Rental Housing September 2015

Rental

Housing EAST BAY RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION | SEPTEMBER 2015

PICTURE PERFECT

Use photo technology to make your listings shine

PLUS: CHOOSING THE BEST PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE REPRESENTING YOURSELF AT THE OAKLAND RENT BOARD: APPEALS

Contents

East Bay Rental Housing Association

SEPTEMBER 2015

Volume XII, Number 9 September 2015 EBRHA OFFICE

Features & Columns

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

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

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

Esteban Cortez | ecortez@ebrha.com ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Cathy Hayden | chayden@ebrha.com MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT

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22 Picture Perfect

Representing Yourself at the Rent Board: Appeals

BY JAKE MEADOR

Monica Wong | mwong@ebrha.com EBRHA OFFICERS PRESIDENT Wayne C. Rowland VICE PRESIDENT Luke Blacklidge VICE PRESIDENT Jack Schwartz TREASURER Abbe Sultan SECRETARY Fred Morse MEMBER Rick Philips EBRHA DIRECTORS

Mark Almeida, Symon Chang, Reggie Hairston, Carmen Madden, Conor Murphy, Michael Pallas, Rick Philips, Sarah Picker, Judy Shaw

BY LIZ HART & CLIFFORD FRIED

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PUBLISHED BY

East Bay Rental Housing Association PUBLISHER

Wayne C. Rowland

Buyer’s Guide to Property Management Software

BY TAYLOR SHORT

MANAGING EDITOR Jill Broadhurst EDITOR Tina Bocheff ART DIRECTOR & COPY EDITOR Esteban Cortez ADVERTISING

Tina Bocheff | 510.318.8303

Features & Columns 30 GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Candidates Multiplying as is the Rhetoric

NEWS

City of Richmond Approves Rent Control Ordinance 8

TECH TALK

Make Your Job Easier with tech

10 COMMUNITY PARTNER Compost Carts Arrive with Lots of Help for Oakland Property Owners and Residents

BY KAREN STERN

12

MARKET OUTLOOK

BY GREG BROWN

32

ESQ&A

BY LEON H. ROUNTREE III

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

Events & Directory 34 GREEN SHEET 36 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 38 M EMBER DIRECTORY 42 M EMBERSHIP APPLICATION 42 A D INDEX

East Bay Market Continues to Soar

BY GRANT CHAPPELL 2 RENTAL HOUSING

A Reasonable Demand?

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

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

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 © 2015 by EBRHA. All rights reserved.

COVER PHOTO: EMILY MAY

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New Curbside Bulky Pickup for Oakland Apartments & Condos!

Schedule Curbside or Bin Collection at Your Convenience Mattress set left by the last move out? Utility closest overflowing? Microwave kaput?

No worries. As part of the City of Oakland’s new Zero Waste services, multifamily buildings are entitled to 1.5 cubic yards per unit* of bulky material collection annually (January 1 – December 31).

Eligible items per set-out include: • 1 large appliance

• 2 carpets (rolled)

• 2 monitors

• Computers, consumer electronics, scrap metal, cardboard, unpainted wood and plant debris – bundled, boxed or bagged.

• 2 tires • 2 mattresses

No Hazardous Waste, Bagged Items over 75 Pounds or Rocks, Dirt or Concrete.

You may also order a free roll off box for a building-wide cleanup event (special set-out requirements apply to the eligible items listed above).

You can customize this service to your needs. This is another way Oakland Recycles is helping to create a greener, cleaner Oakland.

Call Waste Management today at (510) 613-8710 to schedule your bulky collection. *For instance, a 10-unit building receives 15 cubic yards of bulky materials collection a year. For your convenience, the allocation and usage are tracked on your monthly bill.

contributors LIZ HART Liz Hart has provided expertise to property owners for over 20 years. She offers consulting services on rent control and property management matters to San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley property owners as well as being a consultant for the law firm of Fried & Williams LLP. She is a passionate advocate for property owners in rent controlled communities and is always eager to discuss unique issues they face.

TAYLOR SHORT Taylor Short is a Market Research Associate at Software Advice. He previously worked as a reporter for six years, focusing on local coverage of city governments, businesses, schools and police. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas and worked for newspapers in Denton, Dallas, Cleburne, Killeen and Austin.

Taylor tutored English and wrote for Reuters News Agency before joining Software Advice in Fall 2013.

CLIFFORD FRIED Clifford Fried is a real estate attorney with expertise in landlord-tenant law, eviction and rent control matters in Oakland and the Bay Area. He and his law firm represent residential landlords only and are one of the largest such firm in Northern California. He has authored several books on rental housing and has written hundreds of articles on rental property ownership.

KAREN STERN Karen Stern is excited to be a part of the Oakland Recycles team. She has been helping businesses, residents and community groups recycle since the California “Bottle Bill” passed in 1986. With the advent of food scraps collection, a kitchen pail displaced her disposal and WM EarthCare compost became a staple of her garden—it’s never looked better!

ONLINE TENANT SCREENING

To Schedule an Appointment, Call (510) 893-9873 EBRHA provides members with low-cost online resident screening.

Partnered with Contemporary Information Corp. (CIC), resident screening has one objective: to make sure your leasing decisions make the greatest possible contribution to your bottom line. As of 2015, rental property owners can collect a maximum of $45.99 for an application fee.

MEMBER PRICING Basic Report* . . . . . . . . . . . $15 Bad Check Search. . . . . . . . $10 Social Security Search. . . . . $7 Criminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10 Criminal (County) . . . . . . . . $10 Verbal and Fax Reports . . . . . . . Add $20

*Includes TransUnion credit report, FICO score and eviction history

JAKE MEADOR Jake Meador is an inbound marketing specialist with Rentping Media, a full-service digital apartment marketing firm in Lincoln, NE . In his free time, Jake enjoys reading, watching soccer and spending time with family. He lives in Lincoln with his wife and two children.

East Bay Rental Housing Association TEL

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ebrha.com

510.893.9873 | FAX 510.893.2906 www.ebrha.com

925-344-5755 877-264-6964

(Call Now For a Free Estimate)

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news with us. The lack of transparency and notice for this proposed ordinance seems highly unethical and illegal. Will you join us in this fight? Please email us at news@ ebrha.com or fill out our EBRHA On Your Side form now! We also encourage all EBRHA members to share this information with anyone who owns property in Richmond. Source: The Richmond Standard.

Alameda City Council Okays New Rules on Rents Committee The Alameda City Council gave its

PHOTO: DON MCCULLOUGH

City of Richmond Approves Rent Control Ordinance THE CITY OF RICHMOND APPROVED A RENT CONTROL ORDINANCE, SET TO TAKE EFFECT SEPTEMBER 4, 2015. BELOW ARE DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW ORDINANCE: RENT CONTROL

The rent control portion caps rents to annual increases of no more than 100% of the Consumer Price Index—about 1.5 to 2%—for nearly 10,000 units in the city. Excluded from rent control are all single-family homes, units built after Feb. 1, 1995, Section 8 recipients, hotels, condominiums and nonprofits providing childcare and other social services.

