Rental
Housing EAST BAY RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION | AUGUST 2019
RENT CONTROL ACROSS THE COUNTRY HOW LAWS IN OTHER STATES MIGHT IMPACT CALIFORNIA
PLUS: HOW AI IS HELPING ONSITE STAFF LEASE APARTMENTS STRONG SALES; SIMMERING RENTS
Contents
East Bay Rental Housing Association
AUGUST 2019
Volume XVI, Number 8 | AUGUST 2019 EBRHA OFFICE
3664 Grand Ave., Suite B, Oakland, CA 94610 510.893.9873 | fax 510.893.2906 www.ebrha.com
tel
EBRHA STAFF
Nathan Durham-Hammer | nathan@ebrha.com 510.318.8305 ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
Eric Engelbrecht | eric@ebrha.com | 510.893-9873 MEMBERSHIP SPECIALIST EBRHA OFFICERS
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How AI Is Helping Onsite Staff Lease Apartments
Rent Control Across the Country
BY JOE BOUSQUIN
BY RON KINGSTON
PRESIDENT Wayne C. Rowland FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Luke Blacklidge SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Irina Gelfenbeyn TREAURER Carmen Madden CHAIR, GOVERNMENT ACTION COMMITTEE Arcola Moore SECRETARY Brent Kernan
EBRHA DIRECTORS
Wayne C. Rowland, Luke Blacklidge, Irina Gelfenbeyn, Carmen Madden, Arcola Moore, Brent Kernan, Symon Chang, Taylor Hines, Jacqueline Jacobs, Fred Morse, Conor Murphy, Rick Philips, Joshua Polston, Jack Schwartz, Judy Shaw, Carlon Tanner
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Strong Sales; Simmering Rents BY GRANT CHAPPELL
PUBLISHED BY
East Bay Rental Housing Association PUBLISHER
Wayne C. Rowland MANAGING EDITOR Nathan Durham-Hammer ADVERTISING
Nathan Durham-Hammer| 510.318.8305
Features & Columns 6
NEWS
Legislative Acitivty and Local Policy
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.
17 FEATURE How to Insure A“Hard to Insure” Property BY RUTH STROUP 22 FEATURE Fair Return... Smoke & Mirrors BY NATHAN DURHAM-HAMMER 24 FEATURE The Paperless Office BY LES SHAVER
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21 U PCOMING EVENTS 42 V ENDOR DIRECTORY 46 A D INDEX
BY GEORGIA W. RICHARDSON
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Events & Directory 40 COMMUNITY CALENDAR
30 COMMUNITY OUTREACH Community Advisor Report and Photos
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.
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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 © 2019 by EBRHA. All rights reserved.
INFORMATION NETWORKING ADVOCACY COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS
13th Annual Trade Expo & Symposium Thursday, October 24, 2019 3:00PM - 7:00PM Greek Orthodox Cathedral 4700 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, CA
All Bay Area rental housing vendors are invited to EBRHA’s 13th Annual Trade Expo. Share best practices and meet face-to-face with our many members who are rental owners who seek assistance with mainenance, Everyone is encouraged to participate in our survey for a chance to win a spectacular prize. Space is limited, so claim your space in advance!
VENDORS: RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY!
TO CLAIM YOUR SPOT
Email Sophia at Events@EBRHA.com or Call 510-893-9873
contributors
NATHAN DURHAM-HAMMER Nathan has been a member of EBRHA since 2013, often volunteered on committees and was the Secretary of the EBRHA Board of Directors before becoming Association Executive. Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, Nathan was a scholar-athlete before entering real estate. He and his partner exemplify a mom-and-pop rental housing provider, having been owner-residents of a fourplex and now building an ADU in their home. Nathan now enjoys spending time with his family. Nathan has studied housing issues relentlessly and written about many issues affecting East Bay housing. He has extensive personal experience with rent board petitions, a background of over ten years in commercial and rental property leasing and sales, and he has worked in property management for over six years. Nathan has a keen eye for fairness in policy and practice – he is delighted to lead EBRHA’s membership and housing communities toward equitable solutions.
GRANT CHAPELL Grant Chappell is the Vice President of NAI Northern California. Since 2005, Grant has focused on East Bay apartment opportunities for his clients. Grant also serves on the Board of CEI, the Center for Elders’ Independence, a local nonprofit providing PACE Care to seniors in Alameda County. In his free time, Grant enjoys skiing, golf, biking and traveling.
RON KINGSTON Ron Kingston is the EBRHA state lobbyist and president of the California Political Consulting Group. He has 30 years of lobbying experience and is one of the original writers of the state’s Costa-Hawkins Act. He grew up in South Lake Tahoe and lives in Carmichael with his wife Sherrie, a financial planner. In his spare time, he cycles, skis and takes international scuba diving trips.
GEORGIA W. RICHARDSON Georgia is the Community Relations Advisor for East Bay Rental Housing Association. She is responsible for bridging EBRHA’s communication and relationships with individuals and organizations in the community, city government and other real estate related organizations. She is also a real estate Broker with over 35 years experience and served as the 2003 President of the Oakland Association of Realtors. She has a vast sphere of influence in the community and is dedicated to using her experience and networking skills to educate and promote EBRHA’s benefits to rental housing providers and other real estate related organizations.
RUTH STROUP One of things I appreciate about being a Farmers agent is that we can offer policies on all four platforms. It gives me the flexibility help people in a wide variety of situations. If you have questions about your specific situation, please email rstroup@farmersagent.com
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news
COLUMN
New Rules in Alameda The Alameda City Council has recently succumbed to the demands of a well-funded tenant lobby. Now in effect are new rules that present new challenges to Alameda owners and renters. These rules will have the same impact as they have had on neighboring cities, including the reduction of available units and an overall increase in rents. In essence, the new rules guarantee more competition for fewer available units, i.e. higher rents. These new rules will put undo pressure on longtime owners to sell their properties or even to flee the rental market altogether. The tenant lobby has compromised Alameda’s rental housing communities with nice-sounding rules, but there are known and documented “unintended� consequences. Alameda residents need only look at neighboring cities to see these rules not working as purported. Under new rules the city of Alameda will now require rental property owners to submit an annual registration statement for each rental unit and a separate statement upon any change in tenancy. The Program Administrator will annually determine the maximum allowable rent for each registered unit and prepare a certification of such that will be communicated to owners and tenants. Both owners and tenants will have the right to appeal the certified amount of rent. Beginning September 1, 2019, unless a unit is exempt, property owners may not charge a rent that is greater than the Base Rent plus increases allowed under the Ordinance. If there was no rent in effect on September 1, 2019, the base rent will be the first rent charged following September 1, 2019. For any tenancies commencing after the adoption of the rent ordinance, the base rent will be the initial rent in effect on the date the tenancy commences.
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Each year, by no later than May 31 the Program Administrator will announce the percentage by which rent may be increased for eligible units. This Annual General Adjustment will be effective for rents beginning September 1 of that year. The Annual General Adjustment for 2019, which will take effect on September 1, will be 2.8%. Banking of Annual General Adjustments will be calculated based on compound addition. For example, an unused Annual General Adjustment of 3% in one year plus 3.4% in the following year is equal to a combined Annual General Adjustment of 6.56%, not 6.4%. The new rules will not allow an owner to (a) bank more than 8%, (b) increase rent by more than the current year Annual General Adjust plus 3% of any banked amount, (c) increase rent by using any banked amount in consecutive years, or increase rent using any banked amount more than three times during any tenancy . In making an individual upward adjustment of rent, the Hearing Officer will grant an upward adjustment only if such an adjustment is necessary in order to provide the property owner with a constitutionally required fair return on property. The Hearing officer won’t determine fair return solely by the application of a fixed or mechanical accounting formula, but there is a rebuttable presumption that Maintenance of Net Operating Income (“MNOI”) for the Base Year, as adjusted by inflation over time, will provide an owner with a fair return. Of course, anything less than a 100% CPI rent adjustment reduces net operating income year after year. There is no court ruling that has determined such a presumption is valid, or that an “MNOI” formula could be used to deny any owner its constitutional right to a fair return on investment. See “Fair Return Smoke & Mirrors.” While political leaders are under pressure to “protect tenants”, the methods for attempting to do so cause more problems than they may anticipate. Alameda’s housing community is composed primarily of smaller buildings and older construction.
The Alameda Vice Mayor’s statement begs the questions: 1. What data or evidence was used to determine that Alameda property owners are not “community members”, but only “investors”? 2. Is it really true that back-to-back 5% increases on extremely low rents are pushing families out of the community, or is this just more well-honed political rhetoric? 3.
Since thousands of small rental properties in Alameda make up the vast majority of its rental housing stock, can the Alameda City Council accurately claim that property owners are not also attempting to afford the cost of living here? – NATHAN DURHAM-HAMMER
Oakland News: Occupied Duplexes & Triplex Oakland City Council passed yet another change to Chapter 8.22 of the Housing Ordinance. This mandates property owners consider section 8 voucher recipients in the application process. However, the U.S. Congress has repeatedly reaffirmed that participation in the program is voluntary. In other words, acceptance of a tenant is at the discretion of the owner based on the qualifications of a prospective renter, barring any form of discrimination. See NAA’s analysis for background on Section 8 participation.
In a letter responding to a property owner’s concerns about the legislation, the Alameda Vice Mayor replied: “Unfortunately, back-to-back-to-back 5% rent increases have been pushing families out of our community and the difficult job of legislating requires balancing competing interests. Ultimately, the council came down on the side of supporting community members being able to afford to continue to live in Alameda over the interests of investors.” ebrha.com
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FEATURE
RENT CONTROL ACROSS THE COUNTRY HOW LAWS IN OTHER STATES MIGHT IMPACT CALIFORNIA BY RON KINGSTON
Every day a new article seems to be published detailing the extreme challenges for Californians in this current housing climate. Stories of rent being increased tenfold are becoming the traditional narrative, even though rental owners know these stories are the exception to the rule. Unfortunately, as we always say, narratives matter and tenant advocacy groups have done a tremendous job inciting their base and organizing support. The result has been over 200 bills introduced by California legislators, but other states are also dealing with these issues, and California legislators are watching closely. Why? Because states model states. Legislators will feel emboldened as other state legislatures continue to make substantial reformations to their own housing policies. With a few months left in the first year of a two-year legislative session, amendments are
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being discussed daily and the efforts of other states illuminates what is coming next for Californians. To truly understand, we should look at how New York and Oregon are tackling the issues in their respective states.
A CITY IN CHAOS In 1974, facing a housing crisis the New York state legislature implemented an emergency housing rent control law that continues to be in effect to this day. Amended a few times over the years, the law was set to expire this year. Obviously, the law was never going to actually sunset. Anything that starts as an emergency and lasts over 4 decades is just pretending to be temporary, and no one is fooled. So, when the time came to renew the provisions, housing advocates utilized the opportunity to make the provisions far more punitive on rental owners. Legitimate exemptions relating to vacancy decontrol were completely removed, and the ability for rental owners to raise rent has become near impossible. The new provisions are comprehensive; and at a minimum,
substantially limit the ability to raise rents beyond 7.5% while removing any income requirements. They are also punitive, turning illegal evictions into misdemeanors punishable by up to 10K per violation. The “Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019” makes the 1974 policy permeant while also substantially limiting the ability for a rental owner to ever raise the rent. New York will no longer permit a rent increase above 7.5% or average of last five years, whichever is lower. This number does not include allowances for inflation and increases could be below 7.5% if the rental board has only been allowing 2% increases every year (common in New York). Furthermore, the bill limits local rent control boards from approving any vacancy bonuses or maintenance pass-throughs that not are not in compliance with the state’s requirements. Those pass-through requirements only allow a 2% rent increase for all major capital improvements, and it expires after set amount of time. The new law eliminates vacancy decontrol and severely limit personal use exceptions. For example, one of the more egregious provisions is removing the vacancy decontrol exception for high-earners (consecutive years earning over 200K). Previously, rent caps could be removed for tenants making 200K or more for consecutive years, in order to prevent wealthy tenants from abusing the affordable housing provisions. Now, high-earning tenants can abuse the system at the detriment of property owners and low- and middle-class tenants. As groups like the Stanford Business school have suggested that rent control can lead to gentrification, it will be interesting to see how many advocates respond to high-earning tenants getting another opportunity to consolidate their wealth. The bill also removes vacancy decontrol provisions that allowed owners an automatic 20% rental increase bonus when the tenant moves out. Regarding personal use exceptions, it is common in California to allow a rental owner to evict a tenant so the owner or a family member can occupy the property. In New York, the law will require property owners to show the unit will become the owner’s primary residence and also requires the owner demonstrate a “compelling and necessary reason.” It is unknown how one would define property rights when owning is appears to be no longer relevant. The new provisions also create a plethora of ways for tenants to stall or delay being evicted. Before an eviction occurs, the owner is mandated to provide a 14-day notice demanding the rent (on top of additional notices already required to be provided to the tenant). Once the eviction proceeding begins, the judge may provide the tenant with a one-year stay on eviction if the tenant cannot find similar rent in the same area or would
face hardships. How a low-income tenant is to find affordable housing when tenants making over $200,000 a year have equal access is unknown, and New York state legislative staff did not address this point during their analysis of the bill. The judge’s discretion has received ample news coverage, as many in and out of New York are concerned about how this will be implemented. Aside from the judicial empowerment, the tenant is permitted an automatic 14-day adjournment of the eviction to help them find a new home. The tenant can also cure all of this by paying the undue amount on the day of the hearing; forcing rental owners to pay legal fees for what amounts to a delay in paying rent. Finally, the eviction warrant must also come with a 14-day notice (even though the court proceedings and all evictions effort prior would have appeared to create ample notice to the tenants).
