similar regulatory trend are measures that would require inclusionary housing for moderate, low, and very low income levels in all new developments. These include in varying degrees of specificity and detail: AB 1505 (Bloom), AB 915 (Ting) and SB 277 (Bradford). In many respects, the inclusionary housing requirements imposed on new construction are more onerous than a typical rent control ordinance because they require deed-restricted occupancies based on income for up to 55 years or more.

In total, the regulatory approach to the housing shortage by keeping rental rates artificially below market necessarily reduces the income stream for improvements, maintenance and repair of existing units, while, at the same time, negatively affecting the investment and development of much-needed rental housing.

Money, Money, Money Where to get the funds necessary to address all of California’s many needs?

State funding priorities are like shifting sands in the desert. Thanks to Proposition 98 and the education community, K-12 education funding takes the lion’s share right off the top of each years state budget. Everything else scrambles for second- or third-fiddle with barely more than half a loaf left.

At this writing, the Senate is poised to vote and send to the Assembly a multibillion dollar transportation measure to “fix” degraded highways and roadways throughout the State. It constitutes a huge funding boost on top of an already very expensive State Department of Transportation. Where does housing fit in?

Without question, California needs more housing. According to a recent report from the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, California has a housing shortage. We simply are not building enough homes to keep up with the high demand. This is

particularly true for low-income rental units, while middle-income households are priced out of buying homes. Over regulation, high development and permitting costs and a lack of consistent public funding have contributed to California’s housing shortage.

SB 3 and ACA 11 will help address California’s housing problems.

SB 3 (Beall) would authorize issuance of bonds in the amount of $3 billion to finance various existing housing programs. Bonds add more debt and are costly one-time affairs, not sustainable long-term, but certainly satisfy a nearterm need.

ACA 11 (Caballero) would impose a 0.25% tax on all retailers to be placed in a newly created “California Middle Class Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Account” in the state General Fund for the support of local and state programs that assist in the development or acquisition of housing.

We support these bills not only because their passage will lead to a much needed boon in housing development, but also because these bills focus on building homes through bond and sales tax money instead of targeting the rental housing industry with regulations such as rent control and just cause for tenancy.

Investing in the Community The State must continue to address the housing shortage problem through investing in affordable home development and rehabilitation, rental and homeownership assistance and community development.

Targeting our industry with more regulations and eliminating rental property owner rights and protections, such as under the Costa Hawkins Act and Ellis Act, will serve to drive up costs, force rental property owners out of business and reduce incentives to build, maintain and invest in more badly needed housing.

Our industry representatives did an outstanding job presenting compelling reasoning to oppose AB 1506 and AB 1505 (Bloom), AB 915 (Ting) and SB 277 (Bradford). RH Ron Kingston is the EBRHA state lobbyist and president of the California Political Consulting Group. He can be reached at 916-447-7229 or ron@calpcg.com.

Legislative Day 2017 Recap EBRHA members and leadership joined with leaders of other independent CalRHA and NAA affiliates to meet with their legislators in Sacramento to discuss several important bills of special interest to owners and managers of residential rental housing. As a result of EBRHA’s lobbying, we are happy to report that AB 1506 was pulled and put on hold Thursday, April 6, just one day after presenting cases against the bill at the State Capitol. Here is a summary of other bills EBRHA supported or opposed: BILLS WE SUPPORTED • SB 3 (Beall) would authorize issuance of bonds in the amount of $3 billion to finance various existing housing programs.

• ACA 11 (Caballero) would impose a 0.25% tax on all retailers to be placed in a newly created “California Middle Class Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelter Account” in the state General Fund for the support of local and state programs that assist in the development or acquisition of housing.

BILLS WE OPPOSED • AB 1505 (Bloom) • AB 1506 (Bloom) • AB 915 (Ting) • SB 277 (Bradford)

Thanks again to all participating EBRHA members. We look forward to seeing more of you in 2018! ebrha.com

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EVENT PHOTOS

CALRHA’S LEGISLA

in S

E

BRHA members, board and staff par-

ticipated in another successful California Rental Housing Association (CalRHA) legislative day this year in Sacramento. Aside from fighting bills that would be harmful to the rental housing industry, attendees had the opportunity to meet with elected officials, as well as socialize and network with representatives from sister associations. We look forward to another successful Legislative Day in 2018. Thank you to the following CalRHA affiliates for their participation: • Apartment Association, California Southern Cities, Inc. (AACSC) • Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) • Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC) • Berkley Property Owners Association (BPOA) • East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) • Nor CAL Rental Property Association, Inc. (NCRPA) • North Valley Property Owners Association (NVPOA) • San Diego County Apartment Association (SDCAA) • Santa Barbara Rental Property Association (SBRPA) • Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute (SPOSFI) RH

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CALRHA, GO TO WWW.CAL-RHA.ORG

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ATIVE DAY

Sacramento

Thank you to all EBRHA members who attended Legislative Day and made it a great success!

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FEATURE

PHOTO: JOHN TORNOW / CC BY 2.0

Children & Fair Housing How to avoid setting rental policies that unfairly target children. BY ANGIE WATSON-HAJJEM

B

ack in the 70’s there was a popular Saturday morning television program called “Kids Are People Too” that I enjoyed. The message implied by the title of this program is especially true in rental housing: children, along with their families, have a right to equal access to housing.

The Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 made it illegal to deny housing to families with children. Before 1988, housing providers throughout much of the United States could legally prohibit families with children from renting their properties. It is rare in my fair housing work at ECHO Housing that an owner or manager comes right out and tells an applicant, “Sorry, I can’t rent to you because you have a child.” However, housing providers sometimes have policies that restrict housing to families with children, or they enact rules that unfairly target children.

Unfair Policies

Families with children are sometimes the victim of a practice called “steering.” Steering happens when a housing provider has a policy where they won’t rent to families with children in certain areas of an apartment complex. Years ago, ECHO had a

big steering case where the on-site manager was instructed by the property owner not to rent the front apartments to families with children. The owner wanted to have families with children rent the apartments in the back of the building. He figured that families with children, and the property as a whole, would be better off if he segregated families. This steering policy was illegal. Being told that only certain apartments were available, kids and their families were denied the opportunity to live where they choose. Sometimes, housing providers attempt to relegate families with children to just the ground floor apartments due to concerns about noise. This practice is also illegal.

Managers can always deal with “bad behavior” or any nuisance from adults or children. But making the upstairs apartments off limits to children is a blatant violation of fair housing law.

Similarly, children cannot be denied the ability to enjoy the amenities that an apartment complex offers. For example, when it comes to community rules, make sure that the rules apply to everyone.

For example, owners cannot set rules that say, “Children cannot ride their bikes.” The rule should be written as “Residents cannot ride their bikes.”

Under the California Health and Safety code, it is ebrha.com

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RENTAL HOUSING 15

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PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED 16 RENTAL HOUSING

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legal to have a rule that states children 14 and under must have an adult with them while using the pool. However, it is not legal for managers to have pool hours for adults and pool hours for children.

Both adults and children should have equal access to the use of the pool. For properties that have a gym, a manager could enact a rule similar to the pool rule which states that children under 14 must have an adult present while using the gym.