JUST CAUSE EVICTIONS

The just cause portion of the ordinance, also taking effect Sept. 4, applies to all residential units in the city, including condos and single-family homes, but not for units such as hotels or nonprofit service providers. The ordinance replaces the current system where property owners only need to give notice, not a reason, for eviction. Just causes for eviction include illegal activity in a unit or failure to pay rent. In cases of no-fault evictions, owners are subject to paying tenants a relocation fee of two times the monthly rent in addition to a $1,000 fee. EBRHA urges all Richmond rental property owners to reach out and organize 6 RENTAL HOUSING

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initial approval to an ordinance that would require rental property owners to take part in hearings conducted by the city’s Rent Review Advisory Committee.

The committee’s members mediate tenant landlord disputes over rent increases.

But its recommendations are not binding, and renters have complained that the committee procedures are essentially unenforceable. The council also agreed to undertake a formal study of what some are calling a local housing crisis. Council members also revised the ordinance to also include tenants renting only a room in a home. Rather than appoint a city-sponsored task force that would hold hearings and make recommendations on a rent ordinance, the council settled on a facilitated process in which a community group came up with a series of discussion points that tenants and owners agreed on. Under the city’s new rules, owners must inform tenants of their right to a hearing when they send a notice of a rent increase. If the property owner or his designee does not show up to the hearing, the disputed rent increase will be void and cannot be imposed for at least a year.

The city will rely on the courts to enforce the law. Failure to comply with the notice or hearing requirements can only be used as a defense by tenants when contesting a subsequent eviction for failure to pay the increased rent in court. Other tenant advocates suggested mandatory code inspections on properties where rents are being raised, a moratorium on rent hikes, financial assistance for those forced to move and full reimbursement of security deposits. Final approval of the new rules is pending. Source: The Alamedan

Oakland’s Free Drop Off Event Generates Positive Results On Saturday, August 1, nearly 40 cars

lined up before 10 a.m. to be one of the first for Oakland’s free Bulky Drop Off Event at Waste Management’s Davis Street Transfer Station in San Leandro. A steady stream of cars and trucks arrived at Waste Management’s Davis Street Transfer Station in San Leandro over the next four hours. Nearly 200 visitors delivered an impressive array of materials totaling: 180 mattresses, 315 electronics, 63 tires and 15 appliances. Plus tons of: metal (1.73 tons), furniture (36.87 tons) and other materals (10.77 tons). To put this in perspective, during an average eight-hour day, the Davis Street facility receives 1/10 the number of tires, 1/5 the number of electronics and 1/3 the number of appliances and an equal number of mattresses from throughout Alameda County. Waving her bill insert when asked how she heard about the event, one resident exclaimed, “I am positively giddy to be here for a free dump day!” Another resident with a car full of materials said, “My landlord told me about it.” And more than one driver showed the EBRHA postcard announcement. The next Bulky Drop Off Day is Saturday, November 7. Look for your bill insert in October, as well as flyers and other notices in the community. The Bulky Drop Off event is held every quarter on the first Saturday in February, May, August and November.

For more information, call Waste Management at (510) 613-8710.

Register Now for EBRHA’s 9th Annual Trade Expo on October 1 EBRHA’s 9th Annual Trade Expo will be held on Thursday, October 1 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Greek Orthodox Church in Oakland. This year’s event will feature top local vendors, complimentary food and drink, and timely educational workshops. Registration is now open, and attendance is free to members and their guests, and only $20 for non-members. To register or exhibit, go to www.ebrha.com/expo. RH

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Contact Ted Levenson, Client Manager at (415) 464-2909 or ted.levenson@chase.com Credit is subject to approval. Rates and programs are subject to change; certain restrictions apply. Products and services provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. #1 claim based on 2012 HMDA data. ©2014 JPMorgan Chase & Co. Member FDIC. All rights reserved. PA_14_208

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tech talk

Make Your Job Easier with Tech Streamline everyday tasks with these tech devices and services

KEEP YOUR TEAM IN SYNC WITH SYNCREW

SYNCrew. SYNCrew is the easiest way to organize a mobile workforce. With GPS-tagged and timestamped project photos, the app proves your team did great work, helps you stay compliant with labor laws, and creates an essential archive of all the work your company does. Construction, maintenance, and other mobile employees use SYNCrew’s user-friendly Android and iPhone apps to record their daily activity with required photos. Office managers can watch the company’s progress in real-time to check quality and timing. With unlimited storage, SYNCrew makes it easy to pull hours for payroll, check hours worked for billing and allocation, assure a client of time on site, and more. All your information is automatically organized—any project photo ever taken can be found in less then 3 clicks! SYNCrew also puts your mind at ease with common headaches associated with mobile employees by sending automatic alerts to their phones to remind them to take their required breaks and to clock out before they go into expensive overtime without your authorization. To learn more, go to www.syncrew.com and let them know you’re a member of EBRHA to get their best price anywhere.

ARE THERE HIGH-TECH APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES THAT WORK FOR YOUR RENTAL BUSINESS?

We want to hear from you! Please share your experiences by contacting us at news@ebrha.com.

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MAKING LISTING AND FINDING RENTERS EASY

RadPad. Listing properties is time consuming and finding the strongest leads is stressful. RadPad now makes it easy with their streamlined design and ample feed integration options that do the work for you. Boasting an app-first user experience, RadPad is the fastest growing company in this competitive space, providing the best of today’s renters who prefers to search, find and secure their next home on the go and at the touch of a button. Add the award winning product “Pay with RadPad” - a free opt-in service that utilizes credit card or debit card to 100% guarantee on time, every time rent payment - and RadPad makes listing and renting fun and easy again, bringing your best renter right to your doorstep. Visit www.onradpad.com to start listing today.

THE AIRBNB FOR STORAGE AND PARKING

Roost. Roost is a peer-to-peer marketplace that is evolving the way people use and share space. It allows people in need of storage and parking to rent it from trusted locals nearby.

It offers an ideal solution for homeowners and property managers to easily monetize all of the unused storage and parking spaces in their building by renting it to others. Roost offers a convenient search and discovery platform, automated payments, and trusted reviews for a seamless experience— free of applications, bounced checks, and personal liability with their $10,000 guarantee. The platform makes managing multiple listings simple, and Roost has an exceptional customer service team that helps out every step of the way. All you have to do is list your space and let Roost take care of the rest. Start monetizing your extra space by visiting www.roost.com.

