The California Landlord's Law Book: Rights and Responsibilities(11th Edition)

The most comprehensive -- and easiest to use -- guide to California residential property management available. Every California landlord and residential property manager needs The California Landlord's Law Book: Rights & Responsibilities. The definitive guide for over 15 years, it clearly and comprehensively covers everything you need to know about: *security deposits *leases and rental agreements *inspections *habitability *liability *lead paint *discrimination *rent control *satellite dishes *and more The book provides you with all the forms you need as tear-outs and on CD-ROM, including rental applications; leases and rental agreements 3-, 30-, 60- and 90-day notices -- and much more. The 11th edition includes new landlord-tenant laws for 2005. It also has updated rent control charts for 15 cities. Also available: California Landlord's Law Book: Evictions Table of Contents......Page 10 Introduction......Page 18 1. Renting Your Property: How to Choose Tenants and Avoid Legal Pitfalls......Page 22 B. Advertising Rental Property......Page 23 C. Dealing With Prospective Tenants......Page 24 D. Checking Background, References, and Credit History of Potential Tenants......Page 33 E. Choosing—and Rejecting—an Applicant......Page 39 F. Holding Deposits......Page 42 2. Understanding Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 44 A. Oral Agreements Are Not Recommended......Page 45 B. Written Agreements: Which Is Better, a Lease or a Rental Agreement?......Page 46 C. Common Legal Provisions in Lease and Rental Agreement Forms......Page 50 D. How to Modify and Sign Form Agreements......Page 75 E. Cosigners......Page 77 F. Illegal Lease and Rental Agreement Provisions......Page 78 3. Basic Rent Rules......Page 84 A. How Much Can You Charge?......Page 85 B. When Rent Is Due......Page 86 C. Where and How Rent Is Due......Page 87 D. Late Charges......Page 89 E. Returned Check Charges......Page 90 F. Partial Rent Payments......Page 91 4. Rent Control......Page 96 C. Registration of Rental Properties......Page 98 D. Rent Formula and Individual Adjustments......Page 99 G. Vacancy Decontrol......Page 101 H. Tenant Protections: Just Cause Evictions......Page 102 I. Rent Control Board Hearings......Page 104 J. Legal Sanctions for Violating Rent Control......Page 108 5. Security Deposits......Page 112 A. Security Deposits Must Be Refundable......Page 113 C. Dollar Limits on Deposits......Page 114 E. Last Month’s Rent......Page 115 F. Interest, Accounts and Recordkeeping on Deposits......Page 116 G. Insurance as a Back-Up to Deposits......Page 117 H. When Rental Property Is Sold......Page 119 I. If You’re Purchasing Rental Property......Page 120 6. Property Managers......Page 124 A. Hiring Your Own Manager......Page 125 B. Avoiding Legal Problems......Page 126 C. Management Companies......Page 134 D. An Owner’s Liability for a Manager’s Acts......Page 135 E. Notifying Tenants of the Manager......Page 139 G. Evicting a Manager......Page 140 7. Getting the Tenant Moved In......Page 142 A. Inspect and Photograph the Unit......Page 143 B. Send New Tenants a Move-In Letter......Page 144 C. First Month’s Rent and Security Deposit Checks......Page 154 8. Lawyers, Legal Research, Eviction Services, and Mediation......Page 156 A. Legal Research Tools......Page 157 B. Mediating Disputes With Tenants......Page 161 C. Nonlawyer Eviction Services......Page 162 D. Finding a Lawyer......Page 163 E. Paying a Lawyer......Page 164 F. Resolving Problems With Your Lawyer......Page 165 9. Discrimination......Page 166 A. Legal Reasons for Refusing to Rent to a Tenant......Page 167 B. Sources of Discrimination Laws......Page 172 C. Forbidden Types of Discrimination......Page 173 D. Occupancy Limits......Page 189 E. Legal Penalties for Discrimination......Page 191 F. Owner-Occupied Premises and Occasional Rentals......Page 192 G. Managers and Discrimination......Page 193 H. Insurance Coverage for Discrimination Claims......Page 194 10. Cotenants, Subtenants, and Guests......Page 198 A. Renting to More Than One Tenant......Page 199 B. Subtenants and Sublets......Page 201 C. When a Tenant Brings in a Roommate......Page 202 D. If a Tenant Leaves and Assigns the Lease to Someone......Page 205 11. The Landlord’s Duty to Repair and Maintain the Property......Page 206 A. State and Local Housing Standards......Page 208 B. Enforcement of Housing Standards......Page 209 