Child Supervision

One issue that frequently comes to ECHO’s attention is around the supervision and play of children. Housing providers should never have policies, either written or verbal, which prohibit children from playing outside. Playing in a parking lot or other potentially unsafe areas is never a good idea. But if there are suitable areas for children and others to socialize outside, an effort should be made to allow this to happen. Also, owner and managers cannot mandate that children must be supervised while outside. If a child is causing a nuisance outdoors, the parent or caregiver should certainly be informed. But having rules that state children can’t be outside without an adult is overly restrictive and should be avoided.

Be Mindful

There are many issues that come up around housing families with children.

Housing providers need to be mindful that treating families with children differently, limiting their housing choice or having overly restrictive rules geared towards children is illegal. Remember, kids are people too and should (as well as their families) be able to live in housing free from discrimination. ECHO Housing is available to answer fair housing questions regarding children and other protected classes as well. We can be reached at 1- 855-ASK-ECHO or through our website: www.echofairhousing.org. RH

The information contained in this article is general in nature. Consult with an attorney or professional for any specific issue. Angie Watson-Hajjem is a Fair Housing Coordinator with ECHO Housing. She can be reached at angie@ echofairhousing.org.

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FEATURE

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Optimize Your Tenant Screening The importance of building solid screening criteria to fill your vacant units. BY BECKY BOWER

A

ll properties aim to find quality residents. Not just those that will pay the rent on time, but those that will also fulfill and comply with the terms of the lease. Few take the time to create a detailed rental policy and invest in proper applicant screening. By fleshing out your rental policies and training your staff on proper pre-screening and tenant screening, your commitment can help increase your net operating income (NOI), decrease future resident problems, and maximize a property’s potential.

PHOTO: ALEJANDRO FORERO CUERVO / CC BY 2.0

Pre-Screening Guidance

Applicant screening is a two-tiered process: prescreening and screening. Pre-screening begins the moment you establish contact with an applicant, whether it be in person, through email, or on the phone. When you pre-screen applicants, you check for “warning flags”, like if an applicant wants to pay their rent or security deposit in cash or they pull up to your office in a U-Haul wanting to move in immediately. While (in this case) you might think the end result is the same and might be pressured to bend your policies to applicants who are in a hurry, ultimately you want to ensure your process is consistent for all your applicants.

Unlike pre-screening, which allows you to look out for “warning flags”, screening helps you determine “red flags”. The purpose of proper applicant

screening is simple, to avoid the problems that arise if an unqualified resident moves in. When processing a consumer background check, it may consist of a consumer credit report from TransUnion, Experian or Equifax; an identity verification (Social Security number search); an eviction report; a criminal report; or a bad check search.

Creating Credit Criteria

When creating your credit criteria, there are a few items you should consider. First and foremost, you should create guidelines as to income requirements, the length of employment, length of residency (don’t forget to check for gaps), debt to income percentage and income to rent ratio, and if there are any unpaid collection accounts (from apartments or utility companies). Numerically define what “good credit” and “bad credit” are within your rental policy, and then decide on what credit score is good enough.

Additional scenarios you should consider are: will you make an exception for applicants with past due payments on medical bills or a home foreclosure? Will you take into consideration the number of inquiries completed prior to yours? How will you handle applicants who are foreign nationals, resident workers or foreign exchange students, who have no conventional credit track record? Which income sources will you accept (bank records, offer of employment, tax ebrha.com

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In addition to creating credit criteria, you should also generate a general checklist for how to process rental applications.

For example, when staff members are handing out applications they should make sure that they’re giving everyone 18 and over an application and requesting that every adult sign a separate application. After the applications are submitted, not only should the time and date received be recorded, but non-discriminatory (non-coded) notes should be clipped to the application.

Finally, and most importantly, your established written criteria must be consistently followed. Do not accept incomplete applications under any circumstance.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) states that housing providers must support the use of background checks with “substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interests” such as the safety of your residents, employees, and property. A housing provider who denies housing on the basis of arrests not resulting in conviction cannot prove that the exclusion actually assists in protecting resident safety and/or property.

Your criminal background policy should not automatically exclude any and all individuals on the basis of the existence of a criminal conviction record or felony, also known as “Bright Line Standards.”

Instead, create a detailed, written criteria based on property type, unit type and size.

Consider what types of offenses pose the greatest threat to the other residents of the community and their peaceful enjoyment of the property. This can be the difference between, for example, convictions for violent offenses against people or property versus convictions for public intoxication, misdemeanor drug possession, trespassing, or tax fraud.

With those standards in mind, do an individual assessment of each rental applicant. Look at the nature and severity of the offense, when it occurred, and if the offense provides a basis for exclusion under your screening policy. You should consider mitigating factors and evidence of rehabilitation as well as the amount of time since conviction. If you want your screening policy to be effective, provide detailed training to management and staff so they know how to communicate the policy effectively and can apply it in a consistent and unbiased manner.

Verification

Red Flags

“In addition to creating credit criteria, you should also generate a general checklist for how to process rental applications. For example, when staff members are handing out applications they should make sure that they’re giving everyone 18 and over an application and requesting that every adult sign a separate application.” returns, etc.)? And finally, under what conditional circumstances will you accept a guarantor or cosigner?

Processing the Rental Application

Check all of the applicant’s information carefully. Look for whether the signature matches the name, if their date of birth, name, address and ID numbers match their photo ID, and if their documents appear genuine. Remember, paystubs can be forged, so double check if the information on their paystubs matches both the rental application and photo ID. If you’re unsure about whether or not an applicant’s Social Security number is fake, check the number at www.SSA.gov.

Some additional tips to ensure your applicant isn’t committing fraud are verifying online that the employer or previous address is legitimate. Perform a verbal verification with previous rental property owners or property management companies and ask open ended questions, like “When did the tenancy start and end?” or “How much was the rent and is the rent current?”

Ask if the applicant had any pets, if any three-day notices were served, and if the resident gave any notice of intent to vacate.

Finally, find out whether the property owner would rent to the applicant again.

Criminal Background Guidance

Unfortunately right now racial disparities in incarceration rates tend to result in certain races being denied more often due to tight rental policies regarding criminal screening. To meet discrimination and Fair Housing laws, the U.S. Department of 20 RENTAL HOUSING

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As we addressed earlier, with screening you can further determine “red flags”, which is a warning of the possible existence of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), those who access credit information must have in place “reasonable policies and procedures for detecting, preventing and mitigating identity theft.” If any “red flag” should appear on the credit report, you should contact the applicant for further clarification. Supporting documentation like a Drivers License or photo ID, Social Security Card for confirmation of name and number, and current utility or insurance bill for verification of current address can help eliminate “red flags” on your applicant’s background check.

Some red flags to look out for are: no rental history or gaps in rental history; incomplete or illegible application; information doesn’t match provided documentation or the documentation is torn, faded or altered; negative information from prior property managers; property managers who are members of the applicant’s family; eviction filings and/or judgments; and unverifiable addresses.

If you can’t work out the discrepancy with the applicant and/ or you still have reasons to suspect identity theft, you should not rent to the applicant in question. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 (FACTA), you are under no obligation to report the potential fraud to law enforcement.