Vendor Fair • Workshops • Oktoberfest Reception • Free Parking 9TH ANNUAL

Trade Expo

Presented by

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 3:00 - 7:00 P.M. Greek Orthodox Church 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland EBRHA Members & Registered Guests: Free Non-Members: $20 (fee can be applied to new membership)

The Bay Area Expo for Residential Rental Property Owners & Managers

Workshops include • New Rental Housing Laws for 2016 • Improving Your Real Estate Portfolio: Strategies for Success • Legal Q&A with Leading Rental Housing Attorneys and Experts

Speakers Ron Kingston President, CPCG EBRHA State Lobbyist

James Kilpatrick President NAI Norcal

Clifford Fried

Sponsored by

Attorney Fried & Williams LLP

Daniel Bornstein Attorney Bornstein & Bornstein

REGISTER NOW AT WWW.EBRHA.COM/EXPO

ebrha.com | SEPTEMBER 2015 | RENTAL HOUSING 9 To exhibit, contact Tina Bocheff at 510-318-8303 or tbocheff@ebrha.com

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community partner

“The outreach team was wellinformed and articulate,” said Pat Coutour, treasurer of a 12-unit condominium homeowners’ association. “They provided helpful signage and went doorto-door delivering kitchen pails and recycling caddies to residents and answering their questions. As a result most people are doing their best to participate.”

Oakland’s zero waste goals can only be reached with the participation of property managers and residents. By diverting compostable materials from the landfill, Oaklanders will help to create soil-enriching compost and reduce the amount of The Oakland Recycles team provides array of free materials going to landfills. There is also an immediate benefit to property owners services to help residents recycle right. BY KAREN STERN -- by reducing the amount of materials in your trash container, you may be able to reduce your service levels and control your trash bills.

“I’m already planning to switch from a one cubic yard bin to less expensive cart service,” said Sergio Valdez, a sevenunit property owner who had outreach ambassadors provide services to his property. “The compost cart was almost full after one week. My residents are good recyclers so they wanted to compost.

They are doing a good job. It’s good for everybody!”

Owners of larger buildings are also having success. After receiving an EBRHA n July 1, thousands of green postcard offering outreach services, land and Alameda County requirements compost carts were emptied EBRHA-member Eric Sorenson called to and opportunities for assistance. for the first time at apartment schedule site visits at his four properties, Since June, property owners and and condo buildings across Oakland. ranging between 14 and 36 units each. managers have been able to request Building residents deposited food “Scheduling the site visit was easy and these services via the East Bay Rental scraps, food-soiled paper and plant the staff was so helpful,” Sorenson said.

Housing Association website (ebrha. debris for composting. Residents in “I notified residents about the doorcom/zerowaste). Responding to these more than 55,000 condo and apartment requests is a trained group of bilinto-door outreach and they were really buildings now have access to compost excited. I couldn’t get kitchen pails fast gual (Spanish and Mandarin) outreach collection services. enough! There is a real interest in food ambassadors managed by the sustainIt is part of the new zero waste scrap recycling.” ability experts Cascadia services from the Oakland Recycles pro- Consulting in cooperation “If you need The ambassador gram, which aims to divert compostable with Waste Management help rolling out a team provides “boots on and recyclable materials from our compost program the ground” to support of Alameda County, Inc. landfills. To help multifamily property or educating residents and property (WMAC) and California owners and residents integrate this new residents about owners to recycle right.

Waste Solutions (CWS). service into their buildings and lifestyles, To date, Cascadia’s what goes where, Andrea Deleon manages the Oakland Recycles team is providing take advantage the team for Cascadia ambassadors have visited an array of free services. These include of this winning Consulting and says over 200 properties and in-person service level reviews and door- delivered recycling cadcombination of requests have been pourto-door resident outreach; wall signage, services. Visit ebrha. ing in. dies and kitchen pails for residential kitchen pails and recycling com/zerowaste or “Every day is never more than 1,000 resicaddies; and a property owners compre- dents, with many more call 510-613-2888 to the same because no hensive tool kit that outlines both Oakrequest a site visit.” two apartment or condo on the way.

Compost Carts Arrive with Lots of Help for Oakland Property Owners and Residents

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buildings are the same,” Deleon said.

“We tailor our assistance based on the needs of the building, whether it’s adjusting trash, compost, and recycle service levels with WMAC and CWS; posting up signage; or determining the best outreach strategy to reach and educate residents about the new waste reduction program at their home.”

Also lending their efforts to boots on the ground outreach are volunteers with the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA). NCRA volunteers, including Local 6 recycling workers who live in Oakland, are conducting door-todoor outreach to residents on Saturday morning once or twice a month. NCRA President Laura McKaughan works with WMAC and the City of Oakland to select neighborhoods and identify up to 50 properties to contact in each one. McKaughan reaches out to owners in advance to ask permission to bring kitchen pails and information to share with residents.

“We try to target the multifamily buildings and neighborhoods where the recycling workers live,” McKaughan said.

“By helping to educate people about the importance of food scraps recycling and putting the correct materials in the right cart, it is a win-win for the workers and the community.”

Everyone wins when residents compost and recycle right. If you need help rolling out a compost program or educating residents about what goes where, take advantage of this winning combination of services. Visit ebrha.com/zerowaste or call 510-613-2888 to request a site visit.

You may also order an array of materials from signage to kitchen pails at ebrha. com/zerowaste to either pick up at the WMAC office (172 98th Avenue, Oakland) or have delivered. This fall, look for a new tool on the Oakland Recycles and EBRHA websites – videos with Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese speakers demonstrating how easy it is to collect food scraps for composting. Together we will create a greener, cleaner Oakland. RH

Are you still having service or billing issues with Oakland’s garbage and recycling services?

Don’t forget, to lower your rates immediately, make sure you are adhering to the New Minimum Service Requirements, available at www.ebrha.com/ zerowaste.

You can now reduce your garbage cart size to 20 gallons per unit, and decrease your rate. For example, for 1-4 unit buildings, four 20 gallon carts are $128.40 per month. However, if you have one 96 gallon cart, the rate is $102.43 per month. Call Waste Management for assistance with rightsizing your service: (510) 613-8710.

Ongoing, EBRHA is continuing to work with the City on the current contract and service costs, including the push and key service fees. We are exploring adjusting some ancillary services which will reduce the overall monthly cost, as well as reviewing a possible waste pass-through cost to residents.

If you would like to share your story with Oakland staff and council please complete the “EBRHA On Your Side” form, available at www.ebrha.com/members/ebrha-on-your-side, and attach a copy of your Waste Management bill. RH

Karen Stern is the Waste Management of Alameda County Communications Manager. She is a member of the Oakland Recycles team, responsible for the launch of the new Zero Waste collection services on July 1, 2015. She can be reached at kstern2@wm.com.

PHOTO: FLICKR USER SZCZEL

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market outlook

introducing rent control around the country in places like Seattle and Boston. New housing supply can’t come fast enough given the many years with so little development, due to the recession.

The nationwide vacancy rate has fallen to 6.8%, its lowest level since the 1980’s, from 7.5% a year earlier, according to a recent report by the Census Bureau.

Home ownership also sits at a 35-year low of 63.4%, despite record low interest rates. While values have rebounded and foreclosures have slowed tremendously, little has been done to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Qualifying for a conventional loan is still tough and wages have not recovered to pre-recession levels.