THE BAND-AID STATE Last year, Oregon passed a first-in-nation rent control law that applied across the state. Part of that law prohibited rental unit increases of 10.3% plus CPI. For context, in California, legislators are considering 7.5% + CPI with a hard cap at 10% (See AB 1482). In other words, California is proposing an even more stringent cap than Oregon. Unfortunately, Oregon is already beginning to feel the squeeze. A report by a local news group in Oregon noted that owners are only allowed to raise rent once a year, preventing them from a phased-in approach that would benefit the tenants. Instead of addressing the need for less regulations, the state decided to add another band aid to the problem. Specifically, “…overhauling local zoning codes to allow for the production of less expensive housing options like duplexes, triplexes and townhomes. The measure lifts local bans on these denser housing options, paving the way for possible future development.” The bill will be law, as the Governor has been supportive of affordable housing and faces pressure from groups that helped her get elected. Known as house Bill 2001, the legislation eliminates singlefamily zoning in large Oregon cities. As some have noted, “the bulk of the provisions wouldn’t take effect until 2020, with the extra time intended to allow city planners to revise their zoning code.” HB 2001 would require cities with 25,000 or more residents to permit the development of all middle housing types and adds townhomes to the definition of middle housing. Previously, townhomes were excluded from Oregon’s definition due to the difference in how property for townhomes are shared. The states take a more nuisance approach for smaller cities. Specifically, cities with 10,000 or less are still provided the authority to deny permits for duplexes and above. This may seem like a minimal change, but this would be akin to California telling the City of Long Beach they could no longer deny requests for multi-fam-
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ily units, regardless of the specific justifications for said denial. While all cities in Oregon currently permit these types of homes the underlying implication is that local governments are no longer about to create single-family zoned areas. The increase in production could be good for the housing stock, but the market value of single-family homes in these impacted areas are likely to drop significantly. The response by local governments has been mixed with most not pleased with the new ordinance laws. Lisa Batey, Milwaukie City Councilmember, noted, “The state can’t know what your local infrastructure issues are…One city might have parking and infrastructure issues and one might not. Those things are not solved in the two year time line they give you to implement this law.” Other local government officials have expressed appreciation for the allowance and cap of low rise dwellings to no more than four units. The mix in responses validates Ms. Batey’s assessment that housing is a regional issue and a one-size fits all is nonsensical.
SNAPSHOTS IN THE MOMENT In a state lauded for being too liberal, California is at least taking a more measured approach to the process. As noted above, 200 housing bills were introduced this cycle yet many have already been shelved or removed from discussion. Even bills that appeared to have the votes to make it to the Governor, such as Senate Bill 50 (Senator Weiner), have been turned into two-years bills to allow for more discussion. SB 50 would have taken some of the local planning authority from cities and counties in an effort to increase multi-family housing development. The bill raised too many concerns from both sides; environmentalists were concerned about the streamlining of CEQA requirements and developers realized a 10-story home in a previously single family zone would destroy the market value for property owners. The end result of the bill stalling in Senate Appropriations is that the remaining bills (about two dozen), no matter how controversial, are being seen as the only chance for resolution. The likely outcome for California is about a dozen bills that take incremental steps and maybe one or two very comprehensive bills. AB 1482 by Assembly Member David Chiu is one of the most likely bills to cross the finishing line given the amount of work that has gone into the bill’s components. Legislators who voted in support of the hard-rental increase of cap of 10% felt the bill was preventing gouging, noting that average rental increases are typically 2-5%. Even without the allowance of capital improvements or owner protections on problematic tenants, legislators felt the bill was a reasonable compromise to the solution; had the bill not been amended in the Senate it likely would
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be law by the end of August. The problem for housing advocates is that they may have bit off more than they can chew; recent amendments now include just cause protections and relocation assistance for qualified tenants (basically the language of AB 1481). Assembly Members supported AB 1482 but never voted on AB 1481, a classic implication that the just cause bill would have died on the Assembly Floor. By Chiu taking a “failed bill” and putting it into his housing vehicle some Assembly members will take it as a slap in the face. Whether that aggressive approach will cost housing advocates their “reasonable” package remains to be seen.
READING THE TEA LEAVES The old adage “When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other” is especially true for the crafting of legislation. A typical housing bill can take months, if not years, for the elements to be debated and vetted; justifying why many State Legislatures choose to copy language from another state. Reinventing the wheel makes no sense when other states have already researched the issue and helped identify the political challenges the bill is likely to face during the process. Which is why the outcomes in New York and Oregon are instructive to those watching California. Media is no longer central to one’s state and knowing that national sentiment is in favor of a certain housing solution weighs heavily on California legislators. New York’s law is infinitely more restrictive than California’s proposed solutions, but that merely means California legislators will feel emboldened to push their compromise. For many advocates and stakeholders, the thought is “if New York can abolish vacancy decontrol completely, then surely California can place a statewide rent cap on all multi-family properties.” This is likely why Assembly Member Chiu chose to add the language from AB 1481; believing that this bill compared to the solution approved by other states is still a shot across the bow and not the direct attack on rental owners. He may be right, but it will be up to rental owners to demonstrate why the housing situation in California is unique to this state. Based on the efforts of the Governor, it’s a hill rental owners may need to be prepared to die on.
Community: SLPD Chief Seeks Applicants for Police Chief’s Advisory Board The San Leandro Police Department is seeking community members interested in making a difference by joining the Police Chief’s Advisory Board. This board is currently made up of community members who represent the many segments of our great city. Applications will be accepted through August 30th. The board was created in 2013 to act as a community resource for the Police Department and Police Chief in the formation of public safety strategies, development of community policing concepts and increasing public awareness. The Board is intended to provide a form for discussions surrounding community concerns, with a goal to have a broad spectrum of viewpoints represented. The role of the Board Members include, but are not limited to: • Act as a sounding board for the Chief of Police regarding community needs and concerns, as well as provide community feed back for proposed police programs and priorities. • Apprise the Chief of Police directly of the community’s need for police services and feedback on the delivery of services. • Assist in educating the community at large about thefunction and role of the San Leandro Police Department. • Attend monthly meetings in the San Leandro Police Station.
“The San Leandro Police Department is committed to working in partnership with the people of San Leandro to build a safe and secure community. I recognize the importance of involving the community to help combat crime and deliver the highest quality of service to the City of San Leandro. We are stronger together preserving safety in our City and the quality of life we all deserve,” said Chief Jeff Tudor. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. To participate, you must be a City of San Leandro resident or business owner. ebrha.com
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FEATURE
How AI Is Helping Onsite Staff Lease Apartments AI TAKES ON MULTIFAMILY’S MORE MUNDANE TASKS FIRST BY JOE BOUSQUIN NATIONAL APPARTMENT ASSOCIATION
C
olin Wiel knows which prospects are going to lease his apart-
ments, even before they do.
Depending on where his leads come from, what fields of information they provide on a guest card and what time of day they inquire about his apartments, he can say how likely they are to sign a lease and move into one of the 8,000 units he oversees as chairman and CTO of Oakland, Calif.-based MYND Property Management.
In fact, based on those criteria, Wiel and MYND have been able to segregate the 22-percent cohort of prospects who rent 68 percent of the firm’s apartments, and route those leads to their human leasing consultants first, to close the deal. “It lets us prioritize who we’re going to respond to the fastest,” Wiel says.
“It turns out, for example, that someone who fills out the optional phone number field on a guest card is much more likely to lease the unit than somebody who leaves it blank,” Wiel explains.
The magic behind MYND’s secret sauce is a proprietary machine learning algorithm it developed in house to lessen the burden of vetting prospects by its leasing staff and stands as an example of how apartment firms are beginning to use true artificial intelligence and machine learning in the multifamily industry today.
“Someone who comes through Zumper is more likely to lease than someone from Craigslist, and if they inquire between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., they’re more likely to rent than someone who’s looking after hours.”
(It helps when your co-Founder has an engineering degree from CalBerkeley and developed AI-enhanced autopilot systems at Boeing in the 1990s, as Wiel did.)
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BRINGING AI DOWN TO EARTH
NO MORE LOST SATURDAY NIGHTS
Take San Diego-based Cambridge Management Group, manager of 1,400 units, which has been running a pilot program using Goleta, Calif.-based AppFolio’s AI-powered chatbot, named Lisa, to get a handle on the 30,000 pieces of traffic it receives during peak leasing season in the overheated Southern California rental market.
“Nestio has an awesome AI-response tool that our leasing agents can preload answers to for common questions,” says Daniel Fetner, Corigin’s Chief of Staff. “It lets you set the response time for 5 or 10 minutes, so the prospect doesn’t think, or know, it’s a bot. Our leasing team can now enjoy themselves on Friday and Saturday nights, without being glued to their phones.”
While there has been plenty of hype about the promise of using AI to rent apartments, the reality of a completely touchless leasing process still lies in the future. Instead, operators are using AI today to execute the basic blocking and tackling of apartment leasing and management, like pairing down the torrent of leads they get to more efficiently close leases with their best prospects, or schedule showings without returning hundreds of phone calls.
“Just getting through all those calls by the end of the day puts a lot of pressure and stress on your staff,” says Kayla Roeder, Chief Operating Officer of Cambridge Management Group. “If you can take the basic leasing part of it off somebody’s plate, it really lets them focus on creating a relationship with the people on the tours, as well as continuing their relationships with current residents.”
A BOT FOR THE BASICS
Now, when a prospect calls the number on the leasing page of a two-bedroom, one-bath unit in Oceanside, Calif., that’s pet friendly, the chatbot answers in a slightly tinny voice that could almost pass for human with a recording that says, “Hi, this is Lisa at the leasing office. I’m sorry I can’t get to the phone right now. I’ll text you back as soon as I can.”
New York-based Corigin Real Estate Group, which manages 20 buildings in Manhattan, is using the machine-learning component of apartment search app Nestio to keep agents off their phones Friday and Saturday nights. Because Corigin schedules open houses on Saturdays and Sundays, agents were constantly fielding inquiries the night before in an effort to be responsive.
Of course, chatbots are nothing new in the industry. Pinnacle, one of the largest management firms in the country, has been using them since at least 2018, and other large, institutional operators are diving into the AI game. Arlington, Va.-based AvalonBay Communities, for example, is currently seeking a full stack engineer, and promotes the position on its website by saying, “We will leverage exciting technologies, such as AI and a modern cloud-based technology, transforming an enterprise environment from within.” Other startups, such as Canada-based LetHub, are experimenting with apps that can cover some of the basics of maintenance requests, such as logging tickets and scheduling service calls, without human interaction, as well.
The call disconnects, and minutes later, a text comes in: “Sorry I just missed your call. I am unable to make or receive phone calls on this line, but I am happy to answer your questions over text.”
LeaseHawk, led by apartment industry veteran Mike Mueller, announced at Apartmentalize in June its own voice, chat and text enabled leasing assistant called ACE AI.
If the prospect responds to that text with a question like, “How close is the Freeman St. apartment to the beach?” Lisa answers, “The full address is 501 S Freeman St., Oceanside, CA. However, sorry, those units are currently leased. If you’d like to apply for the waiting list, here is the link.”
“We leveraged the same technology, used to power Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to modernize the apartment leasing experience,” Mueller said in a release. “ACE AI is enabling apartment hunters to take control of the conversation and giving management companies and owners a cost-effective alternative to call centers.”
The interaction, which took all of 5 minutes, gave updated, real-time information on the apartment in question, while freeing up an actual human being from answering the kinds of basic questions that prospects often have when they’re running from apartment to apartment on their cell phones. Lisa’s main objective is to prequalify prospects by asking them if they’re okay with income and background check requirements, and then schedule tours for those incoming prospects, so leasing agents don’t have to. “Two-thirds of the phone calls are just people who don’t read the ad, or they’ve written down too many addresses and don’t have key details like the deposit or does it have parking,” Roeder says. “This is great for that basic information where you don’t really need somebody sitting there, just to reiterate what the ad says.”
Machines Learning from Human Interactions At AppFolio, Vice President Elliot Burris says the Lisa chatbot can evolve and get better over time. “Most chatbots basically just have canned responses to consumers’ questions,” Burris says. “Where Lisa differs, and where true artificial intelligence comes into play, is in her ability to learn and then improve. If Lisa doesn’t know the answer, she defers to a human being, but from that human response, she learns the answer for the next scenario.”
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For David Meit, President and CEO at Washington, D.C.-based Oculus Realty, who spoke on a panel titled “Will Automation End Leasing Agents” at the 2019 AIM marketing conference, that’s a good first step in using AI in the apartment industry. But the vision of that human-less transaction will still take time to actually play out.
The nation’s #1 multifamily lender is lending in your backyard.
“Using AI to where you can lease an apartment, show up and get the keys out of a lockbox and you really don’t see anyone to do it, that’s where everyone wants to go in this brave new world, but it’s not happening yet,” says Meit, whose firm operates 800 units. “For now, the real benefit is freeing up staff to do one less thing, and keep the back door closed for resident retention, due to a higher level of service.” Back at MYND, Wiel says using AI has made the humans on his team more effective at their jobs. “It’s making our leasing agents better,” Wiel says. “If they can spend less time doing mundane tasks and focus on making the sale, they just become a lot more valuable.” Sounds like a perfect pairing of man and machine.
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Small Property Roundtable DATE & TI ME WEDNESDAY, JULY 9; 4:00 P.M. - 5:030 P.M. EBRHA Members Only PRESENTED BY Wayne Rowland, EBRHA President TO P I CS The Small Property Owner Roundtable is a casual meeting to discuss issues, experiences and solutions to common--or perhaps not so common--problems many of you may be facing.
Rental Property Management (RPM) 102
DATE & TI ME WEDNESDAY, JULY 17; 2:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.