C. Maintenance of Appliances and Other Amenities......Page 211 D. The Tenant’s Responsibilities......Page 213 E. The Tenant’s Right to Repair and Deduct......Page 214 F. The Tenant’s Right to Withhold Rent When the Premises Aren’t Habitable......Page 215 G. The Landlord’s Options If a Tenant Repairs and Deducts or Withholds Rent......Page 218 H. The Tenant’s Right to Move Out......Page 221 I. The Tenant’s Right to Sue for Defective Conditions......Page 223 J. Avoid Rent Withholding and Other Tenant Remedies by Adopting a High-Quality Repair and Maintenance System......Page 226 K. Tenant Updates and Landlord’s Regular Safety and Maintenance Inspections......Page 234 L. Tenants’ Alterations and Improvements......Page 237 N. Satellite Dishes and Other Antennas......Page 241 12. The Landlord’s Liability for Dangerous Conditions, Criminal Acts, and Environmental Health Hazards......Page 246 A. Legal Standards for Liability......Page 248 B. Landlord’s Responsibility to Protect Tenants From Crime......Page 257 C. How to Protect Your Tenants From Criminal Acts While Also Reducing Your Potential Liability......Page 262 D. Protecting Tenants From Each Other (and From the Manager)......Page 268 E. Landlord Liability for Drug-Dealing Tenants......Page 271 F. Liability for Environmental Hazards......Page 275 G. Liability, Property, and Other Types of Insurance......Page 295 13. Landlord’s Right of Entry And Tenant’s Privacy......Page 302 A. The Landlord’s Right of Entry......Page 304 B. Entry by Others......Page 311 C. Other Types of Invasions of Privacy......Page 312 D. What to Do When Tenants Are Unreasonable......Page 314 E. Tenants’ Remedies If a Landlord Acts Illegally......Page 315 14. Raising Rents and Changing Other Terms of Tenancy......Page 318 A. Basic Rules to Change or End a Tenancy......Page 319 B. Rent Increase Rules......Page 320 C. Preparing a Notice to Raise Rent......Page 327 D. How the Notice Is Served on the Tenant......Page 329 E. When the Rent Increase Takes Effect......Page 330 F. Changing Terms Other Than Rent......Page 332 15. Retaliatory Rent Increases and Evictions......Page 334 A. Types of Retaliation That Are Prohibited......Page 335 B. Proving Retaliation......Page 336 C. Avoiding Charges of Retaliation......Page 337 D. Liability for Illegal Retaliation......Page 343 16. The Three-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit......Page 346 B. How to Determine the Amount of Rent Due......Page 347 C. How to Fill Out a Three-Day Notice......Page 350 D. Serving the Three-Day Notice on the Tenant......Page 352 E. If the Tenant Offers to Pay Rent......Page 355 F. If the Tenant Won’t Pay Rent (or Leave)......Page 356 17. Self-Help Evictions, Utility Terminations, and Taking Tenants’ Property......Page 358 A. Forcible Evictions......Page 359 B. Locking or Driving the Tenant Out Without Force......Page 360 C. Seizing the Tenant’s Property and Other Harassment......Page 361 D. Effect of Landlord’s Forcible Eviction on a Tenant’s Liability for Rent......Page 362 18. Terminating Tenancies......Page 364 A. The 30-, 60-, or 90-Day Notice......Page 366 B. The Three-Day Notice in Cities That Don’t Require Just Cause for Eviction......Page 374 C. Termination When Just Cause for Eviction Is Required......Page 381 E. Notifying Tenant of Initial Move-Out Inspection......Page 389 19. When a Tenant Leaves: Month-to-Month Tenancies, Fixed-Term Leases, Abandonment, and Death Of Tenant......Page 390 A. Termination of Month-to-Month Tenancies......Page 391 B. Termination of Fixed-Term Leases......Page 394 C. Termination by Tenant Abandoning Premises......Page 397 D. What to Do When Some Tenants Leave and Others Stay......Page 400 E. Death of a Tenant......Page 401 20. Returning Security Deposits......Page 404 A. Basic Rules for Returning Deposits......Page 406 B. Initial Move-Out Inspection and Right to Receipts......Page 407 C. Final Inspection......Page 416 D. Deductions for Cleaning and Damages......Page 417 E. Deductions for Unpaid Rent......Page 419 F. Preparing an Itemized Statement of Deductions......Page 421 G. Small Claims Lawsuits by the Tenant......Page 426 H. If the Deposit Doesn’t Cover Damage and Unpaid Rent......Page 432 21. Property Abandoned by a Tenant......Page 436 A. Handling, Storing, and Disposing of Personal Property......Page 437 B. Motor Vehicles Left Behind......Page 442 Appendix A: How to Use the CD-ROM......Page 444 A. Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer......Page 445 B. Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents......Page 446 C. Using PDF Files to Print Out Forms......Page 447 Appendix B: Tear-Out Forms......Page 450 Rental Application......Page 452 Consent to Background and Reference Check......Page 456 Application Screening Fee Receipt......Page 458 Disclosures by Property Owner(s)......Page 460 Tenant References......Page 462 Notice of Denial Based on Credit Report Information......Page 464 Receipt and Holding Deposit Agreement......Page 466 Month-to-Month Residential Rental Agreement......Page 468 Month-to-Month Residential Rental Agreement (Spanish version)......Page 474 Fixed-Term Residential Lease......Page 480 Fixed-Term Residential Lease (Spanish version)......Page 486 Attachment to Lease/Rental Agreement......Page 492 Attachment: Agreement Regarding Use of Waterbed......Page 494 Amendment to Lease or Rental Agreement......Page 496 Notice of Reinstatement of Terms of Tenancy......Page 498 Agreement for Partial Rent Payments......Page 500 Notice of Sale of Real Property and of Transfer of Security Deposit Balance......Page 502 Residential Rental Property Manager Memorandum......Page 504 Landlord/Tenant Checklist......Page 508 Key and Pass Receipt and Agreement......Page 514 Resident’s Maintenance/Repair Request......Page 516 Time Estimate for Repair......Page 518 Semi-Annual Safety and Maintenance Update......Page 520 Agreement Regarding Tenant Alterations to Rental Unit......Page 522 Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint or Lead-Based Paint Hazards......Page 524 Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint or Lead-Based Paint Hazards (Spanish version)......Page 525 “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home”......Page 526 “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home” (Spanish version)......Page 534 Notice of Intent to Enter Dwelling Unit......Page 542 Rent Increase Worksheet......Page 544 Notice of Change of Terms of Tenancy......Page 546 Notice for Rent to Be Paid in Cash Only......Page 548 Three-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit......Page 550 30-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy (Tenancy of Less than One Year)......Page 552 60-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy (Tenancy of One Year or More)......Page 554 90-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy (Subsidized Tenancies)......Page 556 Three-Day Notice to Perform Covenant or Quit......Page 558 Three-Day Notice to Quit (Improper Subletting, Nuisance, Waste, or Illegal Use)......Page 560 Warning Notice (Complaints From Neighbors/Residents)......Page 562 Notice of Belief of Abandonment......Page 564 Move-Out Letter......Page 566 Tenant’s Response Regarding Initial Move-Out Inspection......Page 568 Notice of Tenant’s Security Deposit Rights......Page 570 Tenant’s Waiver of Right to Receipts and Invoices......Page 572 Letter for Returning Entire Security Deposit......Page 574 Security Deposit Itemization (Deductions for Repairs and Cleaning)......Page 576 Security Deposit Itemization (Deductions for Repairs, Cleaning, and Unpaid Rent)......Page 578 Notice of Right to Reclaim Abandoned Property......Page 580 Appendix C: Rent Control Chart......Page 582 Reading Your Rent Control Ordinance......Page 583 Finding Municipal Codes and Rent Control Ordinances Online......Page 584 California Imposes Statewide Limitations on Cities’ Rent Control Ordinances......Page 586 Berkeley......Page 587 Beverly Hills......Page 589 Campbell......Page 591 East Palo Alto......Page 592 Fremont......Page 594 Hayward......Page 595 Los Angeles......Page 597 Los Gatos......Page 599 Oakland......Page 600 Palm Springs......Page 601 San Francisco......Page 602 San Jose......Page 604 Santa Monica......Page 605 Thousand Oaks......Page 607 West Hollywood......Page 609 Westlake Village......Page 611 Index......Page 612 Related Products......Page 630 Annotation A perfect tool for getting the landlord-tenant relationship off to a good start, this bestseller covers:" discrimination and rent control" leases and rental agreements" deposits" inspections" habitability. It provides 25 tear-out forms and agreements, including rental applications, 3-day and 30-day notices, sample letters and more. It also includes lease and rental agreement forms, as well as a lead disclosure form, in Spanish. And it offers an Updated Rent Control Chart and coverage of the state laws requiring locks on doors and windows