Locally, I’ve talked to more investors who feel like they’re sitting on the sidelines as hardly any properties come up for Alameda, Berkeley and Oakland post recordsale. Some properties sell “off-market”, often at premium prices. Yet many midbreaking numbers in Q2 2015. BY GRANT CHAPPELL sized to larger apartment complexes are ver the past three to four years, trading well above asking prices. DependWhile the Federal Reserve is expected it feels like we’ve been living ing on how heavily the brokers underto raise short term rates before the end in a “bubble” in the Bay Area. write a deal, it’s not uncommon to see of the year, the first time in nearly a Our economy recovered faster than properties sell at or below a 4% Cap rate decade, bond prices have moved the most of the U.S. and world, rents and and more than 14 – 15 GRM in better opposite direction with lower yields on real estate values sky rocketed and the parts of the East Bay. One investor told the 10-year since early summer. Rates region firmly established its position as me, “We haven’t bought a deal all year on commercial loans had ticked through ground zero for the technology industry. much of the spring, putting a squeeze on and would be willing to be more aggresWe seemed immune, in some respects, to underwriting and loan-to-value ratios. sive in urban areas like Oakland and the economic woes stagnating most of Berkeley. But you can’t get much leverage Some speculate that even a modest rise the country. With low vacancy rates and in interest rates would send a shock on a 3.5% Cap rate.” astronomical commercial rents in San I had a chance to catch up with Al message to the market that “the party’s Francisco, more companies are reloStephens, a veteran broker with Hyland over,” while others sense it would take cating to the East Bay. The “spillover Stephens Partners, to get his take on the a number of consecutive rate raises to effect” from San Francisco continues to market. He summed it up with: “Cap really slow the markets down. Cap rates push rents and values as this historically have still fallen on many asset classes, rates are at historic lows, often 250 basis sleepy market continues to roar. lower than the 10-year an array. Likedespite an uptick on rates through the Oakland now ranks eighth in the wise, GRMs are at historic highs, trendfirst part of this year. Furthermore, a country’s largest 50 cities with a median raise in short term rates would not preing 35% - 50% higher over the same rent of $1850 per month for a 1-bedperiod. The combination of low intervent the Fed from a QE4 Bond Purchase room apartment, still well below San est rates, substantially higher achieved Program if the labor market gets shaky.

Francisco’s median of $3500 per month, rents and a complete lack of investment On the political front, Richmond, according to Zumper, an apartment and Calif. passed the state’s first Rent alternatives has conspired to increase and home rental search application. Not sur- Control Ordinance since Oakland sustain prices in all apartment quality prisingly, three of the five most expenclassifications, particupassed theirs in 1983. It’s sive neighborhoods were in Manhattan, “Locally, I’ve talked larly in the A locadisappointing, as most while San Francisco’s Financial District to more investors tions where investors cities nationwide had and Mission Bay/Dog Patch took the who feel like they’re are seeking safety and scaled back rent control third and fifth spots. And while thousitting on the stability in a location, if ordinances over the past sands of units are in the development sidelines as hardly not return. I do believe two or three decades. pipeline on both sides of the bay, there’s any properties come that investors are beginYet more voices grow in no end in sight to the housing crisis. up for sale. ” ning to understand that favor of bringing back or

East Bay Market Continues to Soar O

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total volume (5+ units) achieving market rents is proving to be more difficult as tenant turnover stalls and rent control issues take center stage with the media and politicians.”

price per sq. foot (5+ units)

price per unit (5+ units)

Source: NAI Northern California 14 RENTAL HOUSING

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5+ Units Oakland achieved the highest sales volume we have on record at nearly $81.7 million in Q4 2014 for an average of $196 per square foot and $156,000 per unit. It has gradually declined through the first two quarters this year, posting $68.1 million in Q1 and $55.1 million in Q2.

At $187 per square foot and $135,000 per unit last quarter, those metrics seem to show a gradual slow down due to minimal product on the marketplace.

Berkeley posted similar numbers in Q4 2014 with $32.3 million in volume, yet dropped off by more than 50% in each of the next two quarters, posting $9.5 million in Q1 and $12.4 million in Q2.

Berkeley also exceeded both $200,000 per unit and $300 per square foot for the first time in any single quarter. While volume is lower, investors seem to be paying a premium as shown by higher price per unit and price per square foot metrics.

Alameda effectively tied the previous quarter’s results at $13.8 million, less than a $100,000 difference from Q1.

This also marks the highest quarter in volume since Q4 2013. Alameda has now exceeded $200,000 per unit averages for three straight quarters. As you’ll read below, the values on 2 - 4 unit properties last quarter went through the roof.

2 - 4 Units All three cities posted exceptional, recordbreaking quarters. While this article does not track single family values, 2 – 4 unit properties often appeal to owner users, so these numbers seem to echo the surge in residential values and rents. Oakland surpassed an average price of $600,000 for the first time since Q3 2007. At $635,000 per deal and 105 sales closed in Q2 2014, it’s nearly $60,000 higher than Q2 2014, in which 99 sales closed. This also marks a dramatic increase in activity over the 70 sales that closed in Q1 2015.

Berkeley exceeded a $1 million average for the first time ever, with a $1.013

EBRHA ON YOUR SIDE! million average per deal closed. This is the closest Berkeley has come to $1 million since Q3 2006. Furthermore, the $1 million mark was achieved with 24 sales.

Historically, a larger sample size tended to dilute average values, as sales from less desirable areas would negatively impact higher values in North Berkeley, near campus and Elmwood. It seems much of Berkeley and the greater East Bay has completely recovered in terms of value of properties.

Finally, Alameda posted a $944,000 average, shattering the previous record set two quarters ago. A $1 million quarter by mid-2016 would not surprise me. While 11 total properties sold, it’s not uncommon for Alameda to post numbers in the single digits. It’s a smaller market, but also a strong rental market that’s luring tenants in a similar fashion to Oakland and the East Bay in general: lower rents, great weather, numerous transportation options, diverse culture and a hip night life.

Moving forward, I expect strong quarters on price per unit and price per square foot, but not necessarily volume.

A number of would-be sellers are fearful they will not be able to successfully 1031 exchange into a suitable property and cap rates on NNN’s and other commercial properties rarely offer strong increases in cash flow.

Finding yield in the marketplace is more challenging than ever. Previously aggressive buyers have toned down purchases a bit as current prices simply don’t pencil out and provide the desired leverage. The risk in purchasing a low cap rate, rent-controlled building becomes less attractive unless the upside is significant. While the rental market and local economy stay strong, sub 4% Cap markets are only sustainable with interest rates remaining low, or rent expectations sky high. Until then, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more record breaking prices. RH

Grant Chappell is the Vice President of NAI Northern California. He can be reached at grant@nainorcal.com or 510-336-4721.

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. We need to collect member experiences in order to make changes to an already broken and biased system.