PRESENTED BY CARMEN MADDEN, EBRHA MEMBER TREASURER TO P I CS Rental Agreements & Addenda, Rent Control vs. Rent Regulation, Habitability Issues & Managing Tenancy. Free to EBRHA Members, Non-Members $69
EBRHA Member Meeting DATE & TI ME SATURDAY, JULY 20; NETWORKING: 9:30 A.M. MEETING: Unless noted, all events are held at:10:00 A.M. - NOON 3664 Grand Avenue EBRHA• Members Suite B Only TO P I CS
Oakland, CA 94610 Legal Q&A --Brent Kernan, Board Secretary
Expertise and Representation on Rent Board Petitions, Hearings and Appeals info@rentboardmatters.com
Liz Hart
Enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast
TO REGISTER, GO TO EBRHA.COM/EVENTS OR CALL 510-893-9873
510-813-5440 ebrha.com
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FEATURE
Strong Sales; Simmering Rents BY GRANT CHAPPELL
The local market continues to pick up steam as we move through the a new loan, you’ll likely find it worthwhile to call someone other than busier season for sales. Recent reports suggest difficulty in lease up just your usual lender, as your lender may be one that has held rates of new construction projects in Oakland, though most reports sugduring this recent decline in treasury rates.” gest positive rent growth in Oakland area. As we prepare to deliver the quarterly update in next month’s article, my team would like to A quick peak at some of the available data points to a healthy marshare some interesting highlights and observations on local / national ket, both in terms of activity and pricing. We will have a more comtrends. plete report next month, but a cursory look on the MLS and CoStar confirms investor bullishness on the East Bay. Not only sales up, but According to a recent article in Costar, year to year rent growth fell average values continue to reach new heights. Lack of inventory and to 0.1% in downtown Oakland after averaging 2.7% annually since lower interest rates certainly contribute to the positive trends we see. 2017. They report that 1,700 units have come online and 4,600 units are under construction. Consequently, rent concessions are increasTwo of my colleagues, Kent Mitchell and Tim Warren, recently closed ing and currently equate to about 2% of the total a 44-unit property located at 888 Vermont in monthly market rent in downtown Oakland, up Oakland for $14,000,000 and a 16.72 GRM from an average of 0.5% from 2010 – 2018. and 3.04% Cap Rate to an all cash buyer. At With unemployment back in the territory of 50 318K/unit and a favorable unit mix of 2-bedNot only sales up, year low, the Federal Reserve is still whispering, room and 1-bedroom units, it’s consistent with but average values if not hinting of a rate cut to keep the economy values of recent sales in the Grand Lake area continue to reach buoyant. By the time this article circulates, we and offers significant long-term rental upside new heights. Lack may have a decision on a cut in short term interfor the new owner. of inventory and est rates. Ironically, “stubbornly low inflation” lower interest rates below the Fed’s target of 2% is also a reported My team wrapped up three sales in Berkeley certainly contribute factor in suggesting a rate cut is on the horizon. last quarter, two in the high 3% Cap, low 4% to the positive Potential global slowdown and foreign trade isCap Rate territory. One of the sales, 3030 Retrends we see. sues also play into the decision, but how much gent, an 18-unit that traded within 2% of asking does this really impact Bay Area economy in and received several offers. This would have short-term? If anything, local and state political been a difficult price to achieve a year ago. issues tend to pose a more immediate short-term Low interest rates and less fear about political impact on real estate sales and values. changes on the horizon have brought more buyers back to the area. The lower Cap Rates are partially a reflection of lower debt costs, but The stock market reaction to this? All major US stock market indexes an overall environment of low Cap Rates / aggressive asking prices in flirted with record- setting territory not seen since Q4 2018. FurtherNorthern Alameda County / Bay Area. more, the yields on the 10-year treasuries have been also been hover ing near two-year lows, which helps push prices up on real estate via We will touch on political winds more in the next article as Oregon lower borrowing costs. and New York have passed statewide rent control with the possibil ity of CA joining the club. While CA’s home ownership rate has inAccording to Matt Hollander of Blue Point Mortgage: “Rates on creased to about 55% and a 7-year high, it’s still the third lowest in larger loans (over $10MM), especially those being securitized or sold the nation behind New York and DC. This is an important point as it (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and CMBS) have seen a similar decline impacts politicians (and voters) on policy issues related to housing. in rates with 10 yr fixed rates being below 3.60% in some instanc es. However, on loans in the $1,000,000 - $10,000,000 range, we’ve Looking forward, additional housing supply will likely damper rents seen many of our lenders that are active on multifamily in the Bay on new construction and eventually impact rental rates on existing Area either hold rates or drop them at a much slower rate. Several of housing supply. As we reported in previous articles, there is over 1 these lenders had a high volume of new originations in the first half of million Sq Ft of class A commercial space coming online, so it could 2019 and are well ahead of pace for their year end quotas or producbalance out. Regardless, Oakland and greater East Bay is transformtion goals and they have not found it necessary to lower rates given ing into a competitive region for companies. It’s no surprise investors the amount of loans they funded earlier in the year. If you are seeking continue to look for new opportunities. 16 RENTAL HOUSING
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How To Insure a “Hard to Insure” property by Ruth Stroup
Whether you’re shopping for a new home, or facing a notice of non-renewal, you may find yourself in a situation where it’s difficult to get a new insurance policy. Common situations that require a special approach to insurance include:
3 Prior Claims – your claims or claims associated with the property 3 Property condition –roofing, siding, plumbing, & electrical systems 3 Roof Type – wood roofs and flat roof 3 Age of home – limits based on year of construction 3 Vacant property –when the owner moves away or passes away 3 Short term rentals – vacation rentals and AirBnB 3 Properties with a second residence (ADU) on the parcel, not a duplex. 3 Renovation/Remodeling – especially large-scale remodeling projects 3 Slope –not something you can change; you’ll need a company that accepts the location 3 Excess vegetation – trees and vines are the most common issues 3 Properties on a street without dual egress – dead end street or cul de sac 3 Wildfire zone – properties with high propensity for wildfire 3 Properties not owned by a “person” – example: LLC, estate, irrevocable trust Understanding the insurance market will make shopping for insurance a bit easier. • • • •
Preferred carriers: these companies are household names because they advertise. Policie can be purchased in a variety of ways including a local agent or agency, an 800#, or even the internet. Many of these companies provide a multi-line discount and encourage you to “bundle”. Most policies are issued this way, and if you qualify, this is usually also the best value for the consumer. Specialty carriers: these companies are usually offered by insurance brokers. They provide coverage for special situations. Each company has different areas of specializa tion. Things like mobile homes and income properties including vacation rentals. Surplus Lines carriers: these companies provide insurance only when you can’t get a policy from a more traditional carrier. There’s no consumer direct option to purchase these policies, you’ll need a broker. California FAIR plan: this is the “carrier of last resort” designed to make sure there’s a market for insurance regardless of location. The CA FAIR plan requires properties to be in good condition. Some preferred carriers now partner with the FAIR plan to offer coverage in wildfire zones.
One of things I appreciate
about being a Farmers agent is that we can offer policies on all four platforms.
It gives me the flexibility help people in a wide variety of situations.
If you have questions about your specific situation, please email ebrha.com
armersagent.com troup@f rsAUGUST 2019 | RENTAL HOUSING 17
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DEVELOPING YOUR 4-STEP ACTION PLAN AGAINST BED BUGS BY ERIC BRAUN, BOARD CERTIFIED ENTOMOLOGIST, WESTERN EXTERMINATOR
B
ed bugs. Most people associate them with the nursery rhyme, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” But bed bugs are more than just a singsong at bedtime. Bed bugs are very real.
And yes, they could pose a potential problem for your property. In 2018, headlines blazed atop websites and newspapers across the U.S. – a California judge awarded one family $1.6 million, to be paid by their apartment complex management, for pain, suffering, and property loss suffered during a months-long bed bug infestation. The family’s 3-year old son suffered bites so severe that he is permanently scarred, said the family. Their 3-month old daughter was also bitten. They also lost furniture as part of the infestation. This type of news gives all property managers pause. Could it happen to you? What do you need to know about bed bugs? And what can you do to minimize risk at your property? WHAT ARE BED BUGS? Bed bugs are insects that must feed on blood to survive. While they prefer humans, they can also feed on animals, including domesticated cats and dogs, bats, and birds. An adult bed bug can be anywhere from 1/8- 1/4 inch – about the size of an apple seed. Bed bugs go through several life stages known as instars. These young bed bugs can be as small as 1/16-inch, the size of a pinhead. Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown in color. Young bed bugs, or nymphs, are a translucent beige and can often appear darker after taking a blood meal. Bed bugs move by hitchhiking and crawling – they do not fly or hop. They are particularly adept and relatively fast crawlers. Bed bugs are primarily nocturnal and prefer to feed at night, however, they will adapt to take advantage of a food source when it is available. When they are not feeding, bed bugs will hide away in small cracks, crevices, gaps, and voids near their food source. For example, if they are feeding on humans in a bed, they may hide behind the headboard, in cracks in the wall, behind outlet covers, or in a nearby nightstand. THE BED BUG RESURGENCE A simple Google search tells you all you need to know. Bed bugs, once almost eradicated in the U.S., have experienced a resurgence and they are becoming a problem for businesses everywhere.
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Don’t remember hearing about bed bugs twenty years ago? You aren’t alone. Bed bugs were nearly wiped out in the U.S. in the 1940s with DDT, and remained relatively unheard of until the late 1990s, when pest management professionals suddenly started encountering them again. There’s no single reason why bed bugs have made such a resurgence – but instead, there’s been a perfect storm of conditions that have allowed them to be reintroduced and flourish. • An increase in global travel has made it much easier for bed bugs to hitchhike and move on personal items, planes and ships, and people. • There’s been a boom in city growth. With more people living in closer proximity to one another bed bugs can easily spread. • Pest management treatment practices have evolved to be more envi- ronmentally responsible, relying on targeted applications of less persis tent materials. • Bed bugs have evolved and some have even become resistant to products that we use to control them. • The resale and rental of goods also play a role in the spread of bed bugs. Previously used or secondhand items from clothing to furniture can harbor bed bugs. People buying these items are usually not aware of a problem. HOW BED BUGS BECOME A PROBLEM AT MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES The multifamily housing sector is more likely to experience bed bug problems than many other industries, due to the nature of how bed bug infestations are spread. Bed bugs are hitchhiking pests that can move easily from place to place on belongings, clothing, and people. • • • •
If a new tenant moves in from a property that previously had a bed bug issue, they may unknowingly re-locate the infestation with them on their belongings. Tenants may bring them home from vacation or even their day-to- day business andtravels. Bed bugs have been found in hotels, on public transportation, in libraries, in movie theatres, and even in offices. As they become more established, the chances of a tenant unwittingly introducing bed bugs to their home increases. Guests of tenants can introduce bed bugs without the knowledge of the resident. Bed bugs can quickly move from unit to unit through gaps and cracks in shared walls and ceilings – or even crawl down hallways and under doors. That means that an infestation in one unit could spread to other units in close proximity and those above and below the impacted unit.
DEVELOP YOUR 4-STEP BED BUG PLAN It might sound daunting to talk about developing a bed bug plan, but it’s actually quite simple – you can break it down into four easy steps. 1. Know the laws about bed bugs. In 2017, the state of California instituted legislation that requires property owners to provide tenants with information about bed bug identification, behavior and biology, the importance of cooperation for treatments and prevention, and how to report suspected bed bug activity in writing. Owners cannot show or rent a unit with an active infestation. If a unit is inspected for bed bugs, owners must notify tenants within two days of what a pest management professional found. The law is also on the property owner or manager’s side: it requires the cooperation of tenants in the detection and treatment of bed bugs. However, owners are prohibited from retaliating against tenants that report bed bug problems. You can read the full California law regarding bed bug issues and property owners here. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billCompareClient.xhtml?bill_ id=201520160AB551 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: Are you providing information to your tenants about bed bugs? Do they know what to do if they suspect a bed bug problem? Do they know how to identify a bed bug? 2. Establish a relationship with a pest management provider who has bed bug expertise. Be prepared. The question isn’t “Will you have a bed bug problem?” but “When will you have a bed bug problem?” Establishing a relationship with a pest management provider in advance of a problem, knowing their treatment options and methods, and knowing how to reach them when a bed bug problem does strike ensures you can deal with any problem that develops quickly and efficiently. By now, most pest management providers have dealt with bed bug problems. However, in multifamily establishments, bed bugs can spread quickly, and dealing with a provider who knows how and where to inspect for bed bugs to ensure a problem doesn’t spread is very important. Treatment options can range from physical removal with a vacuum to conventional, low-impact pesticide treatments to targeted steam treatments to containerized or whole room heat treatments, or a combination of all of the above. Heat treatments have been proven to be the most effective method for eradicating all stages of bed bug lifecycle. In addition to treating problems, some pest management providers may offer proactive inspections. These can be either manually conducted or for larger multifamily properties, involve the use of specially-trained canines. Periodic inspections may alert you to small bed bug problems before they become larger infestations. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: Do I have a contract or agreement with a pest management provider that has experience with bed bug issues in a multifamily setting? Do I understand the treatment and inspection options available? Does my staff understand who to call in the event of a suspected bed bug problem? 3. Educate your staff on bed bugs and how to talk to your tenants about them. Bed bugs are an uncomfortable subject for ANYONE to talk about. Tenants often wait to report them because they carry a negative stigma, and property owners and their staff often don’t know what to say or how to handle the problem. The first step is to educate your staff on bed bugs – what they look like; how they are introduced; that they can happen to anyone, anywhere. They are not a product of poor sanitation, hygiene, or cleanliness; and the importance of acting quickly if there is a suspected problem. Train your staff on how to talk to tenants about suspected problems. Having pre-written pamphlets or flyers on hand that can be given to tenants is extremely helpful. Also, the following key points are important: • Do not dispute the tenant’s claims of bed bugs. Take their claims and worries seriously. • Schedule an immediate inspection by your pest control professional.