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THURSDAY, MAY 4; 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to members only An informal discussion on Oakland rent board hearings

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3664 Grand Avenue • Suite B Oakland, CA 94610 TO REGISTER, GO TO EBRHA.COM/EVENTS OR CALL 510-893-9873. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED 22 RENTAL HOUSING

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If you deny the applicant, you will need to furnish them with an adverse action letter. From there, they can dispute any discrepancies directly with the credit bureau. Avoid discussing the reasons for denial with the applicant.

Required Notices

Adverse action occurs when you deny the applicant or conditionally accept them (with the requirement of a cosigner or guarantor, or larger deposit). For conditional and denial decisions, a written notice is required to be sent to the applicant.

The adverse action notice must include: 1) The name, address, and telephone number of the agency that supplied the consumer report, including a toll-free number if the agency maintains files nationwide; 2) A notice of the individual’s right to dispute and the consumer’s right to a free report from the agency upon request within 60 days; 3) A copy of the FCRA Summary of rights; and 4) The credit score associated with the applicant.

In order to increase your net operating income (NOI), decrease future resident problems, and maximize a property’s potential, investing some time into creating your policy and training your staff into following your guidelines is essential.

In order to make your screening guidelines effective, it’s equally important to utilize a quality tenant screening vendor that provides legitimate, comprehensive eviction and criminal data, a credit report from at least one of the three major bureaus, and scans each applicant through multiple databases (like the sex offender registry). Finally, don’t forget to continually check for new pending and passed housing legislation to stay compliant locally, statewide, and federally. RH Nothing in this article is meant to constitute either legal or business advice. All of the opinions expressed in this article are those of Contemporary Information Corporation (CIC) www.cicreports.com and East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA). Please consult an attorney which is competent in FCRA and other laws governing the business of tenant, employment, and background screening before relying on any information contained in this article.

Becky Bower is a writer for ResidentScreeningBlog.com and the Communications Executive at Contemporary Information Corporation (C.I.C).

She can be reached at becky@cicreports.com.

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FEATURE

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An Important Refresher A reminder on HUD’s new criminal screening guidelines and how they affect your rental housing business.

BY ALLISON LEUNG

O

ne in four Americans has a criminal record.

This could mean anything from a petty offense that occurred years ago for which there was never actually a conviction to a more serious, more recent conviction — but regardless of the perpetration, in April of 2016 HUD released new guidelines to make it easier for this 25 percent of Americans to find housing.

As rental property owners know, those with a criminal record are not protected under the Fair Housing Act. What HUD’s new guidelines stipulate is that turning down a potential tenant or buyer based on their criminal record may now violate the Fair Housing Act. Sound a little vague or confusing? Let’s look at a breakdown of what this rule entails: • Blanket policies refusing rent to those with criminal record does count as discrimination “because of the systemic disparities of the American criminal justice system.”

• Still, turning down an individual due to their record on an individual basis could be legally justified.

• Whether any given owner’s policy counts as discriminatory will need to be determined on a case by case basis.

• The guidance is not meant to be seen as an indict-

ment against considering criminal records, but owners do need to prove that their policy is in place exclusively to protect safety and/or property.

• Denying housing to those based on a record of arrest is not legitimate because arrests alone aren’t proof of guilt.

• HUD argues that even when a conviction occurred, owners can’t deny housing without looking at the underlying situation, i.e. “no matter when the conviction occurred, what the underlying conduct entailed, or what the convicted person has done since then.”

• Owner policies should instead take into consideration what the crime was, when it occurred, and other factors surrounding the arrest — the only exception being for manufacturing or distributing drugs.

The Rationale Behind The New Guidelines In deciding to implement these new guidelines, HUD looked at statistics provided by the Justice Department that demonstrated a disproportionately high rate of arrest and incarceration based on race. For example, African American men are jailed at a rate almost six times as high as white men, with Hispanic men incarcerated more than twice the rate of white men.

Said Housing Secretary Julian Castro, “When own-

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ers refuse to rent to anyone who has an arrest record, they effectively bar the door to millions of folks of color for no good reason” (NPR).

Finding Housing After Imprisonment

Melvin Lofton, a 51-year-old African American man who was convicted of burglary and theft when he was in his 20s, understands the struggle to find housing with a record of arrest.

Currently residing with his mom, he says it was hard if not impossible to find housing otherwise. Recalling when he tried to rent from a mobile home park, he stated, “I was at work and the guy called me and told me to come pick up my keys.

So I was happy. I got a place to stay. So then—45 to 50 minutes later—he calls and says, ‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’ and I say, ‘No, what is there?’

And he says, ‘You didn’t tell me you had a background.’”

At the time he applied for housing, Lofton had been out of prison for 20 years.

Treating Applicants With Consistency

As many other Fair Housing policies, above all, HUD advises that all rental property owners should treat prospective tenants fairly across the board.

“Intentional discrimination may be proven based on evidence that, when responding to inquiries from prospective applicants, a property manager told a African-American individual that her criminal record would disqualify her from renting an apartment, but did not similarly discourage a White individual with a comparable criminal record from applying,” writes HUD. Whether this new guideline will help those in need find housing or proves to be too situational and confusing to be truly useful remains to be seen—but as always, rental property owners would do best to inform themselves on this newly released information and to follow it to the best of their abilities. RH Allison Leung serves as Managing Editor & Content Architect for BiggerPockets.com, the largest resource for real estate investing tools, information, and networking online. She can be reached at allison@biggerpockets.com

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industry trends

Smaller apartment markets such as Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Cleveland, among others, are building transitoriented units that comprise as much as one-third of the stock currently under construction.

Overall, transit ridership of all types is at its highest since 1957, according to the Federal Transit Administration, increasing 20% over the past decade. Although ridesourcing services (Uber, Lyft) have grown in popularity, a recent survey from the Shared-Use Mobility Center showed that, among shared mobility users, they are the preferred mode of transport between More and more multifamily developers 8:00pm and 4:00am, a time when many are choosing sites on or near public public transit systems offer few, if any, transit at increasing rates. BY PAULA MUNGER options. However, buses and trains remain the most popular option during rush hours. companies are basing their location In 2015, about 61% of public transit choices on where their prospective users commuting to work were renters. employees want to live. A 2014 study In five years’ time, 387,000 more rentby the American Public Transportaers used public transit to get to and from tion Association (APTA) found that their jobs. There’s no denying that we large corporations gained a competitive remain a car-centric society, so removing advantage by locating in areas with “drive alone” from Census data reveals both shorter commute times and mulpublic transport as the fastest growing tiple modes of transportation available. mode of transportation for renters.

Multifamily developers have cerPublic transit systems across the countainly taken heed of this trend, choosing try face numerous challenges including sites on or near public transit at increasaging infrastructure, deferred mainteing rates. Yardi Matrix has tagged nance and lack of funding. Public/private nearly 66,000 units under construction partnerships are emerging as just one with 2017 delivery dates as “transitsolution to this problem. oriented” which it defines “We all know that Those municipalities, as being within a oneplenty of new transit authorities and quarter mile radius of a construction has private sector firms public transit rail station. occurred in our which understand the That’s about 21% of all he automobile has fallen out largest cities, but natural symbiosis of units on the books for of favor in recent years thanks this is not just a big rental properties and delivery this year – more to increased congestion and public transport will be than double the share just city phenomenon. longer commute times in fast-growing Smaller apartment far ahead of the curve.