To access EBRHA’s new advocacy service, visit www.ebrha. com, log in to your member account, click “EBRHA on Your Side” in the member menu and fill out the form. EBRHA may follow up with you to discuss next steps and acquire any supporting documents.

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transactions (2-4 units)

average sales price (2-4 units)

Source: NAI Northern California ebrha.com

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RENTAL HOUSING 15

FEATURE

16 RENTAL HOUSING PHOTO: KATE HISCOCK

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

ebrha.com

Representing Yourself at the Rent Board:

Appeals

The third and final article in this series covers appealing a Rent Adjustment Program decision. BY LIZ HART & CLIFFORD FRIED

Part one of this series of articles dealt with preparing for, and responding to, Rent Board Adjustment Program (RAP) petitions. Part two discussed preparing for, and participating in, RAP hearings. This third article covers appealing a RAP decision. As with the petition, response and hearing, you don’t need a lawyer to represent you on an appeal.

Filing an Appeal

Any party may appeal a Hearing Officer’s (HO) decision.

The appeal must be filed on the RAP’s Appeals form within 15 days of notice of the decision being served by the RAP staff. This form is available from the RAP office or via their website.

Because the decision is almost always mailed, an Appellant is given an extra 5 days to file an Appeal. In other words, if you received a copy of the decision in the mail, you actually have 20 days to respond.

The 20 day clock starts ticking when the RAP staff mails you the decision. Your Appeal must be filed at the RAP office no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 20th calendar day after the day that the decision was mailed to you. You can find this date on the proof of service attached to the mailed Decision. If the last day to file is a weekend or holiday and the RAP is closed, you may file on the next business day.

Some proofs of service attached to the decision do not say when the decision was mailed. In this case, use the date the decision was signed by the HO to start the 20-day countdown.

Grounds for Appeal

Under the ordinance, a decision may only be appealed to the Board under specific circumstances. You can’t simply

appeal a decision because you didn’t like it; the first page of the appeal lists the possible reasons or grounds for your appeal and you should check mark each one that you can substantiate. You may have more than one reason. These are the most common grounds for appealing: 1.) The Decision is Inconsistent with the Ordinance, the RAP Regulations, or prior Appeal Decisions of the Board.

If this is the reason for your appeal, you must specifically cite the section of the decision, ordinance, or regulations that is inconsistent with or contradicts the decision and explain why. Copies of the ordinance and regulations are available on the RAP website, as is the Board Appeals Decisions Index document. Call EBRHA on how to locate old Board decisions.

2.) The Decision is Inconsistent With Decisions of Other Hearing Officers. Unlike court decisions where only opinions of the Supreme Court and Appellate Courts have a precedential and binding effects on lower courts, decisions

by HOs in other cases are binding on other HOs. If you are familiar with cases that had similar circumstances to yours but where another HO decided the matter differently, this can be a viable ground for an Appeal.

3.) The Decision Raises a New Policy Issue Not Yet Decided by the Board. This is a difficult ground for a landlord to pursue on appeal. Usually, policies are issued by the Board to protect tenants, not landlords. Nevertheless, you might be able to creatively craft an argument why the decision of the HO, while legally correct, is fundamentally unfair to you and is a miscarriage of justice.

For example, certain procedural policies of the RAP which govern the way petitions or hearings are regulated, may deprive the landlord of their right to due process. For ebrha.com

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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EBRHA Staff Members: Free; Non-Members: $69 Business Licenses, Rent Board Fees, Lease Agreements, Security Deposits, Operational Forms, Oakland’s Notice of the Rent Adjustment Program (RAP Form), and more

Member Meeting (Members only) D ATE & TIME SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19; 10:00 A.M. - NOON

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instance, the right to testify and produce evidence at a hearing, even if the RAP’s deadlines were not strictly complied with, is a violation of due process. Since this argument is based on the Constitution, you might catch the attention of the Board (assuming that the Board adheres to the Constitution).

4.) The Decision Is Not Supported by Substantial Evidence. Every decision of a HO must be supported by the evidence in the record. If it isn’t, you have grounds for an appeal. If the decision cites evidence that never made it on the record, file an appeal. Or if the evidence at the hearing is of questionable value or wasn’t probative of any issue in dispute, file an appeal. Sometimes, there is evidence in the record that documents that the HO made an error in the decision. If so, file an Appeal.

The Board usually will not second guess the HO just because the Board might have ruled differently on a particular set of facts. But if you argue lack of substantial evidence to support the decision, you must provide the hearing record as part of your appeal and specifically point out the evidence or section in the record that supports your claim.

5. You were Denied a Sufficient Opportunity To Present Your Petition or Response. This ground has to do with a procedural error by the HO or RAP staff that deprived you of presenting your case. It could also be based upon a party’s surprise, neglect or legitimate excuse for not fully presenting a claim or response. With this ground for an appeal, you must explain what you would have done or said if you had an opportunity to do so before the decision was issued.

6. The Decision Denies You a Fair Rate of Return on Your Investment.

Our courts have ruled that rent control is invalid where it denies a particular landlord a fair rate of return on his or her investment. If you invested enough and you can show that your regulated rents are denying you a fair rate of return on your investment in a building, you can appeal.

This is not a favored ground for an appeal. The theory requires a landlord to open its books for review and the process can be quite invasive. The grounds are further restricted by some case law which

seems to say that any profit from a building is a fair rate of return.

Whatever the grounds you select as the basis for your Appeal, you should provide a detailed explanation for each claim. The appeals petition allows for an additional 25 pages for this but two or three pages of explanation should suffice.

The shorter your explanation, the more likely it is to be read by the Board.

Finally, you must mail with first class postage a complete copy of your Appeal along with any supporting arguments to all of the opposing parties from the hearing. On the last page of the appeal, you must complete the proof of service, sign and date, and list each party you mailed the appeal to. The appeal form only provides space for two parties, so use an extra piece of paper if you mailed the appeal to more than two people. This must happen on the same day you file or your appeal may be dismissed.

Additional Submissions to the Board

Any documents you want the Board to consider must be received by the RAP office by 3:00 p.m. on the 8th day before the appeal hearing. Do not confuse this deadline with the deadline for evidence in a RAP hearing. Documents to be considered in a RAP hearing must be in to the RAP office by 5 p.m. seven days prior to the RAP hearing. But documents to be considered by the Board for an appeals hearing must be in to the RAP office by 3:00 p.m. on the eighth day before the appeals hearing.

Any party to the appeal can take advantage of the eight day deadline to submit additional documents, so if your tenant has filed the appeal, you can and should let the Board know that you believe the decision of the HO is correct and why and that you are contesting the tenant’s appeal. Anything you forgot to cover in your own appeal, should get in before this deadline.

The RAP will send you notice of the appeal hearing at least 10 days before the date of the hearing. Because this notice will be mailed, you will actually receive at least 15 days notice. But this doesn’t leave you much time to submit additional papers for the Board’s consideration, so don’t wait until the last minute.