• Ensure that any conversations about bed bugs happen in private, where they can not be over heard by other tenants, who may panic upon hearing a report of suspected bed bug activity. • Do not share stories of pest or bed bug issues at the property. • Ask the tenant or your maintenance team to retain a sample of the pest for confirmation by your pest management provider. It is best not to squash or smash the bug. Ideally, retain it in a sealable plastic sandwich bag or a vial. • Every owner or manager must determine their best path forward but some properties may wish to provide tenants in affected units with alternate housing while a problem is addressed. If this is the path chosen, care must be taken to not relocate bed bugs to a new unit or hotel room – bed bugs can hitchhike on clothing, suitcases, and anything in the affected unit. Personal items, including clothing, may need to be quarantined to the affected unit during the treatment. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: Do we have information readily available on bed bugs for tenants who may report problems? Does my staff know how to talk to a tenant about bed bugs, expressing understanding about their concerns without confirming activity? What is our plan for providing tenants who report bed bug problems with temporary housing without spreading the bed bug issue? 4. Educate tenants on bed bugs, as well as protective and proactive measures that they can take to protect themselves and their belongings. One of your best defenses is to provide accurate information to your tenants about how to minimize their risk of contact with bed bugs. There are a few key points to cover: • • • •
What bed bugs look like How they can be introduced The importance of reporting suspected bed bug problems right away Tips for minimizing the risk of introduction including:
Use mattress and box spring encasements to protect bedding investments. Or use ActiveGuard liners, which are specially treated liners that can kill bed bugs within a few minutes of contact or interfere with reproduction and growth. When traveling, place luggage on non-upholstered furniture away from the bed, such as a desk. Inspect luggage rack for bed bugs before use. Check the mattress and box spring for bed bugs. Pay special attention to seams, where bed bugs hide. Upon returning from travel, inspect suitcases for bed bug activity before bringing them into the home. Before washing, place all items from the suitcase that can be in a clothes dryer on high heat for 15 minutes. Heat kills all stages of bed bug life cycle. If there has been confirmed bed bug activity at a place of business, keep coats, purses and other personal belongings off the floor in areas where bed bugs may be present. When on public transportation, travel with as few objects as possible. Inspect belongings upon arrival. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: Do tenants have the information needed about bed bugs to help proactively protect our property and minimize introduction? Can I work with my pest management provider to arrange special pricing on mattress encasements or liners for interested tenants? CONCLUSION Bed bugs may sound scary, but they don’t have to be. With a four-step action plan, you can ensure that any problems on your property are addressed swiftly, protecting your reputation from negative reviews and media exposure. With everyone fully armed with the right information, you can help reassure your tenants that you’re in the fight against bed bugs together and that you’re taking proactive action to help keep their homes comfortable and bed bug-free. ebrha.com
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DON’T GET STUNG: Warm weather brings out stinging pests such as bees, hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets. Stinging pests can become a problem for any business, but especially for multifamily properties and rental properties where people may be exposed. Stinging pests pose a liability because of the risk of dangerous and potentially life-threatening stings. Another risk for properties is that some stinging pests can actually cause damage to structures. Some species may nest in wall voids. It’s not unusual for bees to build honeycombs inside of walls and yellow jackets have even been known to chew through drywall. Other species, such as carpenter bees, can cause damage to wood. If you have a stinging pest problem on your property, call in a professional to address it as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more serious (and costly) it could become. TYPES OF STINGING PESTS There are several groups of stinging pests that could become a concern for your property. Understanding their behaviors may help you identify high-risk areas on your property. Wasps and yellow jackets The main types of wasps that are active in multifamily and rental properties are yellow jackets, paper wasps, and mud dauber wasps. • • • •
Yellow jackets nest in voids, such as rodent burrows in the ground, or in wall voids in structures. They can be attracted to food and beverages, especially in late summer and early fall. Paper wasps build honeycombed umbrella-shaped nests in protected areas. Untreated wood can be attractive to wasps – they chew the wood to get the pulp and make their nests. Mud dauber wasps build nests that look like mud tubes. These wasps are not very aggressive and stings are unlikely.
Hornets • Hornets build exposed, football-shaped paper nests in trees, shrubs, roof overhangs, in or near chimneys, and even around light fixtures. • Some hornets can be aggressive. If you suspect a hornet problem, keep people away from the area. • Hornet colonies are the largest in late summer. They will be more noticeable at this time simply because of their size. Honey Bees Honey bees are our friends. We rely on them for pollination, which helps us grow food and maintains our plants and trees. But when they nest in structures or create a sting risk, honey bees can cause problems. • •
Honey bees can sometimes nest in wall voids and other inaccessible areas of structures. If you see honey bees flying into a structure, call an expert. Some honey bee species, such as the Africanized honey bee, can be extremely aggressive and even chase people. Treat all beehives as potentially dangerous and contact a professional right away.
To protect bee health, many pest management providers will partner with local beekeepers to avoid killing bees, if possible. Carpenter bees Large bees that buzz clumsily around eaves, rafters, and wooden porches, are likely carpenter bees. Carpenter bees can cause damage to wood structures as they bore into them.
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What you need to know about stinging pests on your property Cicada killers The cicada killer can cause concern because it resembles a large wasp or hornet. It is actually a type of wasp that will dig burrows in the dirt. These pests may prompt concern because of their size, especially when people notice them flying low over lawns. Males may “chase” people, but do not sting. REACTING TO STINGS It’s a myth that all stinging pests die after they sting you. While this is true of bees, which have a barbed stinger, it is not true of wasps and hornets. Wasps and hornets can sting a victim multiple times, which can be extremely dangerous. A single sting can be dangerous to someone who is allergic, sending them into anaphylactic shock. This can be life-threatening if not treated quickly, causing severe swelling of airways that disables someone’s ability to breathe, hives, blood pressure issues, or even unconsciousness. Epinephrine is a prescribed drug that is used to halt anaphylaxis by countering its effects. If someone who is stung is exhibiting any signs of anaphylaxis, using an epinephrine autoinjector may help; many people with severe allergies keep an auto-injector on hand for this reason. California law does allow some business entities to stock epinephrine auto-injectors for use in emergency situations. However, in order to do so, the entity must have someone on staff that has completed epinephrine certification and must comply with documentation and record keeping requirements. To learn more about epinephrine certification and the requirements, visit the California Emergency Medical Services Authority website. Anyone who is stung should be monitored for several hours for signs of an allergic reaction severe itching, hives, difficulty breathing or swelling of the mouth, lips, or throat, shortness of breath, nausea, or unconsciousness. ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW There are a number of things that you and your staff can do right now to help reduce the likelihood of stinging pests causing issues on your property. • Perform weekly inspections of your buildings and grounds for nests or insects flying around. Look high, around eaves, gutters, light fixtures, and in protected corners, as well as low, around the ground, particularly in areas where there are holes or burrows. • Seal gaps, cracks, and holes in structures. To prevent stinging pests from finding a protected space inside structural voids to build a nest, seal gaps, cracks, and holes using pest-proof material such as hardware cloth or flashing. Screening weep holes to prevent pest entry. Keep electrical boxes closed when not in use. • Use lids on exterior trash cans. Stinging pests are attracted to odors from trash bins and dumpsters. Self-closing lids will limit the ability of pests to fly in and reduce the chances the lids will be knocked off or disappear. • Seal, stain, or paint untreated wood. This can deter wasp activity. • Post signs advising residents to clean up any outdoor food and beverage spills immedi- ately. Whether in common areas, such as pools or playgrounds, breezeways or private balco nies, a spill of sugary food or beverages can attract pests to an area. • Remind residents to report stinging pest issue at the first sign of a problem. That will allow an issue to be treated before it grows in size and danger. “BEE” PREPARED While you may not be able to prevent stinging pest problems on your property, your best course of action is to be prepared in the event an issue does arrive. Take the proactive steps listed here to reduce the likelihood of an issue and, most importantly, have a contracted pest management provider on hand that you can call if a stinging pest issue arises. •Mud dauber wasps build nests that look like mud tubes. These wasps are not very aggressive and stings are unlikely. CONTRIBUTED BY : Western Exterminator
Beacon Properties UPCOMING EVENTS Small Property Roundtable Date & Time: Tuesday, September 10th; 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | EBRHA Members Only Presented by: Wayne Rowland, EBRHA President Topics: The Small Property Owner Roundtable is a casual meeting to discuss issues, experiences and solutions to common--or perhaps not so common--problems many of you may be facing. Rental Property Management (RPM) 103 Date & Time: Wednesday, September 18th 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Free to EBRHA Members, Non-Members: $69 Presented by: Carlon L. Tanner of Beacon Properties Topics: Termination of a Tenancy, Notices, Terminations, Security Deposit, Abandonment. Ebrha Member Meeting Date & Time: Saturday, September 21st Networking: 9:30 a.m. | Presentation: 10:00 a.m. - Noon | EBRHA Members Only Topics: David Yadegar – Simplengi – Soft Story Structures, Seismic Retrofitting EBMUD – Water Conservation & Preservation, Wet Weather Facilities Charge Enjoy a Complimentary Continental Breakfast
East Bay Property Management & Brokerage Services Since 1990
• We add value to buildings • Experienced and informed • Fully computerized • Integrity and care
Carlon Tanner, Owner/Broker
466 40th Street Oakland, CA 94609 Tel 510-428-1864 Fax 510-601-1917 beacprop@pacbell.net
Effective Communication With Your Tenants Date & Time: Tuesday, September 24th, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | EBRHA Members Only Presented by: Attorney Brent Kernan, EBRHA Board Member Topics: This new course offers insights into communicating with your tenants to get what you want and avoid what you don’t. It demonstrates strategies for dealing effectively with certain types of tenant personalities. It will cover written communications on such topics as fire safety, rent arrears, back rent payment plans, no smoking policies, and more. Property Management Q&A Date & Time: Wednesday, September 25th 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | EBRHA Members Only Presented by: Judy Shaw, EBRHA Board Member Topics: Come and get answers to property management questions from expert Judy Shaw. Member Mixer Date & Time: Thursday, September 26th 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | EBRHA Members Only Location: Aisle 5 3320 Grand Ave, Oakland Mixers provide EBRHA members with an opportunity to learn and network with other members, staff and board. Join us!
Expertise and Representation on Rent Board Petitions, Hearings and Appeals
Unless noted, all events are held at:
3664 Grand Avenue • Suite B Oakland, CA 94610
TO REGISTER, GO TO EBRHA.COM/EVENTS OR CALL 510-893-9873
info@rentboardmatters.com
Liz Hart
510-813-5440
FEATURE
Fair Return... Smoke & Mirrors BY NATHAN DURHAM-HAMMER
I am not an attorney, I am not an economist, I am not an accountant, and I am no appraiser. To explore what a fair return on an investment is in residential income property, you will need to hire all these professionals, and bare your private financial and operational information to the public. A fair return on investment is a protected right under the United States and California Constitutions, and cannot be denied by local policy or practice. So how is it that in Oakland, for example, not a single fair return petition has ever been granted, in whole or in part, to a property owner? The Oakland rent ordinance simply states that owners may petition for a rent increase that is necessary to provide a fair return on investment. However, no standard for determining what is fair has been uniformly decided by the courts. This has left the door open for the systematic denial of fair returns whereby the Rent Board in Oakland has created its own set of rules, as yet undeterred by any successful legal battle. The Oakland Rent Board has a 100% record of denial of fair return petitions, in part because it uses a formula called Maintenance of Net Operating Income, “MNOI”. What is MNOI? It is a theory that allows the rent board to sidestep any real decision by telling property owners that a fair return over time is equal to the same Net Operating Income (“NOI”), plus the City’s definition of the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) annual rent adjustments, as when the property was purchased.
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Oakland has also come up with standards, not stated in the Ordinance, that a property owner must analyze its returns based on investments of “similar risk”, and include any perceived appreciation in a petition, as determined by a formal appraisal.
THE ISSUES:
There is the mathematical fact that anything less than 100% of inflation rent adjustments will reduce NOI. Oakland has subtracted the cost of housing and averaged that with full area inflation, so the socalled CPI adjustments can actually be less than full annual inflation. In other words, under this formula, it is mathematically improbable that a property will maintain NOI year over year, so what is happening to the rent? It becomes reduced slightly each year. NOI decreases annually in Oakland under the allowable “CPI” rent increases. The next issue is the expectation of an investor that returns (income) will increase from the date of purchase and that, properly managed, the asset will improve its performance over time. In practice, this means that the rents on each unit must be adequate to: • • • • •
Allow for Maintenance & Repair Provide for Management Provide Reserves for Replacement and Capital Improvements Accommodate Reasonable Debt Service Provide a Fair Rate of Return
Locally operating expense increases, capital improvements and emergency repairs tend to far outpace CPI increases, further reducing net operating income over time.
APPRECIATION:
Rent controlled cities such as Oakland often include appreciation in their formulas for calculating fair returns on investments. The problem with appreciation being considered as a return on income property
is that it is pure speculation, and not available until the property is sold. However, the investor may not have any plans to sell, and their investment expectations may solely be to provide income for their own families. Only by selling would any appreciation be realized. As to the cash flow, the overarching risk is that there will not be periodic decontrol of rents by vacancy as people in rent controlled
return over years of sweat equity and proper management - enough to make the ongoing investments worthwhile for a property owner. To uphold one’s right to a fair return on investment in Oakland it takes hundreds of thousands of dollars and massive amounts of time and let’s not forget the angst beating your head against the wall for a guaranteed denial of your petition. To be clear, the Oakland rent ordinance’s guarantee of a fair return is purely illusory.
As to the cash flow, the overarching risk is that there will not be periodic decontrol of rents by vacancy as people in rent controlled apartments tend not to move very often. So the fewer the units, the more egregious the denial of a fair return on the investment in income property may be. apartments tend not to move very often. So the fewer the units, the more egregious the denial of a fair return on the investment in income property may be. In duplexes and triplexes under rent control, renters enjoy lifelong leases at fixed low rents. In addition, Oakland has used a tactic of arguing that owners have not met an undefined “burden of proof”, and has thrown in a nonsensical “base year” for MNOI calculations, 2014, which has nothing to do with the specifics of a building purchase, the market conditions over the life of the investment, the number of units and the rents relative to market rents. In fact it has nothing to do with anything.