5 years ago. metropolitan areas across the country. markets such as RH It’s important to note Ride-sharing, ride-sourcing, car-sharing, that large cities like New Sacramento, Salt bike-sharing and living in walkable Lake City, and Cleve- Paula Munger is the Director, York, where public transIndustry Research & Analysis environments are also moving consumland, among others, portation is plentiful, will at NAA, where she is builders away from car ownership. are building transitskew the numbers – and ing an active NAA research As the labor market becomes oriented units that program. Paula gathers, anawe all know that plenty lyzes and synthesizes data increasingly tight, public transit’s role comprise as much of new construction has and information to arrive in linking workers to job opportunities as one-third of the occurred in our largest at the most meaningful and becomes critical. In the past, employees stock currently relevant insights. She can be cities. But this is not just followed the jobs. Now, more and more under construction.” reached at 703-797-0614 or a big city phenomenon.

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maintenance tips open windows in unoccupied properties regularly. Install high functioning fans and stove hoods to stem mold growth in the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms. You may even consider installing dehumidifiers into your properties.

Preventing Mold Overgrowth As pervasive as mold growth is, there are ways to prevent it. BY TODD AVENARIUS

M

old problems can be incredibly expensive to repair, sometimes requiring entire rooms being torn down to the studs. Certain types of mold can cause illnesses from skin irritation to obstructive lung disease. What is truly frightening about mold is how easily it grows. One study from the University of Arizona showed that 100% of the homes it tested showed positive for mold. Yes, 100% of homes! While that may not be the case everywhere, it shows just how common mold growth is. If mold is so pervasive, how do we prevent it?

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Keep Water Away It’s important to remember that buildings are susceptible to mold growth from the outside in. Think about where water accumulates around the perimeter and then direct it away. Use flexible extensions on the end of downspouts and alter ground cover choices. Remember to keep gutters clean to avoid pooling water at the roofline.

Plumbing While it is true that some leaks can be spotted and easily fixed, many cannot. This is because much of plumbing systems remain unseen behind walls and underfoot. Major mold growth occurs frequently in properties with leaks that have been unaddressed for long periods, as the first warning sign is often a water stain or worse. Consider installing a leak detection system like AquaTrip. AquaTrip is a permanently installed system that constantly monitors the entirety of a building’s plumbing. AquaTrip saves money by curbing potential water damage, reducing excessive water bills and controlling the potential for mold overgrowth. You can learn more about AquaTrip by visiting buyaquatrip.com or call 1-844-4-AQATRP to find out how you can join the pilot program for savings up to 50% off. RH

of the following: flood-prone areas, carpeting in moisture-prone areas, water stains, condensation build up on Todd Avenarius is the Director of Customer windows, poorly ventilated kitchens Engagement with Golden State Flow Measureor bathrooms, or clogged and broken ment. He can be reached at todd.avenarius@ gutters? One or more of these in your gsfminc.com or 916-933-9554. Golden State Flow Management (GSFM) is an elite distributor rental units can indicate potential mold of AquaTrip leak detection systems in the United growth.

States. In bringing AquaTrip to market, we While some solutions can be simple, bring with us our twenty years of experience in the conservation, managesome may require more ment and optimization of complexity and cost. One “Major mold growth water and its revenue. We of the more effective prooccurs frequently are proud of our legacy of providing superb service decures to prevent mold in properties with collaboration to our growth is airing out your leaks that have been and clients. AquaTrip gives us a unit. Moisture builds unaddressed for unique opportunity to leverage that experience within and accumulates in moist long periods, as the a larger market and to offer areas when there is insuffirst warning sign is the property management ficient airflow or ventilaoften a water stain industry a truly innovative and useful product. tion. Make sure that you or worse.”

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COLUMN

esq. & a

When Service Animals Act Up

What is the best procedure when a service animal is being disruptive? BY ELAINE LEE

Noise Ordinances You may need to inform your tenant of pertinent noise ordinances governing your city and that his dog’s incessant barking may be in violation of local laws. For example, in Berkeley if a dog barks over 10 minutes straight or intermittently for 30 minutes, it can be considered a violation of the noise ordinance and you can call animal control and report the problem.

They will usually send out an animal control officer to assess the situation and that officer may provide suggested ways to remedy the problem or may issue a warning. If they have to come out again, then a fine may be assessed. BMC 1340.70 B5 Mediation Options If the above-mentioned methods do not work, another option is to seek to mediate the problem through a neighborhood based mediation services such as SEEDS. More information about SEEDS can be found at www.seedscrc.org.

One of my tenants recently brought in a service animal to his unit, which I was happy to accommodate. But now, I’m receiving complaints from my other tenants, claiming that the dog barks at all hours of the night and that the owner isn’t picking up after it and leaving its mess all over the courtyard. What can I do in this situation?

A

State and federal laws requires you to be accommodating of disabled tenants, but that accommodation does not require you to inconvenience your other tenants, or have your property damaged or littered. The tenant also has responsibilities with maintaining a service animal.

I strongly recommend that you create and establish an animal policy, as well as an agreement which would spell out the requirements for dog stewardship on 32 RENTAL HOUSING

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your property (e.g. pick up waste daily, no loud barking, etc.). Owners should try to amicably discuss the problems with their tenant to try to achieve a reasonable solution. In this case, that may include discussing the importance Notices to Cure of training the dog and or even giving In closing, it is your job to try to reasonthe tenant information on dog trainably accommodate your tenant’s need for ing classes in the area. If your tenant is a service or companion animal, but if they physically incapable of managing the or the animal do not comply with your responsibility of handling a dog, perhaps apartment rules, you you can inquire into the “Every individual could conceivably withpossibility of helping with a disability draw your permission him locate an assistant to has the right to for him to have a dog. help him manage, walk be accompanied You should first write and train his dog. Under by a guide, signal, your tenant a warning federal law, training the comfort, or service letter detailing the infordog is required and may animal, especially mation raised above. be completed by the dog trained for the purIf that does not work owner, a friend, family pose. It is that indiand your rental agreemember or professional vidual’s job to take ment has an applicable trainer or training organicare of that animal.” animal addendum, you zation.

PHOTO: RICHARD ELZEY / CC BY 2.0

Q

Tenant Responsibilities Every individual with a disability has the right to be accompanied by a guide, signal, comfort, or service animal, especially trained for the purpose. It is that individual’s job to take care of the animal. Your tenant must ensure that the animal complies with state and local animal control laws, and is not a danger or a nuisance to the community. Additionally, the individual shall be liable for any damage done to the premises or facilities by his or her dog (California Civil Code Section 54.2).

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RENTAL HOUSING 33

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can serve the tenant with a 3 day notice to perform covenants or quit. Note: Certain cities—like Oakland and Richmond—have a specific procedure for addressing lease violations, so be sure to call EBRHA or consult with an attorney before issuing notices.