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RENTAL HOUSING 19

your presentation down and read it aloud to the Board.

“The decision of the Board is final and cannot be appealed further. However, an aggrieved party may still seek review of the Board’s decision in the civil court system. If you lost and feel that the RAP got it wrong, now may be the time to speak with either a Rent Board consultant or an attorney.”

The Appeal Hearing

The ordinance states the Board has the “goal” of hearing the Appeal within 30 days of the RAP giving notice of the Appeal.

In practice, the hearing will not be heard for several months.

This is particularly true where the landlord seeks a rent increase.

Where the HO rules in favor of a landlord and the tenant faces an immediate rent increase, the appeal hearing will be set sooner. But if the HO declined to impose the rent increase and the landlord files the appeal, it might be a while before the hearing takes place. Is this a coincidence? Hardly. The RAP was established to protect tenants from rent increases and this is reflected in when hearings are set.

For every Board meeting, there is a written agenda listing all the cases being heard that evening. The agenda will be available at the Board hearing and should also be available online before the hearing. Make sure to check the agenda to confirm your case is scheduled to be heard that evening. If you don’t see your case on the agenda, contact the RAP staff immediately and let them know. More than a few cases have been delayed beyond the date they were supposed to be heard because of a “paperwork snafu”.

When you arrive at the hearing, fill out a speaker’s card with your name and case number. When your name is called, approach the podium and state your name and property address. You will only have 15 minutes total to present your arguments to the Board. If you are the party that filed the appeal, you have the option of speaking twice: once before the tenant has presented their side and then after the tenant to reply to their arguments. Let the Board know at the beginning of your presentation if you will want to reserve some time to reply to the tenant’s argument. Don’t use your reply time to repeat your arguments.Your reply should only respond to what the other party has argued at the hearing.

If you are not comfortable with public speaking, prepare ahead of time. Think about how to best communicate your argument. Plan what you’re going to say specifically and how you want to say it and practice speaking it out loud. Bring a bottle of water with you to the podium—while it’s helpful with dry mouth, it’s even more useful if you have an attack of nerves and need to pause and regroup. Another option is to just write 20 RENTAL HOUSING

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Keep Your Argument Brief and to the Point

The Board has already read your appeal papers. There is no need to repeat what you said in your appeal. Don’t feel like you have to speak for the full 15 minutes. Some appellants ramble for the full allotment of time and end up diluting their main points and weakening their argument. Summarize your arguments and end with a compassionate plea for why you should prevail.

If a member of the Board interrupts you with questions, give the best answer you can— answer the question as fully and directly as possible then go back to making your presentation. Recognize that the answers you give to the Board’s questions will have a greater impact on their decision than anything you say in your presentation.

The ordinance provides that the failure of an appellant to appear at the hearing is grounds for dismissal of the appeal.

But this rarely happens. Still, if you are responding to an appeal and the tenant fails to appear at the hearing, ask for the tenant’s appeal to be dismissed. If you know that you cannot appear for the hearing on Appeal, contact the RAP staff and ask for a continuance.

The Board Decision

The decision of the Board is final and cannot be appealed further. However, an aggrieved party may still seek review of the Board’s decision in the civil court system. If you lost and feel that the RAP got it wrong, now may be the time to speak with either a Rent Board consultant or an attorney. But there is a strict 90 day deadline for filing for judicial review of a final Board decision. So if you wish to consider going to the next step, don’t procrastinate. Consult with an expert. Sometimes, bad decisions can be reversed by a real judge in court.

In some cases, the Board may decide that additional, or reconsideration of, evidence is necessary. In such cases, the Board usually sends the matter back to the HO for consideration of that evidence only. No new arguments will be permitted. However, if new evidence is considered, the party offering the evidence must show that the evidence was not previously available. In rare cases, the Board will conduct its own evidentiary hearing after a brief continuance of the Appeal.

Up until now, you have represented yourself at the RAP and before the Board. Congratulations, especially if you prevailed!

RH

The information contained in this article is general in nature. Consult the advice of an attorney for any specific problem. © 2015 Clifford E. Fried and Elizabeth Hart. Liz Hart is a consultant to owners of rental properties in Oakland and Berkeley, and specializes in rent increases and rent board petitions. She can be reached at liz.hart1801@gmail.com or 510-813-5440.

Clifford Fried is an attorney with Fried & Williams LLP. He can be reached at cfried@friedwilliams.com or 510-625-0100.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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RENTAL HOUSING 21

FEATURE

Picture Per

Utilizing photo technology to make your units shine in ads is much easier t

22 RENTAL HOUSING PHOTO: EMILY MAY

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

ebrha.com

rfect

than you think. BY JAKE MEADOR

A

partment photography is more important than it’s ever been before. In the print era of apartment marketing, your photography (what little you had, anyway) was likely handled by whoever handled your print guides. But with the internet it is now possible to create your own media that is specific to your community. You no longer have to advertise alongside all your competition. Additionally, the best ILS is now Craigslist, a free service that uses user-generated content rather than standardized photos shot by a sales rep or other employee.

In both cases, the responsibility to create media which serves as marketing material has shifted away from a third party vendor to the business owner. And this can be really exciting. You can save money and time by taking your own photography and you can have greater control over your marketing materials—all very good things.

Apartment photography can be great, but it is also challenging. After all, no community has a fulltime photographer on staff just bumming around in the office waiting for something to do. And besides knowing how to shoot good photos, you also need to know how to process and optimize them for success online. You need to know about alt-text on images, about resolution and image size, about levels and curves and layers. So in addition to the photographic expertise required, you also need someone who knows a bit about online marketing and digital image correction.

To help address some of these issues, here are three basic apartment photography tips to try and make your marketing staff’s life a little simpler.

Don’t Over-complicate What You’re Doing It’s important to remember your goals for your apartment photography--to convert online visitors into leads. You’re not trying to win art prizes or capture images that will show up in art galleries. So don’t over-think things. Find good angles to shoot images that will show your units at their best and let that be enough. Always remember the ideal person to see those images--it’s a person interested in leasing the unit.

If you are shooting images that help that person make an

ebrha.com

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RENTAL HOUSING 23

STAGING YOUR UNITS FOR BETTER PHOTOS Staging your units can give prospective tenants a better idea of the apartment floorplan, and can make suggestions for optimizing small spaces.

DON’T OVER-COMPLICATE WHAT YOU’RE DOING You don’t need to enroll in a college class, but learning a bit about photography will help you take better photos. Property owners should learn a bit about lighting, composition, equipment and photo editing software.

USE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO GET EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOS Most smartphones now have high-quality cameras that will allow you to take high-resolution photos of your units. In addition, there are many free photo editing apps that will allow you to optimize your photos before posting online. RH 24 RENTAL HOUSING

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informed decision about leasing or not leasing that unit, then you’ve achieved your goal.