THE ANSWERS:
There are other formulas that are more informative including Fair Return on Value, Fair Return on Investment, and Fair Return on Equity to get to what is a fair and reasonable rent per unit. Cities like Oakland will not even consider these more reasonable methodologies. Keep in mind that residential income property is an active, not passive investment. This demands substantial management time and investments such as seismic retrofits, roof replacements, drainage, health & safety, etc. Historically, returns on this asset class have averaged between 8% and 12% annual returns on investment in less regulated markets, and greater than 12% rates of
WHAT IT MAY TAKE FOR OWNERS TO OBTAIN A FAIR RETURN:
What it will likely take is a very well thought out legal case, with the right plaintiff and factual specifics. The plaintiff will need to have the wherewithal or financial support to take the case to the mat, possibly all the way to a changing U.S. Supreme Court, to get them to hear the case and render a decision.
SOME THOUGHTS FOR REALTORS ADVISING THEIR CLIENTS:
So, for realtors advising their clients, the discussion should probably not be about the constitutionally protected right to a fair return, or any hope to successfully enjoy this right by way of any rent board or local court system. Rather, when investing in residential income property, the analysis should be focused on thorough due diligence, observation of tenant profiles, current rents relative to market including any historically low rents, number of units, local regulations, deferred maintenance, anticipated capital improvements, and the perceived risk of rent control over decades….
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FEATURE
THE PAPERLESS OFFICE BY LES SHAVER
NATIONAL APPARTMENT ASSOCIATION
After years of talk about the paperless leasing office, some companies are finally making the jump. But to succeed, they’ll need to sell some key constituents on the change. Here’s how they’re doing it. For Blue Ridge Cos., the process of going paperless has been a journey. It started almost five years ago, when the High Point, N.C.–based company launched a paperless online-leasing campaign. By eliminating paper and encouraging prospects to use the resident portal, Blue Ridge was able to secure 85 percent absorption, though some of its communities are 95 percent to 100 percent paperless.
where her staff spend the most time helping to set up email addresses and assisting with the online application process. “We continue to train our associates to be the experts when it comes to assisting those who have questions and who will consistently monitor our procedures built around online leasing to ensure they’re as easy to understand as possible,” Carter says. You can’t be truly paperless if your residents are paying with a check or money order. Yet, as Carter’s experience shows, bringing those residents, particularly older ones, into the world of online payments continues to stymie many apartment operators.
While increasing its online leasing rate to 85 percent portfolio-wide is a significant accomplishment for Blue Ridge, its Vice President of Portfolio Operations Gina Carter knows that bigger challenges lie ahead. The company’s goal is an entirely paperless onsite operation, with digital payments, work orders and invoices all processed electronically.
“It can be a culture change for people, especially if you have an [older demographic],” says Melissa L. Smith, Chief Administrative Officer for Fogelman Management Group. “Some [seniors] don’t have emails; many have but are slower to trust new technologies and provide personal information.”
Blue Ridge isn’t alone. Whether they’re motivated by greater information security, cost savings, onsite efficiency or a desire to go green, many other apartment operators around the country want to eliminate paper onsite.
To help pull those residents into the paperless world, Fogelman has kept later office hours to help sign up reluctant customers and teach them about the resident portal. Still, some residents want to pay with money orders or through their own banks. “So, you still have to provide other payment options,” Smith says.
But getting there is easier said than done. To complete the paperless transition, apartment firms need to be able to sell the value to residents, suppliers and staff. “To be successful, first of all, you need to have the right technology program,” says Vanessa Siebern, Vice President at FPI Management. “Then, you really need to get buy-in. If you don’t have buy-in from the site, you’re not going to be able to perform.” While residents can be lured with raffles and other enticements, selling skeptical onsite staff—specifically maintenance—is a little harder. “I don’t like to just roll any initiative out and say, ‘This is what we’re doing and that’s how you have to do it,’ ” Carter says. “I like to explain why we’re doing it and embrace the buy-in.” The consensus seems to be that stakeholder buy-in is critical if your company is going to successfully forgo paper. And through trial and error, executives have found methods that work.
Bringing Residents Along Carter says that although many Baby Boomers have embraced Blue Ridge’s
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Greystar takes a variety of steps to encourage residents to use a paperless approach to leasing, which begins with the application process. “Our goal is to have 80 percent of our applicants start and complete the leasing process online,” says Stephanie Puryear Helling, Senior Director of Operations, Real Estate Strategic Services, for Greystar. “Once applicants become residents, our goal is to have 90 percent or more of occupied apartment homes registered for the resident portal,” Puryear Helling continues. “[Our] portal provides a convenient platform for residents to quickly pay rent, sign renewals and submit service requests online 24/7. There’s also a social feature within the portal where residents can engage with one another and the community.” “If we notice that a resident is accessing the portal, there’s a greater probability that they’re going to participate in online billing and service requests,” adds Johanna Sheldon, Senior Director, Customer Success—Property Systems, at Greystar. To encourage residents to create a portal account and lease online, Greystar adopted an electronic awards program. “If a resident completes certain activities, such as renewing their lease or paying rent online, they can obtain point values
toward various incentives. The program engages our residents and incentivizes them to participate in online, paperless activities,” Puryear Helling says. Greystar is focused on helping residents opt into e-bills to expedite recurring payment of items such as rent and utilities. The company now offers e-money orders, available across all property management software platforms and accessible to residents at over 22,000 retail locations nationwide. “The benefit of this approach is a more secure payment method for both the company and the resident, and it eliminates several steps, since the money is transferred into the resident’s account electronically from the retail location,” Puryear Helling says. Carter wants Blue Ridge’s residents to pay online because, despite news reports of security breaches, she believes that customers’ personal information (and money) is better protected when they pay digitally than it is when they pay with “paper” funds. To drive online payments, Blue Ridge launched a social media campaign April 1 to remind its residents that they can go online 24/7 and renew their lease, pay their rent and input a service request. “We’re going to offer incentives, such as if you pay your rent online during the month of May, you’ll be entered in a drawing where you can win $500 or free rent for one month, depending on the community,” Carter says. “The second piece will be motivating residents to set up recurring payments, which could help double absorption.”
The Supplier Conundrum The paperless process doesn’t end with residents. Blue Ridge wanted a paperless solution from order to invoice to help efficiently process supplier bills. “With a single portal, we’re able to control the pricing, the number of orders placed weekly and which vendors are used,” Carter says. “We can also layer in an approval workflow that helps alert supervisors of high-priced or overbudgeted purchases before they’re ordered.” Capstone Real Estate Services sees great potential in adopting a platform with which suppliers can upload their invoices. “The purpose behind this is to avoid having our site teams manually receive invoices and enter them into the system,” says Tina West, Certified Property Manager, COO, for Capstone Real Estate Services. In Blue Ridge’s system, suppliers can upload their invoices into the portaland then log in to see if the invoice has been approved or paid. Blue Ridge also wants to reduce the number of invoices it receives from its suppliers. Carter says one example is carpet cleaning, where the service provider might send one invoice for every apartment they clean. “When you think about it, if they clean 15 apartments in a week, [we’d have to process 15 invoices],” she says.
Getting a supplier to submit fewer invoices can be a challenge, but the program Blue Ridge uses charges vendors per invoice, so they’re more inclined to combine expenses and send fewer bills. “It forces the vendor to be more efficient in their [invoicing] and then reduces the number of invoices we process, as well as helps to eliminate duplicates,” Carter says. “We definitely receive questions and initial concerns as to why we’d want to move in this direction, but we explain to our vendors that we’re being progressive. Once the system is in place, they’ll see the benefits, too, including saving money on their end by not having to mail multiple invoices, not to mention quicker turnaround when receiving payments.” Greystar has added e-invoicing to its paperless initiative with a goal of obtaining 80 percent or more invoices issued electronically from suppliers. “Atremendous amount of paper is used for supplier and utility billing, so converting to e-invoices can make a positive impact on the environment,” says Sheldon. As has Blue Ridge, Greystar has found that going paperless also benefits its suppliers. “E-invoicing eliminates paper invoices, postage costs and time spent correcting errors and tracking down payments,” Puryear Helling says. “Suppliers can reduce expenses and can, in many instances, get paid faster. Invoices are received instantly without the concern of lost paperwork. Suppliers can also review the payment status of invoices submitted.” Carter contends that fewer invoices also means greater accuracy, because suppliers are uploading the bills into their clients’ automated system, thereby eliminating the chance an invoice number will be input incorrectly, which can happen when they’re entered manually. “We’ve been really successful, and our management software has complemented our aggressive approach,” Carter says.
‘Pulling Teeth’ Right now, 88 percent of Blue Ridge’s large suppliers are using the company’s
automated invoicing system. To arrive at that point, however, the firm had to do more than get suppliers and onsite teams onboard. “We realize a big change like this takes a little time for complete buy-in, but Blue Ridge has really competitive employees and they’re always willing to rise to the next challenge,” Carter says. When Blue Ridge adopted a paperless spend management system, the singlesign-on feature (one login for all vendor catalogs) was extremely important. “We wanted to make the process of going paperless as easy as possible for everyone, and we knew having a single sign-on would help, but this was something else ‘new’ that we had to train everyone how to use,” Carter says. “I guess, with growth and opportunity, there can still be times of resistance because we become so familiar with how things have always been.”
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Still, the company has overcome those challenges. “In order to push this change through quickly, we did have to enforce a few new procedures,” Carter says, “but we seem to be going strong now.” Other companies have faced resistance from their maintenance teams. “The maintenance guys have been a little bit harder to sell it to,” says Steve F. Hallsey, Managing Director for Wood Partners. “Nearly every company is using some sort of sophisticated purchasing program. As more companies have gone to this, we’re finding better-qualified maintenance people. But it’s still [like] pulling teeth to get them to use the systems.” For some maintenance techs, their apprehension lies in going from paper to digital devices they must carry around. It’s a serious culture change. “Some of the maintenance folks like having their big whiteboard [to track unit turns],” says Diane Batayeh, Village Green’s CEO. “They’re putting up all those units that needed to be made market ready on the board, collaborating with their team, looking at it every morning and tracking their progress. As we’re inputting data about maintenance jobs digitally, we’re not necessarily talking to one another.” To assuage maintenance fears about losing paper at Village Green, Batayeh told her teams they weren’t going to take legacy systems away from them. “You can continue to have your whiteboards, but we also expect you to know and use this digital platform,” she says. “Over time, I think what will happen is that they’ll get more and more accustomed to it and it will become less of an impediment and more of a habit, and they’ll recognize the benefits and efficiencies it drives.” Greystar, too, has helped its maintenance teams reduce paperwork and complete service requests more efficiently through the use of new mobile technology. The goal is to have 90 percent of service requests completed using a mobile device and software applications. “Our maintenance teams can quickly assign work orders in real time, open and close requests and monitor response times using mobile technology,” Puryear Helling says. Owner Ambivalence Fogelman plans to roll out a paperless system in its maintenance shops during the next year. But without paper ledgers, service technicians need a device, be it a tablet or even their phone. The question is, who pays for these devices? “The technology is there, but we haven’t provided phones for every member of our service team,” Smith says. “There’s a cost that has to be incurred for those purchases and we have to get our clients on board.” FPI, too, is dealing with this issue. Right now, the company is in the testing phase of a program that enables maintenance staff to input all of their data through their smartphones.
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“There are cost issues, especially when you get to larger buildings that have multiple maintenance staff members,” Siebern says. While some owners continue to resist going paperless, Batayeh has found a way to sell the transition to those who are ambivalent. “Some owners like paper and other owners love the thought of paperless,” Batayeh says. “The way we’ve sold it to those on the fence is the ease of access to information. There’s total transparency with paperless. When they need something, they have immediate access to it.” Batayeh says having a shared data storage source with clients has increased Village Green’s efficiencies “tenfold.” Delese Noble, Director, Construction Administration and Accounting, Pinnacle, says the transparency and visibility not only enables her associates and her clients to have access to everything in real time.
Onsite Acceptance
Once you’ve sold your residents, suppliers, investors and maintenance team members on the virtue of going paperless, convincing managers and leasing staff to come aboard becomes relatively easy. In fact, when changing systems, apartment executives often find that managers and leasing staff welcome the conversion to paperless. “There’s more of a process when they get the paper applications because they have to take that information and put it into the system themselves,” Siebern says. “Without paper, it’s easier.” Capstone’s West sees a similar reaction. “The onsite team is generally pretty receptive to going paperless,” she says. “I think there’s some fear with learning new technology, but for the most part, you don’t get pushback or resistance from managers when it comes to automating the processes and reducing the time with paper.” Greystar provides its team members with ongoing training and a variety of tools
and resources to help support adoption of paperless systems.
“We focus on rewarding community teams and regional property managers whose portfolios have had the highest level of participation with their residents,” Puryear Helling says. “We’ve implemented a monthly promotional campaign with tools, marketing campaigns and resident-facing collateral that can be used to promote all the benefits of paperless activities to applicants and residents.” If there are issues, training can help. To get Blue Ridge’s communities on board, Carter personally conducted training with every community manager, assistant manager and service manager in the company’s portfolio. But Wood Partners’ Hallsey, like Batayeh and Siebern, finds it’s fairly easy to convince office staff to go paperless. In fact, in their world, it’s almost expected. “The generation that’s doing our leasing right now has grown up with the tablets we use for leasing,” Hallsey says. “You actually look archaic if you don’t have this technology available for them.” To read more on paperless related articles: A Customer Service Enhancement? and Going Paperless: Lessons Learned.
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH Now that Measure Y and its amendments have been passed by Oakland’s City Council, now what? The objective through EBRHA’s community outreach is to inform and communicate with housing related organizations, individuals, potential members and the community at large about the benefits and support offered to property owners by EBRHA. The most significant thus far is the collaboration between EBRHA and the City of Oakland Rent Adjustment Program Department. This will escalate our efforts to educate property owners on navigating through the RAP process. A 2019 schedule of both tenant and property owner workshops through the RAP has been provided to EBRHA and EBRHA has provided materials to distribute through the RAP department for rental property owners. Though in-house educational opportunities have always existed for EBRHA members, it is imperative that they fully understand the RAP petition process along with the rules and regulations that govern tenants and property owners by the City of Oakland. Educational workshops and information are also being shared with other housing related organizations like the Oakland, Berkeley Association of Realtors. Historically, property owners have not been as active as tenants in city RAP workshops. The collaboration with the RAP will help broaden the notification process to property owners and gain greater participation and utilization of city educational tools and workshops. As the collaborations and shared information is streamlined in Oakland, EBRHA’s outreach throughout the East Bay will be strengthened to the benefit of its members.