If your rental agreement does not have an animal management provision, you may serve a 30 day notice to change the terms of the rental agreement. If the above steps fail, and your tenant fails to comply, you should consult with an attorney to determine the best course of action.

The tenant may try to file housing discrimination charges against you, but if you have documented your efforts to amicably resolve the problem as well as gathered evidence of the problems, your chances of prevailing are higher. —ELAINE LEE RH The information contained in this article is general in nature. Consult the advice of an attorney for any specific problem. Elaine Lee is an attorney practicing in the Bay Area, specializing in real estate law and estate planning. She can be reached at eleeattorney@ aol.com or 510-848-9528.

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theshepherdlawgroup@netzero.com 34 RENTAL HOUSING

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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

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RENTAL HOUSING 35

community calendar EVENTS & CLASSES

may

june

THURSDAY, MAY 4 Oakland Rent Board Roundtable An informal discussion on rent board hearings Moderated by Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to members only, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 6 Oakland Rent Board Roundtable An informal discussion on rent board hearings Moderated by Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to members only, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 9 Top Insurance Coverage for Property Owners Presented by Curt Bulloch, Bulloch Insurance Brokers Inc. Members: Free; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 The Keys to Locking Out Lawsuits and Lowering Taxes Presented by Legally Mine Members: $39; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 11 Protect Your Property From Mold Presented by Howard Oliver, Green Home Solutions of the East Bay Members: $39; Non-Members: $69 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14 Financial Planning: Managing Your Own Destiny Presented by Terry Allen, CFP®, AWMASM, Enhance Wealth Members: $39; Non-Members: $69 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 16 Rental Property Owner 104 (RPO 104) Presented by Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Members: Free; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 20 EBRHA Member Meeting • Solar for Apartments: Current Strategies—Ricky Chu, Sunvalley Solar Inc. • Legal Q&A—Speaker TBD 10:00 a.m. - Noon WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 Lunch-n-Learn: Cybersecurity Presented by Terry Allen, CFP®, AWMASM, Enhance Wealth Advisors Members: $20 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 13 Rental Property Owner 105 (RPO 105) Presented by EBRHA Staff Members: Free; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 17 EBRHA Member Meeting • Lawsuit Protection & Lowering Taxes — Legally Mine • Legal Q&A—Lisa Padilla, Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC 10:00 a.m. - Noon TUESDAY, JUNE 20 Small Property Owners Roundtable An informal discussion on management issues and solutions Moderated by EBRHA Staff Free to members only, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 25 Addressing Bed Bugs in Your Rental Units Presented by Tami Stuparich, California American Exterminator Members: $39; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 25 Social Mixer Grand Tavern, 3601 Grand Ave, Oakland RSVP at www.ebrha.com/events 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 P.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 Small Property Owners Roundtable An informal discussion on management issues and solutions Moderated by Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to members only, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

No Refunds on no shows; Online advanced registration required! To register and pay, visit ebrha.com/calendar or call (510) 893-9873.

Unless noted, all classes and events are held at the EBRHA Education Center, 3664 Grand Ave., Suite B in Oakland.

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Oakland RENT ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM FEE

UPDATE: Annual fees are $68 per unit and are due March 1. Owners are allowed to pass through $34 to tenants.

BUSINESS TAXES & REGISTRATION

Registration fee is $60 and is due March 1. Tax is based on annual gross rental income at a rate of $13.95 per $1,000 of gross rental income. Tax renewal declarations are mailed at the beginning of the year. Online payments accepted at

www.ltss.oaklandnet.com LANDLORD PETITION FOR EXEMPTIONS

Claims covered include new construction, substantial rehabilitation, and single-family homes or condominiums.

ANNUAL ALLOWABLE RENT INCREASE

2017-18 (2.3%) A CPI increase of 2.0% becomes effective on July 1, 2016. Tenants may only receive one increase in any 12-month period, and the rent increase cannot take effect earlier than the tenant’s anniversary date.

In addition, California law requires that for tenancies receiving greater than a 10% increase, a 60-day notice is required; if the increase is 10% or less, a 30-day notice is required.

Owners can only impose “banked” rent increases equal to three times the current annual allowable rent increase rate. See schedule at right.

PERI OD

AM O U N T ( % )

JULY 1 ‘17 - JUNE 30 ‘18 . . . . . . . . . 2.3 JULY 1 ‘16 - JUNE 30 ‘17 . . . . . . . . . 2.0 JULY 1 ‘15 - JUNE 30 ‘16 . . . . . . . . . 1.7 JULY 1 ‘14 - JUNE 30 ‘15 . . . . . . . . . 1.9 JULY 1 ‘13 - JUNE 30 ‘14 . . . . . . . . . 2.1 JULY 1 ‘12 - JUNE 30 ‘13 . . . . . . . . . 3.0 JULY 1 ‘11 - JUNE 30 ‘12 . . . . . . . . . 2.0 JULY 1 ‘10 - JUNE 30 ‘11 . . . . . . . . . 2.7 JULY 1 ‘09 - JUNE 30 ‘10 . . . . . . . . . 0.7 JULY 1 ‘08 - JUNE 30 ‘09 . . . . . . . . . 3.2 JULY 1 ‘07 - JUNE 30 ‘08 . . . . . . . . . 3.3 MAY 1 ‘06 - JUNE 30 ‘07. . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Visit www.ebrha.com/members to see previous adjustments.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS INCREASE FORMULA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

(70 % of Improvement Costs ÷ Number of Units)

Oakland Rent Board 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Ste. 5313 Oakland, CA, 94612 510.238.3721 | www.oaklandnet.com

Useful Life of Improvement* *REFER TO ORDINANCE FOR NOTICING, QUALIFICATIONS AND AMORTIZATION PERIODS. SEE USEFUL LIFE CHART ON CITY OF OAKLAND WEBSITE.

Berkeley RENT STABILIZATION BOARD FEES

Annual fees are $213 per unit and are due July 1. Owners are allowed to pass through $4 to tenants.

RATES OF ANNUAL PAYMENT OF SECURITY DEPOSIT INTEREST P E R I OD A MO UN T FEDERAL RESERVE RATES

DEC. 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A DEC. 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3% DEC. 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5% DEC. 2011. . . . . 0.4% (CORRECTED 11/3/2011) DEC. 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4% DEC. 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1% DEC. 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4% DEC. 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% DEC. 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1% DEC. 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4%

ANNUAL ALLOWABLE RENT INCREASE

2017 (1.8%) PERI OD AM O U N T

Beginning in 1998, adjustments are not allowed for the year following a tenant’s initial occupancy. To obtain the maximum amount for a specific address, please use the “Rent Ceiling Database” calculator on Berkeley’s Rent Board website.

Visit www.ebrha.com/members to see previous adjustments.

2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5% 2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0% 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7% 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7% 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6% 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7% 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7% 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2% 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6% 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7% 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9% 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5%, + $3 (1% + $3 IF TENANCY CREATED AFTER JAN. 1999) *ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS ARE ALLOWED IF AN OWNER PAID FOR ELECTRICITY OR HEAT.