Learn Basic Photography Skills You don’t need to enroll in a college class, but learning a bit about photography will help. Learn about lighting and composition. Learn a bit about equipment and get comfortable with Photoshop. The good news is there is plenty of help online available for free. Digital Photography School is excellent. Adobe has some nice tips for learning Photoshop on their website.

Again, your goal isn’t to become a professional photographer. It’s to take images that help prospects make good leasing choices. But doing that will require some basic proficiency with a camera and image editing software.

Have a Defined Plan You can’t simply stick your photos on a generic Gallery page and expect to generate tons of new leases. The photos have to be used in the best way to get the best results. As a minimal requirement, take separate photos for each floorplan in your community and then label them by floorplan when you post them to your site.

The best case scenario is to use your images on floorplan-specific landing pages. But failing that, make sure prospects know what they’re looking at when they see your images—is that photo they love of the floorplan they want or one they don’t want? That matters when they are making a leasing choice. So use the photos in a way that helps your prospects make better leasing decisions. The payoff will come in the form of higherquality leads, as your bad leads start to disqualify themselves, while your good leads become more engaged due to your content. The time and money savings will more than make up for whatever you spend on your photography up front. RH

Jake Meador is an inbound marketing specialist with Rentping Media. He can be reached at jake@rentpingmedia.com. Rentping Media is a full-service digital marketing agency focused exclusively on the multifamily industry. They bring big company marketing capabilities to smalland medium-sized apartment companies.

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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RENTAL HOUSING 25

FEATURE

Buyer’s Guide to Property Management Software Guidelines for selecting the best property management software to help you streamline everyday tasks.

BY TAYLOR SHORT

B

eing a landlord involves more than simply renting out a unit and collecting the rent each month. Landlords are sometimes required to check in with their tenants to make sure that the premises are being kept clean and free of excessive clutter.

Whether you manage a small multifamily complex or a large portfolio of single-family homes, property management (PM) software can help streamline daily tasks, offering time and cost-saving benefits.

Perhaps you use spreadsheets or other pen and paper methods and are looking to automate your current processes to improve efficiency. Or maybe you already have a PM system, but find it difficult to use, expensive or lacking functionality you need to manage properties effectively and address tenant concerns.

Whatever your situation, this guide outlines the basics of PM software, as well as common features, what types of real estate professionals use it and other key factors to consider when searching for a system.

What Is PM Software?

While some owners may decide to outsource management to a third-party company, those who manage properties themselves find that modern software streamlines repetitive or time-intensive tasks, but leave

the control of the business in their hands.

For example, software offers online portals so tenants can pay rent online at any time of day from any Web-enabled device, track rental payments and lease dates, and request maintenance service.

Furthermore, the number of quality property management systems available means you can find an affordable option that meets your needs. And today, a majority of systems are cloud-based—meaning upfront costs are kept low because there’s nothing to install on-site. Such systems are also accessible on any Web-enabled device.

Common Applications of a Property Management System

The dozens of property management systems available vary in the applications offered. For example, Simplify’em from TReXGlobal has functionality focused on accounting and lease tracking. Meanwhile, a system such as RealPage’s Propertyware includes accounting and lease tracking, as well as budgeting, maintenance and marketing applications.

Most vendors can work with clients to determine the most appropriate set of functions for your particular needs, so that you pay for only what you want, with the option to add applications as your business ebrha.com

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RENTAL HOUSING 27

PM software users include: Residential property managers. For those who manage single-family homes or a complex of apartments, a system with the above applications is recommended. Most systems by default are geared toward these managers, loaded with core property management tools.

Some systems are designed for specific portfolio sizes or property types, though many can scale up as a business grows.

Commercial real estate managers. Software designed for commercial property management typically includes the same functionality as residential systems, but can also include more robust functionality in accounting, business intelligence and maintenance management. Marketing tools are sometimes offered to help spread the word about the property.

Community or HOA Managers. HOA community managers have more than just tenants and fees to account for—they must maintain rules and bylaws and board meeting minutes and manage elections. Additionally, each state has specific regulations for associations that must be followed. Software can help manage these documents and alert managers when important dates are near.

“Property management software is used by a wide variety of professionals. From retail to apartments to offices, managers can find a system tailored to the needs of their particular properties.” grows or changes.

Some combination of these four applications is included in every property management system: Tenant and lease tracking. This is the most important application for many buyers, as it’s crucial to know who is renting your properties, whether they’ve paid rent this month and how long until their lease is up. This can also serve as a place to store digital copies of leases and information about each unit.

Most systems designed for rental properties include built-in screening capabilities to see tenant credit, criminal and eviction history. This information can be populated into an easy-to-read report in minutes.

Many vendors also offer an online payment portal, so tenants can pay rent any time and you don’t have to track them down to collect it.

Accounting. This helps property managers track and analyze payments and other financial information. It often includes a general ledger, accounts payable and receivable and reporting capabilities.

Accounting functionality can also track common area maintenance expenses (CAM) and operating expenses (OPEX), such as license fees, maintenance, advertising and more.

Budgeting and forecasting. With this application, property managers can use historical lease and financial data to generate budget projections. This can take into account incoming revenue, operating expenses, consumer price index (CPI), inflation and more.

Building maintenance. This application tracks work orders from employees or tenants, allowing users to assign tasks and communicate with maintenance personnel to ensure work is completed in a timely manner.

Property managers can also create schedules so that repairs for certain machinery (heating/cooling units, washers and dryers etc.) are completed on a periodic basis. This reduces the chances a machine will fail and impact the comfort or convenience of tenants.

Who Buys Property Management Software?

Property management software is used by a wide variety of professionals. From retail to apartments to offices, managers can find a system tailored to the needs of their particular properties.

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On-premise vs. Cloud-based

Software can be deployed in two different ways: On-premise software is installed on-site, on the user’s own computers. Alternatively, cloud-based software is hosted on the vendor’s servers and accessed by users through a Web browser.

On-premise software allows greater control of the data you enter, as it is stored on a computer wherever your business is located. This may be an option for those who prefer to manage all data themselves.

However, with greater control comes greater responsibility, and cloud-based software can be a more secure choice. Let’s say your apartment complex is flooded, and the office computers are destroyed. In this case, cloud-based software ensures your data is safe in the cloud, no matter what happens to your local servers.

In addition, cloud-based software usually comes at a lower upfront cost than on-premise software; users are typically charged a monthly subscription fee based on the number of units managed. This way, those managing a smaller portfolio can invest in software without a costly licensing fee.

Finally, cloud-based software can reduce IT costs, as there are no servers on the client side to maintain. What’s more, updates can be performed on the vendor side, meaning you don’t need to shut down operations to get the latest version of the system.

At Software Advice, we speak with hundreds of property management software buyers each year. When we last analyzed these interactions, we found that 40% of buyers request Webbased software, compared to 3% who want on-premise soft-

ware. And with most software vendors today offering a Web-based version, property managers have a multitude of options.

Mobile Access

Another popular capability enabled by Web-based software is mobile access, which is becoming more common in all types of software. This can be particularly useful for property managers.