Rotary - Gudrun Drybdal’s welcoming new President Peter Sheris
Rotary members J. Protapapos, Mary Guong, Kim Cohn, Joseph Tanios Gudrun Drybdal outgoing Rotary President
Ray Leon, Council Member Larry Reid’s Housing Policy Analyst
Ray Leon Retirement Party, Georgia Richardson with Elihu Harris, ARPB Scholarship Gal, Robert Brackins. Alameda County Supervisor, Nate Miley
CM Nikki Fortunato Bas & Cometria Cooper -RAP Hearing Officer
Post News Group, Editor, Paul Cobb, Buffy Wicks Sr. Field Rep. Uche Uwahemu 28 RENTAL HOUSING
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OBAR-Ruth StroupFarmer’s Insurance, Networking Breakfast Sponsor
AN ADDICTION CRISIS DISGUISED AS A HOUSING CRISIS OPIOIDS ARE FUELING HOMELESSNESS ON THE WEST COAST. BY CHRISTOPHER F. RUFO CITY JOURNAL
B
y latest count, some 109,089 men and women are sleeping on the streets of major cities in California, Oregon, and Washington. The homelessness crisis in these cities has generated headlines and speculation about “root causes.” Progressive political activists allege that tech companies have inflated housing costs and forced middle-class people onto the streets. Declaring that “no two people living on Skid Row . . . ended up there for the same reasons,” Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, for his part, blames a housing shortage, stagnant wages, cuts to mental health services, domestic and sexual abuse, shortcomings in criminal justice, and a lack of resources for veterans. These factors may all have played a role, but the most pervasive cause of West Coast homelessness is clear: heroin, fentanyl, and synthetic opioids. Homelessness is an addiction crisis disguised as a housing crisis. In Seattle, prosecutors and law enforcement recently estimated that the majority of the region’s homeless population is hooked on opioids, including heroin and fentanyl. If this figure holds constant throughout the West Coast, then at least 11,000 homeless opioid addicts live in Washington, 7,000 live in Oregon, and 65,000 live in California (concentrated mostly in San Francisco and Los Angeles). For the unsheltered population inhabiting tents, cars, and RVs, the opioid-addiction percentages are even higher—the City of Seattle’s homeless-outreach team estimates that 80 percent of the unsheltered population has a substance-abuse disorder. Officers must clean up used needles in almost all the homeless encampments. For drug cartels and low-level street dealers, the business of supplying homeless addicts with heroin, fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids is extremely lucrative. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the average heavy-opioid user consumes $1,834 in drugs per month. Holding rates constant, we can project that the total business of supplying heroin and other opioids to the West Coast’s homeless population is more than $1.8 billion per year. In effect, Mexican cartels, Chinese fentanyl suppliers, and local criminal networks profit off the misery of the homeless and offload the consequences onto local governments struggling to get people off the streets. West Coast cities are seeing a crime spike associated with homeless opioid addicts. In Seattle, police busted two sophisticated criminal rings engaged in “predatory drug dealing” in homeless encampments (they were found in possession of $20,000 in cash, heroin, firearms, knives,
machetes, and a sword). Police believe that “apartments were serving as a base of operations that supplied drugs to the streets, and facilitated the collection and resale of stolen property.” In other words, drug dealers were exploiting homeless addicts and using the city’s maze of illegal encampments as distribution centers. In my own Fremont neighborhood, where property crime has surged 57 percent over the past two years, local business owners have formed a group to monitor a network of RVs that circulate around the area to deal heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamines. Dealers have become brazen—one recently hung up a spray-painted sign on the side of his RV with the message: “Buy Drugs Here!” What are local governments doing to address this problem? To a large extent, they have adopted a strategy of deflection, obfuscation, and denial. In her #SeattleForAll public relations campaign, Mayor Jenny Durkan insists that only one in three homeless people struggle with substance abuse, understating the figures of her own police department as well as the city attorney, who has claimed that the real numbers, just for opioid addiction, rise to 80 percent of the unsheltered. The consequences of such denial have proved disastrous: no city on the West Coast has a solution for homeless opioid addicts. Los Angeles, which spent $619 million on homelessness last year, has adopted a strategy of palliative care—keeping addicts alive through distribution of the overdose drug naloxone—but fails to provide access to on-demand detox, rehabilitation, and recovery programs that might help people overcome their addictions. The city has been cursed, in this sense, with temperate weather, compounded by permissive policies toward public camping and drug consumption that have attracted 20,687 homeless individuals from outside Los Angeles County. No matter how much local governments pour into affordable-housing projects, homeless opioid addicts—nearly all unemployed—will never be able to afford the rent in expensive West Coast cities. The first step in solving these intractable issues is to address the real problem: addiction is the common denominator for most of the homeless and must be confronted honestly if we have any hope of solving it. Christopher F. Rufo is a contributing editor of City Journal. He is a documentary filmmaker and research fellow at Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth, Poverty, & Morality. ebrha.com
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8/8/19 9:38 AM
he complaint that came into Holly McQueen’s office seemed odd at first. Someone was calling to gripe about a concierge at one of her communities not being able to find a key left at the front desk for the caller. “When I asked who they were, that’s when I realized it wasn’t even a resident of our building,” says McQueen, Vice President and Regional Property Manager in Jacksonville, Fla. for GMH Capital Partners. “They weren’t happy with the service, and I had to tell them it was an apartment building, not a hotel.” A little more investigation revealed the caller was staying in the building under a short-term sublet through Airbnb. GMH operates 6,000 student and conventional units. “We do provide some corporate housing, but we don’t do subleases,” says McQueen, who noted the resident in question eventually moved out when his lease was mutually terminated. On the other side of the country, Oakland-based Mynd Property Management, which operates 8,000 units, is taking the opposite approach. With some residents clamoring to rent their apartments by right under the auspices of today’s “sharing” economy, the firm allows residents to do so at properties where owners consent, with processes in place to make sure short-term occupants are screened, while taking a percentage of the additional income.
Using Tech to Navigate Short Term Sublets Operators are adopting different approaches to a burgeoning trend.
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The two strategies represent a bifurcated approach when it comes to the complicated and mushrooming trend of short-term homestays in the apartment industry. The first illustrates the traditional tack operators have taken to subleases for years, which is namely, not allowing them at all. Concerns range from liability, insurance issues, violating local ordinances, increased wear and tear at a community, complaints from long-term residents and the prospect of letting unscreened individuals beyond an apartment building’s front door. The second approach signifies an embrace by some apartment operators – but not all – for short-term subleases as not only a source of ancillary income, but as an amenity for today’s residents who increasingly want the option of renting out their apartments while they’re away. Both rely on technology to be executed successfully.
Policing Sublets
After the experiences with its rogue resident, GMH Capital set up a program to monitor Airbnb and Craigslist in its markets to see if residents are engaged in unsanctioned subleases at its buildings. Now, it’s part of an employee’s workflow to monitor those sites and check for listings. When a potential issue arises, the firm uses its Butterfly MX smart video access system to check and see if the person
BY JOE BOUSQUIN
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“We figured if residents are going to do it, we want to know about it and be involved in the process,” says Stacy Winship, Regional Director at Mynd. “The alternative is we don’t know about it, and we’re losing out on that income opportunity.”
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who’s renting the apartment is the one coming and going from the building’s main entrance under that apartment’s access code. “We only go back and look at the key logs if there’s a problem,” McQueen says. “The first time it happens, we’ll give them a warning, and ask them not to do it again. We let them know if they do, we will start the eviction process.”
to sign up with its app, and reviewed rates for how much money residents can make. “We monitored that activity online through the portal, and then they cut us a check for a portion of the proceeds that the resident gets,” says Winship. Property owners reportedly receive 10 percent of what residents earn through the program, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Monitoring Listings
Today, Mynd works directly with Airbnb to help manage their short-term rentals, which are primarily corporate rentals.
Services such as SubletAlert.com and SubletScan.com scrape Airbnb, Craigslist and similar sites for a fee, and notify operators if a listing pops up for one of their properties. “Most operators still fall into the group where they have done their homework, and they have just made the decision that across their portfolios, it doesn’t make sense to allow any kind of short-term rentals,” says Maksim Ioffe, founder of SubletAlert. “But the outlook is still evolving on an almost a day-to-day basis. In general, the consensus seems to be that unregulated subletting without any kind of compliance infrastructure around it is just a disaster. None of our clients wants that.” At Atlanta-based Audubon, which owns and manages 5,800 units at 24 properties across the Southeast, managing partner Chris Edwards says his company spends significant time and resources getting to know its prospective residents prior to lease signing, and Airbnb undermines that process. “As such, subleasing is illegal in all of our leases,” he says. “It’s grounds for immediate termination of the lease, with penalties.”
Sharing in Sublets
At Mynd, Winship says the firm used to work with Pillow, a shortterm rental management solution that screens guests as part of Airbnb’s Friendly Buildings Program -- which is designed to help owners and managers embrace sanctioned resident hosting in their buildings -- and claims to extend $1 million in property and $1 million in liability insurance to building owners. (Airbnb declined to comment for this article.) Along with ApartmentJet, Pillow was acquired in October by Expedia, which, like Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, Trip Advisor, Booking. com and even Marriot, has aggressively entered the short-term rental market. “They will do all the marketing for you,” Winship says about working with Pillow. “After we send residents an initial letter letting them know short-term rentals are approved if they use Pillow, Pillow will reach out to residents and have them sign an addendum to their lease acknowledging all of the waivers and what happens for abusing it.” Pillow hosted demos at Mynd’s communities, showed residents how
That 10 percent cut should be the minimum, says Garrick Revels, a builder and owner of apartments in Tampa Bay, Fla., for the risk short-term rentals present. “Subleasing is rampant nowadays because of Airbnb and other platforms,” Revels says. “But because it’s becoming unavoidable, you might as well share in the profit.” Owners and managers can also engage with home-sharing sites directly to rent out furnished units on a short-term basis themselves. Winship says taking that route in one of Mynd’s units netted an additional $18,000 in annual revenue, and $10,000 in annual profits, compared to a long-term rental in the same building in Oakland.
Subletting as an Amenity
To Maitri Johnson, a long-time apartment industry veteran who’s held positions at Trammel Crow, Riverstone Residential and Waypoint Homes, the rise of short-term rentals in apartment buildings is simply a reflection of what today’s residents want. “Our renters today are people who hail Uber and Lyft without even thinking twice about it and who have an expectation that apartment companies need to start being a part of the sharing economy,” says Johnson, currently Vice President of Rental Screening at Transunion, which provides screening services for Pillow and ApartmentJet users. “You can only add so many bells and whistles to the physical structure of your building. But this particular service is truly an amenity that can be offered across any property type.” More and more apartment operators are seemingly taking that approach. Airbnb said in 2017 that 13,000 units were listed through Friendly Buildings, and updated that number to “tens of thousands” of units last year. At SubletAlert.com, Maksim says an increasing number of his clients are trying out different mixes of both long-term and short-term rentals in their buildings, with the explicit aim of offering the ability to sublease as an amenity. “There is a lot of experimentation going on,” says Maksim. “You can imagine, if you have two similar buildings across the street from each other, and one allows sanctioned subleasing, and the other doesn’t, that could be perceived as a competitive advantage. That’s an amenity today’s renters want.”
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How EBMUD is preparing for Public Safety Power Shutoffs Customers should also be ready for power outages during high fire danger periods During the 2019 wildfire season (approximately June through November), PG&E may turn off electricity in designated areas when extreme fire danger conditions are forecasted (such as Red Flag Warnings, low humidity, high winds, and dry conditions). The specific areas and number of affected customers will depend on weather conditions and which circuits PG&E turns off for public safety. These precautions are called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
Here is what we are doing to prepare: ◉ We are working with PG&E to ensure we receive as much advance notice as possible so we can prepare and initiate our response.
during peak demand periods. We have additional portable generators and pumps to deploy as needed.
◉ When a Red Flag Warning is issued, we fill and maintain water tanks near capacity.
◉ We are managing vegetation around our facilities to reduce fire risk.
◉ EBMUD is stationing portable generators and pumps at designated critical facilities to keep our pumping plants running, and we’ve made arrangements to keep these generators fueled
◉ EBMUD is working with partners on controlled burns in the Orinda/Moraga hills to create fuel breaks that will make room for firefighters to combat flames and slow the spread of fire.
What does this mean for your water service? EBMUD has an action plan should we lose power. While PSPS is focused on high fire-threat areas, outages may affect any of our water facilities. Outages are expected to last up to two days; depending on weather conditions and power restoration efforts, however, some outages may last longer. A PSPS event could force EBMUD to switch to backup generators and pumps to power pumping plants, water treatment plants and other key facilities to keep water flowing, maintain storage and fire flow, and keep water distribution lines pressurized. 32 RENTAL HOUSING
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EBMUD has more than 122 pressure zones, which require power to pump water to higher elevations.
Preparing for Public Safety Power Shutoffs
What can you do? Before a PSPS event: 1. Make sure your contact information is updated with EBMUD and your local energy company. 2. Store a minimum of two gallons of water per person per day, enough to last three to seven days, and don’t forget your pets. The more water you can store, the better. 3. Identify your unique/critical water needs and plan ahead. 4. Clear your property of excess, dead and highly flammable vegetation. Trim grass and vegetation at least 30 feet around your home. 5. If you have a backup generator, test it and ensure it’s ready to operate safely. If you are affected by a PSPS event:
Stay informed We will need public cooperation to ensure we maintain critical water supplies. EBMUD will be developing and sharing more information on our PSPS preparation as we move
into late summer. Stay tuned for more information on ebmud.com, @ebmud on Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor and in EBMUD publications.