BERKELEY RATES

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

DEC. 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2% DEC. 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3%

Berkeley Rent Board 2125 Milvia Street Berkeley, CA 94704 510.981.7368 | www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent ebrha.com

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vendor directory — CONTACTS, PRODUCTS & SERVICES ACCOUNTING & TAX

Collins, Mason & Company LLP Teresa Mason | 510-891-9000 www.cmcaccountants.com The Lee Accountancy Group, Inc. Jong H. Lee, CPA | 510-836-7400 jhlee@theleeaccountancy.com Martin Friedrich, CPA 510-895-8310 www.besttaxcpa.com

Law Offices of Brent Kernan Brent Kernan | 510-712-2900 bkernan@aol.com Law Offices of Elaine Lee Elaine Lee | 510-848-9528 www.elaineleeattorney.com Richards Law John Richards | 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com The Evictors Alan J. Horwitz | 510-839-2074

APPLIANCE SALES & PARTS

The Shepherd Law Group Michael Shepherd | 510-531-0129 www.theshepherdlawgroup.com

Appliance Parts Distributor Mike De Fazio | 510-357-8200 www.apdappliance.com Appliance Warehouse of America David Jepsen | 510-921-1071 www.appliancewhse.com APPRAISERS

Access Appraisal: Apartment Specialists Joe Spallone, MAI | 510-601-1466 www.accessappraisal.com Mark Watts Commercial Appraiser Mark A. Watts | 415-990-0025 www.markwattscommercialappraisal.com ARCHITECTURE

InsideOut Design Pennell Phillips | 510-655-1198 www.aboutinsideout.com

Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com ATTORNEYS — LAND USE/CONDO CONVERSION

Law Offices of Bill Ford Bill Ford | 415-306-7840 www.billfordlaw.com Law Offices of John Gutierrez John Gutierrez | 510-647-0600, x2 www.jgutierrezlaw.com Richards Law John Richards | 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com

ASSOCIATIONS

BOMA Oakland/East Bay Julie Taylor, CAE | 510-893-8780 www.bomaoeb.org

ATTORNEYS — REAL ESTATE/CORP.

Beckman Blair LLP Oakland/Berkeley Association of Realtors Nancy Ly | 415-871-0070 Davina Lara | 510-836-3000 www.beckmanblairllp.com oaklandberkeleyaor.com Burnham Brown Oakland Chamber of Commerce Charles Alfonzo | 510-835-6825 Barbara Leslie | 510-874-4808 www.burnhambrown.com www.oaklandchamber.com Ericksen Arbuthnot ATTORNEYS — EVICTIONS/PROPERTY Jason Mauck | 510-832-7770 OWNER DEFENSE www.ericksenarbuthnot.com Beckman Blair LLP Nancy Ly | 415-871-0070 www.beckmanblairllp.com

Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried | 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com

Bornstein Law Daniel Bornstein | 510-836-0110, x1007 www.bornsteinandbornstein.com

Harding Legal Elva Harding | 415-967-7570 www.edhlegal.com

Burnham Brown Charles Alfonzo | 510-835-6825 www.burnhambrown.com

Jack Schwartz, Attorney at Law Jack Schwartz | 650-863-5823 jwsjr1220@comcast.net

Ericksen Arbuthnot Jason Mauck | 510-832-7770 www.ericksenarbuthnot.com

Law Offices of Bill Ford Bill Ford | 415-306-7840 www.billfordlaw.com

Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried | 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com

Law Offices of John Gutierrez John Gutierrez | 510-647-0600, x2 www.jgutierrezlaw.com

Law Offices of Bill Ford Bill Ford | 415-306-7840 www.billfordlaw.com

Miller Property Law Inga Miller | 925-402-2192 www.millerpropertylaw.com

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Richards Law John Richards | 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com BANKING/LENDING

Chase Commercial Josh Milnes | 510-891-4545 josh.milnes@chase.com Chase Commercial Ted Levenson | 415-945-5430 ted.levenson@chase.com First Foundation Bank Michelle Li | 510-250-8133 www.ff-inc.com Luther Burbank Savings Larry Miller | 925-627-2790 www.lutherburbanksavings.com Pacific Western Bank Marc Lipsett | 510-332-6964 www.pacificwesternbank.com SF Fire Credit Union Herman White, Jr. | 415-674-4808 www.sffirecu.org Torrey Pines Bank Dale Marie Golden | 510-899-7536 dgolden@torreypinesbank.com BATHROOM/KITCHEN REMODELING & BUILDING SUPPLIES

American Bath Enterprises, Inc. Larry Arcadi | 510-785-2600 www.americanbathind.com APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com Ashby Lumber Paul Heiser | 510-843-4832 www.ashbylumber.com D.W. Hamilton Construction, Inc. D.W. Hamilton | 510-919-0046 www.dwhamiltonconstruction.com Home Depot Allan Jocson | 510-375-5237 www.homedepot.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Sincere Home Decor Hei Chan | 510-835-9988 www.sincerehomedecor.com SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian | 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com Urban Ore Marylou Van | 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com CABINET DOOR RESURFACING

Northern Contours Charlene Hall | 866-344-8132 www.northerncontours.com

vendor directory CARPET CLEANING

Cleaner Carpets Ron Russell | 510-522-1344 cleanercarpet@juno.com CONCRETE

Mauri Concrete Construction Co. Marcelo Mauri | 510-541-5260 www.mauriconcrete.com CONSTRUCTION

A-One Construction Eva Morrissey | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com City Construction Janet Aranda | 800-799-0234 www.cityconstruction.us D.W. Hamilton Construction, Inc. D.W. Hamilton | 510-919-0046 www.dwhamiltonconstruction.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Reedco Building Innovations Beth Wilson | 510-283-5257 www.reedcobuilding.com Servpro of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda Jenny Villena | 925-299-1323 servpro9542@sbcglobal.net SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott | 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com W. Charles Perry & Associates W. Charles Perry | 650-638-9546 www.wcharlesperry.com West Coast Premier Construction, Inc. Homy Sikaroudi | 510-271-0950 www.wcpc-inc.com CONTRACTORS/RESTORATION

ARC Water Damage Nina Lauffer 510-223-1279 or 877-437-9225 (toll free) www.bayareafloodrepair.com Emergency Services Restoration Maria Perez | 800-577-7537 www.esr24.com Har-Bro Restoration Inc. Sonia Fuetsch | 650-670-2364 www.harbro.com

R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian | 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com ELECTRICIANS

Thomas Electric Co. (TEC) Thomas Hurtubise | 510-814-9387 www.tecelectric.net ELEVATOR REPAIRS

Paramount Elevator Corp.