For more EBMUD information, please visit ebmud.com/psps For more information on PSPS, please visit pge.com/wildfiresafety For water emergencies, please call EBMUD Customer Service: 1-866-403-2683
1. Minimize water use during an event to leave as much water in the reservoirs as possible for firefighting. 2. Shut off irrigation. 3. Reduce indoor water use. 4. Stay tuned; there will be ongoing updates available through social media, news media and on EBMUD’s website. After a PSPS event: 1. Restock your water supplies. 2. Prepare for the next PSPS event. 3. Reset your irrigation controller while resetting other electronics to prevent overwatering.
•
RED FLAG WARNING
EBMUD has a proud history of providing high-quality drinking water for 1.4 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The District’s award-winning wastewater treatment protects San Francisco Bay and serves 685,000 customers.
General Manager Alexander R. Coate
East Bay Municipal Utility District Toll Free: 1-866-403-2683 www.ebmud.com •
4. Check regularly for updates from EBMUD and PG&E.
6/19 • 1M
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SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM NAA/ NMHC Viewpoint
The Section 8 housing choice voucher program has long served as America's primary method of rental assistance. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by local public housing authorities, the program provides subsidized rents for qualifying low-income families in private rental housing, including apartments.
The public-private Section 8 housing choice voucher program could be the nation's most effective affordable housing and community development tool. However, it is plagued with inefficiencies, onerous regulatory requirements and a flawed funding system. Lawmakers should address these issues to attract private housing providers' participation in the voluntary program.
This public-private partnership has the potential to be one of the most effective means of addressing our nation's affordable housing needs and supporting mixed-income communities. However, the program's potential success is limited by too many inefficient and duplicative requirements, which discourage private providers from accepting vouchers. These include a mandatory HUD tenancy addendum that supersedes the owner’s lease; repetitive unit inspections; resident eligibility certification; and other regulatory paperwork. Collectively, these make it more expensive for a private owner to rent to a Section 8 voucher holder. The program has also been plagued with a flawed and volatile funding system that has undermined private sector confidence in the program. With Congress focused on austerity measures, insufficient funding is expected to be worse in the near-term budget cycles. Common-sense reforms that could help control costs, improve the program for both renters and property owners, and increase private housing participation include: Putting a reliable funding formula in place; and further streamlining the property inspection process. It is also imperative for lawmakers to reinforce the voluntary nature of the program. Congress specifically made participation voluntary because of the regulatory burdens associated with it. However, state and federal governments are enacting laws that make it illegal for a private owner to refuse to rent to a Section 8 voucher holder. Recent examples include “source of income discrimination” provisions passed by a number of cities. While often well intentioned, such mandates are self-defeating because they greatly diminish private-market investment and reduce the supply of affordable housing.
Two million very or extremely low-income families are housed in the private market annually through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
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SECTION 8 REFORM BACKGROUND The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program has long served as America's primary method of providing rental assistance to low- and moderate-income families. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs), the program subsidizes rents for those who qualify in private rental housing, including apartments. This public-private partnership has the potential to be one of the most effective means of addressing our nation's affordable housing needs and supporting mixed-income communities. However, the potential success of the HCV program is limited by its inefficiency, inconsistent administration and duplicative requirements, all of which discourage housing providers in the private market from accepting vouchers. Significant reforms are needed to maximize the benefit of this critical resource for those it is intended to serve.
KEY TALKING POINTS While many private rental housing providers across the country participate in the HCV program, many more do not due to the burdensome administrative rules, requirements and procedures. These additional regulatory obligations result in a leasing process far more complicated and onerous than a conventional transaction. The inefficient and duplicative requirements include: a mandatory HUD tenancy addendum that supersedes the owner’s lease; repetitive unit inspections; resident eligibility certifications and other regulatory paperwork. The HCV program is administered by thousands of local PHAs. Owners operating in multiple jurisdictions must interact with multiple PHAs, each with unique program requirements, making compliance even more onerous. Inconsistent disbursement of subsidy payments, unnecessary supplemental lease terms and processing delays create uncertainty in rental housing operations and undermine the ability of owners to properly manage risk. Congress and the Administration need to identify and test new ways to reform and streamline the administration and structure of the HCV program. Examples of these can be found in the states and localities, including programs to ensure timely payment of rent subsidies, funds to mitigate owner risk and strategies to help low- and moderate-income families secure housing in neighborhoods with better school or employment opportunities. Because of the regulatory burdens associated with the HCV program, Congress wisely designed it to be voluntary. It should remain that way.
SPECIFIC REQUESTS Ask Senators and Representatives to support: Streamlining and reforming the HCV program to encourage more private participation. Greater overall funding to increase the supply of vouchers and improve the efficiency and administrative consistency of the program. Full implementation by all local program administrators of the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act (HOTMA) which included common-sense reforms such as streamlining inspections and income verification processes. Maintaining the voluntary nature of the HCV program.
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FRANK FIALA ROOFING, INC. All Types of Roofing & Repairs 15, 20, 25 Year Manufacturer’s Guarantee
Title 24 Compliant Roof Systems Commercial • Industrial • Residential
(510) 582-6929
Lic. #414359
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL *Plumbing Repairs *Fixtures Installations *Water Service Replacements *Sewer Diagnostic Videos *Trenchless Sewer Replacements *Automatic Seismic Gas Valves Installations *Drain Cleaning and Diagnostics *Tankless Hot Water Heaters
(925) 484-0124
www.ffialaroofing.com The Plumber Referred by Your Friends!
Lic. #686707
(510)843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com
CALL FOR NOMINEES TO EBRHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Are you energetic and interested in building a stronger association? Do you value the needs and rights of rental property owners? Do you have public affairs, marketing or outreach experience? If so, we’d like you to join our Board of Directors. • • • •
Terms are three years Members elected this year will serve on the Board from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2022 Election takes place at the Nov. 16 member meeting Applications are due Friday, Oct. 18
NOTE: Your application will be posted online and to all EBRHA members for review via email.
CONTACT NEWS@EBRHA.COM TO APPLY TODAY EBRHA.COM/BOARD 36 RENTAL HOUSING
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SIERRA CLUB TREE TEAM It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees. - Wangari Maathai
In 2008, the Oakland City Council cut funding to the city’s Tree Division and suspended routine treeplantings. Understanding that communities thrive where there are public trees, a civilian gathered community volunteers to continue planting trees throughout Oakland. The Sierra Club Tree Team was formally established in 2010, mobilizing groups of volunteers, donated handtools, and volunteered private vehicles to plant trees on sidewalks where homeowners had agreed to take care of the trees. As of June 2019, we have planted around 2,000 trees around Oakland!
Do you have a public area in front of your home that could be home to a tree? Can you commit to caring
Sierra Club Tree Team Website www.sierraclub.org/san-franciscobay/tree-planting
for the tree for at least 3 years? Beautify your neighborhood by signing up for a tree with the Tree
Volunteer through Meetup
Request Form.
www.meetup.com/sanfranciscobay
Want to volunteer to plant trees? Sign up to volunteer with us on our activities calendar or Meetup page.
Email us sctreeplanting@gmail.com
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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. 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.
EBRHA IS HERE FOR YOU. KEEP US INFORMED ON ANY COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THESE AGENCIES.
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License No. 797467
Seismic & General Contractors
www.wcpc-inc.com Tel: (510) 271-0950
Conform To Soft Story Apartment Building Seismic Ordinance San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland & Berkeley • Successful track record of seismic retrofitting numerous soft-story apartment buildings in the Bay Area. • construction—all under one company. • Guaranteed approval of engineering and construction in conformance to Soft Story Ordinance. • Screening, evaluation, engineering, construction, city sign-off • 20 plus years of experience with over 400 seismic retrofits completed. A design-build company. For inquiries, please contact Homy Sikaroudi, PhD, PE
UPCOMING WORKSHOP Rental Property Management (RPM) 103 DAT E & T I M E W E D NE S DAY, S E PT E M B E R 18, 2:00 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. P R E SE N T E D BY
C A R LO N L. TA NN E R O F B E ACO N PR O P E R T I E S
P R I C E F R E E TO E B R HA M E M B E R S, N O N - M E M B E R S $69
COMPLETE ELECTRIC Exit signs and Emergency back-up fixtures, Emergency calls, Expert trouble-shooting, Main service upgrades, Fuse boxes changed to breakers, GFCI plugs installed, Plugs grounded, Circuits added, Security lighting, Ambiance lighting, Garden/pathway lighting, Home and office remodels.
TO P I C S
Notices, Terminations, Security Deposits & Abandonment
TO SEE EBRHA’S FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS, TURN TO PAGE 32 OR GO TO WWW.EBRHA.COM Unless noted, all workshops are held at
3664 Grand Avenue • Suite B | Oakland, CA 94610 TO REGISTER, GO TO EBRHA.COM/EVENTS OR CALL 510-893-9873. REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Lic. # 966283 Clay Bartley • (510) 325-7462 cmpltelctrc@gmail.com www.complete-electric.org
EARTHQUAKE AND STRUCTURES, INC. Est. 1984
Structural • Civil • Construction Management
Premier Engineering Services in the Greater Bay Area Soft-story screening and report per city ordinances Seismic strengthening, foundations, and retaining walls Construction management and oversight Over 5,000 City approved construction projects. Knowledgeable, reliable, and insured Over 40 years of experience
Contact Bishwendu K. Paul, S.E., M. Eng. UC Berkeley Alumni Structural Lic. No. S003093
(510) 601-1065 (415) 835-6754
bk@esiengineers.com www.esiengineers.com ebrha.com
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community calendar
EVENTS & CLASSES
September
August There will be no events or seminars scheduled for the month of August.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH Small Property Roundtable Presented by: Wayne Rowland, EBRHA President The Small Property Owner Roundtable is a casual meeting to discuss issues, experiences and solutions to common-or perhaps not so common--problems many of you may be facing EBRHA Members Only 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH Rental Property Management (RPM) 103 Presented by: Carlon L. Tanner of Beacon Properties Topics: Topics: Termination of a Tenancy, Notices, Terminations, Security Deposit, Abandonment. .Free to EBRHA Members, Non-Members $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST EBRHA Member Meeting Topic: Soft Story Structures, Seismic Retrofitting Presented by: David Yadegar – Simplengi Topic: Water Conservation & Preservation, Wet Weather Facilities Charge Presented by: EBMUD Enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast EBRHA Members Only Networking 9:30 a.m. I Meeting: 10:00 am - Noon TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, Effective Communication With Your Tenants Presented by: Attorney Brent Kernan, EBRHA Board Member Topic: This new course offers insights into communicating with your tenants to get what you want and avoid what you don’t. It demonstrates strategies for dealing effectively with certain types of tenant personalities. It will cover written communications on such topics as fire safety, rent arrears, back rent payment plans, no smoking policies, and more. EBRHA Members Only 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH Property Management Q&A Presented by: Judy Shaw, EBRHA board member Come and get answers to property management questions from expert Judy Shaw, EBRHA Board Member EBRHA Members Only 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH Member Mixer Mixers provide EBRHA members with an opportunity to learn and network with other members, staff and board. Join us! Location: Aisle 5 EBRHA Members Only 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.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. 40 RENTAL HOUSING
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Oakland RENT ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM FEE
Annual fees are $68 per unit and are due March 1. However, this fee has just been increased to $101. Owners are currently 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
2019-20 (3.5%) A CPI increase of 3.5% becomes effective on July 1, 2019. 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.
PERIOD
AMOUNT (%)
JULY 1 ‘19 - JUNE 30 ‘20 . . . . . . . . . 3.5 JULY 1 ‘18 - JUNE 30 ‘19 . . . . . . . . . 3.4 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
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 $270 per unit and are due July 1.
RATES OF ANNUAL PAYMENT OF SECURITY DEPOSIT INTEREST PERIOD AMOUNT BERKELEY RATES
DEC. 2018. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% DEC. 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2% DEC. 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3% 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%
ANNUAL ALLOWABLE RENT INCREASE
2019 (2.5%) PERIOD AMOUNT
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.
2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5% 2018. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3% 2017. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8% 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% (1% + $3 IF TENANCY CREATED AFTER JAN. 1999) *ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS ARE ALLOWED IF AN OWNER PAID FOR ELECTRICITY OR HEAT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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
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
Richards Law John Richards | 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com
Law Offices of Elaine Lee Elaine Lee | 510-848-9528 www.elaineleeattorney.com
Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com
Richards Law John Richards | 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com
APPLIANCE SALES & PARTS
Appliance Parts Distributor Mike De Fazio | 510-357-8200 www.apdappliance.com
The Evictors Alan J. Horwitz | 510-839-2074 wwwalanhorwitzlaw.com
APPRAISERS
Access Appraisal: Apartment Specialists Joe Spallone, MAI | 510-601-1466 www.accessappraisal.com ARCHITECTURE
InsideOut Design Pennell Phillips | 510-655-1198 www.aboutinsideout.com
The Shepherd Law Group Michael Shepherd | 510-531-0129 www.theshepherdlawgroup.com Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com ATTORNEYS — LAND USE/CONDO CONVERSION
Beckman, Feller & Chang P.C. Fred Feller | 510-548-7474 www.bfc-legal.com
ASSOCIATIONS
BOMA Oakland/East Bay Julie Taylor, CAE | 510-893-8780 www.bomaoeb.org
Law Offices of Bill Ford Bill Ford | 415-306-7840 www.billfordlaw.com
Oakland/Berkeley Association of Realtors Davina Lara | 510-836-3000 Law Offices of John Gutierrez oaklandberkeleyaor.com John Gutierrez | 510-647-0600, x2 www.jgutierrezlaw.com Oakland Chamber of Commerce Barbara Leslie | 510-874-4808 Richards Law www.oaklandchamber.com John Richards | 925-231-8104 ATTORNEYS — EVICTIONS/PROPERTY OWNER DEFENSE
Beckman, Feller & Chang P.C. Fred Feller | 510-548-7474 www.bfc-legal.com Bornstein Law Daniel Bornstein | 510-836-0110, x1007 www.bornsteinandbornstein.com
BANKING/LENDING
Bridge Bank Dale Marie Golden | 510-899-7536 dale.golden@bridgebank.com Chase Commercial Josh Milnes | 510-891-4545 josh.milnes@chase.com Chase Commercial Ted Levenson | 415-945-5430 ted.levenson@chase.com Chase Bank Neil O’Callaghan | 415-315-8901 neil.ocallaghan@chase.net First Foundation Bank Michelle Li | 510-250-8133 www.ff-inc.com Luther Burbank Savings Gabriel Basso | 510-601-2400 gbasso@lbsavings.com Pacific Western Bank Marc Lipsett | 510-332-6964 www.pacificwesternbank.com BATHROOM/KITCHEN REMODELING & BUILDING SUPPLIES
www.richards-legal.com
American Bath Enterprises, Inc. Larry Arcadi | 510-785-2600 www.americanbathind.com
Zacks, Freedman & Patterson, PC Lisa Padilla | 415-956-8100 www.zfplaw.com
APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com
ATTORNEYS — REAL ESTATE/CORP.