Mark Pipoly | 510-835-0770 www.paramountelevator.com FINANCIAL PLANNING

Enhance Wealth Advisors Terry Allen, CFP®, AWMA SM 925-932-8609 info@enhancewa.com FIRE PROTECTION

Detect All Security & Fire Amy Roither | 510-835-4100 www.detectall.com FLOOR COVERINGS

Bay Area Contract Carpets, Inc. Ken Scott | 510-613-0300 www.bayareacontractcarpets.com GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Oakland Housing Authority Leased Housing | 510-874-1500 www.oakha.org HANDYMAN SERVICES

APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com Christopher Simmons 510-776-2697 c2thejay44@gmail.com

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Avitus Group Lance Harris | 925-827-0680 www.avitusgroup.com INDOOR AIR QUALITY/MOLD & ODOR REMOVAL

ECS Group, Inc. Shawn Rau | 707-732-3370 shawn@ecsgroup.net Green Home Solutions Alameda (East Bay) Howard Oliver | 510-666-6711 www.ghsnorcal.com INSPECTIONS

ECS Group, Inc. Shawn Rau | 707-732-3370 shawn@ecsgroup.net SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott | 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com INSURANCE

Bulloch Insurance Brokers, Inc. Curt Bulloch | 925-640-0485 www.curtbulloch.com Commercial Coverage Insurance Paul Tradelius | 415-436-9800 www.comcov.com Gordon Insurance Pamela Hutchins | 877-877-7755 www.gordoninsurance.com The Greenspan Co./Adjusters Int’l.

Rich Hallock | 866-331-4790 www.greenspan-ai.com Jain L. Williams - State Farm Insurance Jain L. Williams | 510-530-3222 www.jainwilliams.com

KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com

Kelly Lux – State Farm Insurance Kelly Lux | 510-521-1222 Kelly.lux.gjcg@statefarm.com

Start to Finish Christopher Bailey | 510-727-9128 cpmbailey@sbcglobal.net

Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency Ruth Stroup | 510-874-5700 www.stroupinsurance.com

HAULING SERVICES

KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com

Servpro of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda Jenny Villena | 925-299-1323 servpro9542@sbcglobal.net

Urban Ore Marylou Van | 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com

DOORS & GATES

HOUSING SERVICES

Hamilton Family Center – First Avenues Mayo Lunt | 510-763-8540 www.hamiltonfamilycenter.org

Halcyon Properties Roger Shane | 510-847-7075 rbshane@aol.com

P.W. Stephens Environmental Jackie Mezeul | 510-651-9506 www.pwsei.com

Bay to Bay Garage Doors Robert Bruce | 925-872-5324 www.baytobaygaragedoors.com

San Francisco Heating and Cooling Pablo Richards | 415-286-2540 sfheatingandcooling@yahoo.com

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman | 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com

Yonas Hagos - Farmers Insurance Yonas Hagos | 510-763-1030 www.farmersagent.com/yhagos INTERCOMS & ACCESS CONTROLS

R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Martinez Real Estate Investment Jose Martinez | 510-769-0436 ebrha.com

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vendor directory LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT

CSC ServiceWorks Stacy Weaver | 800-954-9000 x54313 www.cscsw.com Excalibur Laundries Richard Lisowski | 510-872-1664 www.excaliburlaundries.com Innovative Coin Cheri Guffey | 510-259-1494 www.innovativelaundry.com PWS, The Laundry Company Herb McKay | 650-871-0300 www.pwslaundary.com LEAD, MOLD & PEST MANAGEMENT

Alameda County Healthy Homes Dept.

Larry Brooks | 510-567-8282 larry.brooks@acgov.org or aclppp.org LIGHTING

LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES

SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott | 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com LOCKSMITH EVICTION SERVICES

Golden Gate Locksmith Co Ralph Scott | 510-654-2677 kgglocksmith@yahoo.com

L. J. Kruse Co. Beth Baldwin | 510-644-0260 www.ljkruse.com

Crane Management Kit Crane | 510-918-2306 www.cranemanagment.net

Roto-Rooter Martin Alvarez | 510-755-1262 sanactma@aol.com

The Enterprise Company William McLetchie | 510-444-0876 www.theenterpriseco.com

Water Heaters Only, Inc. Yana Carpenter | 800-835-5946 www.waterheatersonly.com

ERI Property Management Terrence Sims | 510-883-7070 www.erirentals.com

PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS

Sam Brown Investigations Sam Brown | 415-621-5918 www.sambrowninvestigations.com PRIVATE PROFESSIONAL FIDUCIARY

PROCESS SERVER

County Process Server Emily Jay | 855-873-7837 www.norcalevictions.com PROPERTY LEAK DETECTION

AquaTrip brought to you by GSFM Jeff Maloney | 916-933-9554 www.buyaquatrip.com PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

MARKET RESEARCH

Axiometrics Inc. Amy Wolff Sorter | 469-621-9669 asorter@axiometrics.com PAINT

BEHR Paint Nick Mounts | 415-416-0994 www.behr.com The Sherwin-Williams Co. Sean Callahan | 925-932-3363 x134 www.sherwin-williams.com PEST & VECTOR CONTROL

Alameda Co. Vector Control Services Daniel Wilson | 510-567-6826 daniel.wilson@acgov.org

A-One Construction Eva Morrissey | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE

SYNCrew John Cranston | 415-968-1593 www.syncrew.com PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES

Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Jermane Griffin | 916-752-7608 jermane.griffin@ferguson.com

Burge Pest Control Rich Crawford | 888-292-7378 www.burgepest.com California American Exterminator Tami Stuparich | 831-338-4800 www.calamericanext.com Terminix Robert Sater | 510-489-8689 www.terminix.com Western Exterminator Company Curtis Newbrough | 510-600-5271 www.westernexterminator.com PLUMBING/WATER HEATERS

Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman | 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com

| MAY 2017 |

Cedar Properties Jonathan Weldon | 510-834-0782 www.cedarproperties.com

Noel Parker, Fiduciary Noel Parker | 510-260-3520 www.noelparkerfiduciary.com

Eco Electric James Young | 415-384-8526 www.ecopwr.net

40 RENTAL HOUSING

Fast Water Heater Company Michael Kirk | 866-465-7442 www.fastwaterheater.com

ebrha.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Advent Properties, Inc. Benjamin Scott | 510-289-1184 www.adventpropertiesinc.com

Lapham Company Jon M. Shahoian | 510-594-7600 www.laphamcompany.com Marquardt Property Management Karen or Judi Marquardt | 510-530-2050 www.mpmoakland.com Mynd Stacy Winship | 510-306-4440 www.mynd.co OMM Inc./Mason Management Janice Mason | 510-522-8074 www.ommhomes.com Premium Properties Sam Sorokin | 510-594-0794 www.premiumpd.com Seville Real Estate and Management Maya Clark | 510-610-7699 www.homesbyseville.com Shaw Properties Judy Shaw | 510-665-4350 www.shawprop.com Sphinx Property Management Jon Goree | 510-798-9299 www.sphinxpm.com Vision Property Management Michael Margado | 510-926-4104 www.visionproperty.management Wellington Property Company Jillian Loh | 510-338-0588 www.wellingtonpropertyco.com Woodminster Property Management Nicholas Drobocky | 510-336-0202 www.woodminstermanagement.com PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

On-Site Janis Rossi | 408-795-4167 www.on-site.com REAL ESTATE BROKERS & AGENTS

Bay Property Group Daniel Bornstein | 510-836-0110 www.baypropertygroup.com

Advent Properties, Inc. Benjamin Scott | 510-289-1184 www.adventpropertiesinc.com