Burnham Brown Charles Alfonzo | 510-835-6825 www.burnhambrown.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
Burnham Brown Charles Alfonzo | 510-835-6825 www.burnhambrown.com
Ericksen Arbuthnot Jason Mauck | 510-832-7770 www.ericksenarbuthnot.com
Dennis Phillips 510-816-4306 www.dapesq.com
Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried | 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com
Ericksen Arbuthnot Jason Mauck | 510-832-7770 www.ericksenarbuthnot.com
Jack Schwartz, Attorney at Law Jack Schwartz | 650-863-5823 jwsjr1220@comcast.net
Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried | 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com
Law Offices of Bill Ford Bill Ford | 415-306-7840 www.billfordlaw.com
A-One Construction Ginny Graydon | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com
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
ALP Construction & Painting Adrian Perez | 925-567-4777 www.alpconstructionca.com
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KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Sincere Home Decor Hei Chan | 510-835-9988 www.sincerehomedecor.com CONSTRUCTION
vendor directory APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com BayPro Property Solutions, Inc. Sergio Rodriguez | 925-895-7898 sergio@bayprosolutions.com 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 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 HARBRO Emergency Services & Restoration Malcolm Stanley | 650-670-2364 malcolm.stanley@harbro.com P.W. Stephens Environmental Steve MacFarlane | 510-651-9506 www.pwsei.com Servpro of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda Jenny Villena | 925-299-1323 servpro9542@sbcglobal.net DOORS & GATES
R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com ELECTRICIANS
Complete Electric Clay Bartley | 510-325-7462 www.complete-electric.org Momentum Electrical Contractors Tom Grealis | 888-280-0794 www.momentum-electric.com 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
All-Guard Alarm Systems Sean Cooke | 510-909-7230 www.allguardsystems.com FLOOR COVERINGS
Bay Area Contract Carpets, Inc. Ken Scott | 510-613-0300 www.bayareacontractcarpets.com FURNITURE MANUFACTURE
Zuo Serena Martin | 510-877-4087 www.zuomod.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 KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Start to Finish Christopher Bailey | 510-727-9128 cpmbailey@sbcglobal.net HAULING SERVICES
KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING
Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman | 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com HOUSING SERVICES
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 East Bay Indoors Howard Oliver | 510-666-6711 www.ebindoors.com INSPECTIONS
ECS Group, Inc. Shawn Rau | 707-732-3370 shawn@ecsgroup.net SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott | 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com INSURANCE
AAA - NCNU (Oakland Rockridge) Sherri Kamaka | 510-350-2060 sherrianne.kamaka@norcal.aaa.com 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 PFN Insurance Services Nicholas Penland | 510-483-6667 www.pfninsurance.com Jain L. Williams - State Farm Insurance Jain L. Williams | 510-530-3222 www.jainwilliams.com Kelly Lux — State Farm Insurance Kelly Lux | 510-521-1222 Kelly.lux.gjcg@statefarm.com Pacific Diversified Insurance Richard Callaway | 925-788-5558 rcallaway@pdins.com INTERNET & PHONE SERVICE PROVIDERS
Hamilton Family Center – First Avenues Common Networks Mayo Lunt | 510-763-8540 Allan Ng | 510-480-6732 www.hamiltonfamilycenter.org www.commonnetworks.com Abode Services Audrey Kwon | 510-657-7409 x232 www.abodeservices.org ebrha.com
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vendor directory Sonic Leah Gulley | 707-237-2459 www.sonic.com
Western Exterminator Company Steve McHenry | 510-606-0602 www.westernexterminator.com
INTERCOMS & ACCESS CONTROLS
PLUMBING/WATER HEATERS
R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com
Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman | 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com Fast Water Heater Company Michael Kirk | 866-465-7442 www.fastwaterheater.com
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Martinez Real Estate Investment Jose Martinez | 510-769-0436
L. J. Kruse Co. Beth Baldwin | 510-644-0260 www.ljkruse.com
LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT
Excalibur Laundries Richard Lisowski | 510-872-1664 www.excaliburlaundries.com
Roto-Rooter Martin Alvarez | 510-755-1262 sanactma@aol.com
Innovative Coin K.P. Forrest | 510-259-1494 www.innovativelaundry.com
Water Heaters Only, Inc. Yana Carpenter | 800-835-5946 www.waterheatersonly.com
PWS, The Laundry Company Herb McKay | 650-871-0300 www.pwslaundary.com
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
LAUNDRY MACHINE PAYMENTS BY SMARTPHONE
ShinePay George Melcer | 732-763-6780 www.getshinepay.com LEAD, MOLD & PEST MANAGEMENT
Alameda County Healthy Homes Dept. Larry Brooks | 510-567-8282 larry.brooks@acgov.org or aclppp.org LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES
SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott | 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com
PEST & VECTOR CONTROL
Terminix Robert Sater | 510-489-8689 www.terminix.com 44 RENTAL HOUSING
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OMM Inc./Mason Management Janice Mason | 510-522-8074 www.ommhomes.com
Sphinx Property Management Jon Goree | 510-798-9299 www.sphinxpm.com
KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles | 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com
Vision Property Management Frank Thomas | 510-926-4104 www.vpmpropertymanagement.com
Canyon Pacific Management Tom Scripps | 415-495-4739 www.canyonpacific.com
California American Exterminator Tami Stuparich | 831-338-4800 www.calamericanext.com
Mynd Stacy Winship | 510-455-2667 www.mynd.co
APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry | 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com
Beacon Properties Carlon Tanner | 510-428-1864 www.beaconprop.com
Majestic Painters Nick Capurro | 925-336-0526 www.majesticpainters.com
Marquardt Property Management Karen or Judi Marquardt | 510-530-2050 www.mpmoakland.com
Shaw Properties Judy Shaw | 510-665-4350 www.shawprop.com
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
ALP Construction & Painting Adrian Perez | 925-567-4777 www.alpconstructionca.com
Lapham Company Jon M. Shahoian | 510-594-7600 www.laphamcompany.com
ALP Construction & Painting Adrian Perez | 925-567-4777 www.alpconstructionca.com
Bay Property Group Daniel Bornstein | 510-836-0110 www.baypropertygroup.com
PAINTERS
Kasa Properties Tania Kapoor Mirchandani | 415-377-9452 tania@kasaproperties.com
Seville Real Estate and Management Maya Clark | 510-244-1289 www.sevillepropertymanagment.com
SYNCrew John Cranston | 415-968-1593 www.syncrew.com
Smiota Inc Waheed Rasheed | 408-332-1352 www.smiota.com
ERI Property Management Terrence Sims | 510-883-7070 www.erirentals.com
A-One Construction Eva Morrissey | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE
PACKAGE LOCKERS & DELIVERY MANAGEMENT
The Enterprise Company William McLetchie | 510-444-0876 www.theenterpriseco.com
Cedar Properties Jonathan Weldon | 510-834-0782 www.cedarproperties.com 4Crane Management Kit Crane | 510-918-2306 www.cranemanagment.net ebrha.com
Wellington Property Company Jillian Loh | 510-338-0588 www.wellingtonpropertyco.com Woodminster Property Management Nicholas Drobocky | 510-336-0202 www.woodminstermanagement.com REAL ESTATE BROKERS & AGENTS
ARA Newmark Ryan Denman | 415-430-1031 www.aranewmark.com/norcal ARA Pacific Mike Colhoun | 415-273-2177 www.arausa.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Serenity Thompson | 415-846-6957 serenity.thompson@bhghome.com Better Homes Realty Rene Mendieta | 510-388-4092 rmendieta@att.net Caldecott Properties Andy Read | 510-594-2400 www.caldecott.com
vendor directory 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
Woodminster Real Estate Co Inc. Nicholas Drobocky | 510-336-0202 www.woodminsterrealty.com RENT & MARKET RESEARCH
Rentometer Michael Lapsley | 781-405-2978 www.rentometer.com RENT CONTROL CONSULTANTS
Edrington and Associates Steven Edrington | 510-749-4880 steve@edringtonandassociates.com
Bay Property Group Cristian Villarreal | 510-474-7404 cristian@baypropertygroup.com
Lapham Company Tsegab Assefa | 510-594-0643 www.laphamcompany.com
Edrington and Associates Steven Edrington | 510-749-4880 steve@edringtonandassociates.com
Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Rent Board Matters Liz Hart | 510-813-5440 Michael Lopus | 925-239-1424 liz.hart1801@gmail.com mlopus@lee-associates.com St. John & Associates Litton/Fuller Group Michael St. John | 510-845-8928 Luke Blacklidge | 510-548-4801, x130 www.stjohnandassociates.net www.littonfullergroup.com Marcus & Millichap Eli Davidson | 510-379-1280 eli.davidson@marcusmillichap.com Marcus & Millichap David Wolfe | 510-379-1200 www.marcusmillichap.com NAI Northern California Grant Chappell | 510-336-4721 www.nainorcal.com NAI Northern California Timothy Norkol | 510-336-4724 tnorkol@nainorcal.com The Pinza Group Steven Pinza | 510-725-4775 www.pinzagroup.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
Fidelity Roof Company Doug Kellor | 510-547-6330 www.fidelityroof.com Frank Fiala Roofing Frank Fiala | 510-582-6929 www.ffialaroofing.com
PTLA Real Estate Company Page Roberson | 925-937-7400 www.ptlareg.com
General Roofing Company Michael Wakerling | 510-536-3356 www.generalroof.com
Seville Real Estate and Management Maya Clark | 510-610-7699 www.homesbyseville.com Sharon Medairy, Realtor® Real Estate Source, Inc. | 510-517-9969 www.medairy.net5 Six Degrees Realty Stephanie Christmas | 510-461-4663 www.stephaniechristmas.com
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
Earthquake & Structures, Inc. B.K. Paul | 510-601-1065 www.esiengineers.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 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
ROOFERS
A-One Construction Eva Morrissey | 510-347-5400 www.a-oneconstruction.com
Property Counselors Link Corkery, Inc. Nadine Corkery | link@linkcorkery.com www.pclclink.com
Red Oak Realty Vanessa Bergmark | 510-292-2000 vanessa@redoakrealty.com
SEISMIC CONSTRUCTION
SECURITY/SURVEILLANCE
TOWING SERVICE
Ken Betts Towing Service Ayub Azam | 510-532-5000 www.kenbettscompany.com PPI Towing Stephanie Gipson | 510-533-9600 www.ppitowwing.net TREE SERVICE
Coastal Tree Service Hans Waller | 510-693-4631 www.coastaltreeservice.com WASTE & RECYCLING MAINTENANCE
Bastion Security David Raske | 800-783-5700 draske@bastionsecurity.com
Bay Area Bin Support Nancy Fiame | 888-920-BINS www.bayareabinsupport.com
R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright | 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com
Clean Waste Revolution LLC Trivia Flowers | 510-565-4282 www.cleanwasterev.com
Stealth Monitoring Alex Godwin-Austen | 925-200-0823 aausten@stealthmonitoring.com
Copia Resources, Inc. Stephanie Layman | 925-453-9495 www.copiaresources.com Trashlogic, LLC Lainika Johnson | 888-384-3131 www.trashlogic.com
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ad index
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JOIN TODAY! CALL 510-893-9873 OR GO TO WWW.EBRHA.COM/JOIN 46 RENTAL HOUSING
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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.
Maisel Property Management, Inc. Serving Oakland and Surrounding Areas
MPM
5942 MacArthur Blvd, Ste. E Oakland, CA 94605 Next Door to Better Homes Realty
Level of service and fees tailored to your needs We can locate qualified tenants for your vacancies Experienced with Section 8 tenants Over 65 years of combined experience in residential property management in Oakland
EAST OAKLAND Specialist! www.maiselpropertymanagement.com
510-568-4444 510-562-8600
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
What happens when you don't advertise?
NOTHING Advertise in Rental Housing magazine to reach owners and managers of 30,000+ rental units.
Protect Your Rental Property Rights! GO TO EBRHA.COM/LEGAL-FUND TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LEGAL FUND TODAY!
GO TO WWW.EBRHA.COM/ADVERTISING FOR DETAILS
TURN TO PAGE 40 TO SEE ALL OF EBRHA’S UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS ASSISTING PROPERTY OWNERS WITH THEIR LEGAL NEEDS SINCE 1975. Effective. Efficient. Economical. 510-839-2067 TheEvictors.com
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SAVE THE DATE INFORMATION NETWORKING ADVOCACY COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS
13th Annual Trade Expo & Symposium Thursday, October 24, 2019 3:00PM - 7:00PM Greek Orthodox Cathedral 4700 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, CA
All Bay Area rental housing vendors are invited to EBRHA’s 13th Annual Trade Expo. Share best practices and meet face-to-face with our many members who are rental owners who seek assistance with mainenance, Everyone is encouraged to participate in our survey for a chance to win a spectacular prize. Space is limited, so claim your space in advance!
VENDORS: RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY!
TO CLAIM YOUR SPOT
Email Sophia at Events@EBRHA.com or Call 510-893-9873
JOIN TODAY! CALL 510-893-9873 OR GO TO WWW.EBRHA.COM/JOIN 48 RENTAL HOUSING
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