Beacon Properties Carlon Tanner | 510-428-1864 www.beaconprop.com

ARA Pacific Mike Colhoun | 415-273-2177 www.arausa.com

Canyon Pacific Management Tom Scripps | 415-495-4739 www.canyonpacific.com

Better Homes Realty Rene Mendieta | 510-388-4092 rmendieta@att.net

vendor directory Caldecott Properties Andy Read | 510-594-2400 www.caldecott.com CBRE Keith Manson | 510-874-1919 www.cbre.com Coldwell Banker – Apartment Specialist John Caronna | 925-253-4648 www.eastbayIREA.com Coldwell Banker Commercial Henry Ohlmeyer | 925-831-3390 www.coldwellbanker.com Edrington & Associates Steven Edrington | 510-749-4880 sedrington@msn.com Lapham Company Tsegab Assefa | 510-594-0643 www.laphamcompany.com

RENT CONTROL CONSULTANTS

Bay Property Group Cristian Villarreal | 510-474-7404 cristian@baypropertygroup.com Edrington & Associates Steven Edrington | 510-749-4880 sedrington@msn.com Rent Board Matters Liz Hart | 510-813-5440 liz.hart1801@gmail.com RENTAL SERVICES

Hamilton Properties Bay Area Delesha Hamilton | 404-606-2141 www.hamiltonpropertiesbayarea.com Caldecott Properties Julie Keys | 510-225-9244 www.caldecott.com ROOFERS

Litton/Fuller Group Luke Blacklidge | 510-548-4801, x130 www.littonfullergroup.com

A-One Construction Eva Morrissey | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com

Marcus & Millichap Eli Davidson | 510-379-1280 eli.davidson@marcusmillichap.com

Fidelity Roof Company Doug Kellor | 510-547-6330 www.fidelityroof.com

Marcus & Millichap David Wolfe | 510-379-1200 www.marcusmillichap.com

Frank Fiala Roofing Frank Fiala | 510-582-6929 www.ffialaroofing.com

NAI Northern California Grant Chappell | 510-336-4721 www.naikilpatrick.com

General Roofing Company Michael Wakerling | 510-536-3356 www.generalroof.com

NAI Northern California Timothy Norkol | 510-336-4724 tnorkol@nainorcal.com The Pinza Group Steven Pinza | 510-725-4775 www.pinzagroup.com Property Counselors Link Corkery, Inc. Link Corkery | 510-886-1212 www.pclclink.com Red Oak Realty Vanessa Bergmark | 510-292-2000 vanessa@redoakrealty.com Seville Real Estate and Management Maya Clark | 510-610-7699 www.homesbyseville.com

SECURITY/SURVEILLANCE

Detect All Security & Fire Amy Roither | 510-835-4100 www.detectall.com R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com SEISMIC CONSTRUCTION

B.A.S.S. Seismic Retrofit D.W. Hamilton | 510-919-0046 www.bassseismicretrofit.com West Coast Premier Construction, Inc. Homy Sikaroudi | 510-271-0950 www.wcpc-inc.com SEISMIC ENGINEERING

Sharon Medairy, Realtor® Real Estate Source, Inc. | 510-517-9969 www.medairy.net

Earthquake & Structures, Inc. B.K. Paul | 510-601-1065 www.esiengineers.com

Six Degrees Realty Stephanie Christmas | 510-461-4663 www.stephaniechristmas.com

W. Charles Perry & Associates W. Charles Perry | 650-638-9546 www.wcharlesperry.com

Woodminster Real Estate Co Inc. Nicholas Drobocky | 510-336-0202 www.woodminsterrealty.com

West Coast Premier Construction, Inc. Homy Sikaroudi | 510-271-0950 www.wcpc-inc.com

RECYCLING/REUSE

Urban Ore Marylou Van | 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com

SIGNAGE

Sequoia Signs & Graphics Tom Schnurr | 925-300-1066 www.sequoiasigns.com

SMOKE-FREE HOUSING

Alameda County Tobacco Control Coalition Tamiko Johnson | 510-208-5916 tamiko.johnson@acgov.org SOLAR ENERGY

Eco Electric James Young | 415-384-8526 www.ecopwr.net Sunvalley Solar Keith Loebbecke | 510-294-0308 www.sunvalleysolarinc.com SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Center for Sustainable Energy Alexandra Patey | 858-244-1192 www.energycenter.org/smp TENANT SCREENING SERVICE

Contemporary Information Corp. (CIC) Dan Firestone | 888-232-3822 www.continfo.com TOWING SERVICE

PPI Towing Stephanie Gipson | 510-533-9600 www.ppitowing.net TREE SERVICE

Coastal Tree Service Hans Waller | 510-693-4631 www.coastaltreeservice.com VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION

Swords to Plowshares Norman Thomas | 510-844-7500 www.swords-to-plowshares.org WASTE & COMPOST COLLECTION

Junk King Contra Costa Krishna Vepa | 925-954-5420 krishna.vepa@junk-king.com Waste Management Company Karen Stern | 510-430-8509 www.wastemanagement.com WASTE & RECYCLING MAINTENANCE

Bay Area Bin Support Nancy Fiame | 888-920-BINS www.bayareabinsupport.com Bay Area Waste Services Peter Gella | 510-788-0462 www.bawaste.com Trashlogic, LLC Lainika Johnson | 888-384-3131 www.trashlogic.com WATER MANAGEMENT

HydroPoint Data Systems Dominique Perry | 707-285-3233 www.hydropoint.com WINDOWS

SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian | 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com Urban Ore Marylou Van | 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com ebrha.com

|

MAY 2017

|

RENTAL HOUSING 41

ad index

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EAST BAY RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION (EBRHA) is a nonprofit trade organization representing owners and managers of apartments, condominiums, duplexes, single-family homes and other types of rental housing. EBRHA members range in size from small investors with just one property to large property management companies that own or manage hundreds of units.

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Our membership consists of more than 1,400 rental housing owners, property managers, attorneys and other service contractors. Altogether, EBRHA represents over 20,000 rental units, and serves over 25 cities throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. n Property management advice by phone or in person n Tenant screening service (application/report fees apply) n Annually updated legal forms, including forms online 24/7 n Monthly workshops on new laws, rental agreements, security deposits, legal notices, fair housing, rent control, and more n Vendor directory of local businesses that offer exclusive member discounts n Annual trade expo and networking mixers n Monthly educational membership meetings n Community outreach and education n Local and state lobbying n An active and growing Legal Action Fund and Political Action Committee n Subscription to Rental Housing and units n Membership with the National Apartment Association and CalRHA

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JPMorgan Chase Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 PLUMBING

Albert Nahman Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Maisel Property Management. . . . . . . . . . . 34 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & SALES

Beacon Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 RENT BOARD CONSULTANTS

Liz Hart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 ROOFING SERVICES

Frank Fiala Roofing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 General Roofing Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 SOLAR WATER HEATING

PG&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 WASTE & RECYCLING MAINTENANCE

Bay Area Bin Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 WATERPROOFING

JOIN TODAY! CALL 510-893-9873 OR GO TO WWW.EBRHA.COM/JOIN 42 RENTAL HOUSING

| MAY 2017 |

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Applied Waterproofing Systems . . . . . . . . 33 Acceptance of an advertisement by this magazine does not necessarily constitute any endorsement or recommendation by EBRHA, express or implied, of the advertiser or any goods or services offered.

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