The obvious benefit is having access to portfolio and payment information at all times from a smartphone. Let’s say you’re traveling between properties, and a tenant submits a work order to fix a leaking ceiling. The manager could see that work order in real-time, and decide to assign a worker immediately to fix the problem before it becomes worse and costs more to remedy.

Also, managers can carry tablet computers while showing properties to prospective tenants so they have detailed information about the unit on-hand. Tablets can also be used to perform property inspections, updating the system with this information in real time—saving time and increasing accuracy over paper-based methods.

How Software Advice Can Help Choosing the best software for your needs can be daunting, and many property managers or property management companies don’t have CIOs to explore options with. But that’s where Software Advice can help. Software Advice serves as a matchmaker between businesses and software vendors, providing detailed reviews and research on thousands of software products—including property management solutions. In a brief phone call, our analysts can help you determine the systems you need based on the number and type of properties in your portfolio, the applications you want, your budget, your preferred deployment option and more. RH

Taylor Short is a Market Research Associate at Software Advice. He can be reached at 512-5822337 or taylorshort@softwareadvice.com. ebrha.com

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COLUMN

government affairs

begin taking hold of the primary process?

Secretary Clinton may need to tack left to keep up with Senator Sanders before ultimately coming back to the middle if she survives to the general election.

Sound familiar? Oh, and this just in, Vice President Joe Biden is not necessarily out of the game. Reports are that he has not ruled out a run if the Clinton campaign implodes.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch in Washington, D.C., it’s that time of the election cycle where I usually say something about the clock running out on how Legislative updates from NAA’s Senior Vice much Congress will be able to accomplish because of the campaign. That is President of Government Affairs. BY GREG BROWN especially true this time for four reasons.

First, there are so many sitting members far as the candidates themselves, I’m of Congress running for their party’s not sure who wins—the one who keeps presidential nomination that inevitably it classy and stays above the incendiary the rhetoric gets tainted. Second, this is commentary or the bomb-thrower who the end of the Obama era so pols on both “tells it like it is.” sides of the aisle are especially amped up Perhaps more interesting (aka about the presidential race. That impacts disturbs me to my core) to me is that a focus, rhetoric and available bandwidth. recent focus group of New Hampshire Third, there was already very little GOP primary voters revealed that the on which the President and the GOP outrageous statements from the most Congress could agree which means those boisterous of the GOP candidates actuissues where there still may be a comproally resonated. They said he “speaks mise to be made will take up most of the the truth,” is “Reaganesque,” is “one of oxygen in the room. Finally, we are once us” and that his name means “success.” again in a situation where control of the According to this group, he is not in Senate is in play. A net loss of five seats the same box as other politicians and will cost the GOP control and there are that his presidency would allow us to 22 Republicans running for re-election be proud as Americans again. I thought nd then there were…17? The and two who have already bowed out. voters would not respond to the kind of GOP field for President of The candidates and the party need time buffoonery that dominates the converthe United States continues to to campaign at home and are incented to sation right now. While it’s still early expand and thank goodness! I had been avoid any controversial votes that could and the only way to know for sure is to wondering why a one-term, purpleundermine those campaigns. wait for the votes to be counted, I was state governor who last served in public The good news is that the Adminisclearly wrong about the psyche of the office a decade ago was not yet part of tration has generously provided us with American voter. the field. Check that box. lots of regulatory proposals to occupy While not as dramatic, the DemoMeanwhile, the rhetoric from the our time and resources. The list includes: cratic side of the equation is also candidates now resembles one of the overtime pay, high-efficiency furnaces, expanding though so far the spotlight more entertaining episodes of Morton affirmatively furthering fair housing, is really focused upon Senator Bernie Downey, Jr. Denigrating an entire race, disparate impact, small area fair market Sanders (I-Vt.) versus former Secretary dismissing the military service of prison- of State Hillary Clinton. The coronation rents, Waters of the United States and ers of war and likening the Iran nuclear more! These more reacthat was anticipated for agreement to a replay of the holocaust “While it’s still early tive efforts are coupled Secretary Clinton as the are apparently the preferred tactics for and the only way to with our proactive work presumptive candidate is making sure you poll in the top 10 of know for sure is to on emotional support now in question as Senacandidates and can participate in the wait for the votes animals, employee crimitor Sanders speaks to one GOP presidential primary debates. This to be counted, I was nal background checks packed house of primary clown show is a big win for the Fox clearly wrong about and music licensing. voters after another. television network that will air that first the psyche of the NAA members and Could the liberal left, like debate to a likely record audience. As staff are hard at work their cousins on the right, American voter.”

Candidates Multiplying as is the Rhetoric

A

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positioning the industry to secure some improvements in all of these areas.

Speaking of disparate impact, last month I talked about the Supreme Court’s Inclusive Communities decision.

NAA recently cosponsored a webinar on the decision with the National Multifamily Housing Council where two leading fair housing attorneys reviewed the decision and its implications for operator policies, industry practices and the HUD rule. We had nearly 500 participants on the call. You can watch a replay of the webinar and download the accompanying PowerPoint presentation from www. naahq.org. Go to the disparate impact resources page where you can also find other briefing materials on this issue.

As always, thanks for reading. Talk with you next month. RH

Greg Brown is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs with the National Apartment Association. He can be reached at 703-797-0615 or greg@naahq.org.

Rent Board Matters & Management Expertise

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esq. & a

A Reasonable Demand?

Are landlords required to install metal bars outside of windows on the second floor? BY LEON H. ROUNTREE III

Q

Two of my tenants recently had their separate units broken into and some of their property was stolen. Now, several tenants in my building are asking me to install metal bars outside of their windows for protection, including tenants who live upstairs. Is this reasonable? What are my obligations as a landlord?

A

One of the primary duties of a landlord is to maintain rental property in a safe and habitable condition.

Having adequate security measures in place helps reduce potential liability for injury claims and makes good business sense.

32 RENTAL HOUSING

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California Civil Code Section 1941.3 states that a landlord must “install and maintain an operable dead bolt lock on each main swinging entry door of a dwelling unit and “install and maintain operable window security or locking devices for windows that are designed to be opened.” These rules may be expanded by other codes such as local building codes. However, a landlord does not have a specific statutory duty to install window bars.

Even though you may not have such a statutory duty, there is a general duty to implement reasonable security measures to protect tenants from foreseeable crimes.

To determine if window bars should

ebrha.com

be installed, you’ll need to look at all of the circumstances. This will give you a clear picture of the situation and help you decide whether the likelihood of future similar crimes warrants moving forward with the installation. First, conduct a thorough investigation to determine how the burglaries occurred. Inspect the property and make sure that it meets or exceeds the basic security standards imposed by state and local codes with regard to deadbolt locks, window locks and proper lighting. Consult with the police, neighbors and security vendors for solutions and information about crime in the neighborhood.

Next, consider the following factors: your property inspection results, how the two prior burglaries occurred, the crime rate in the neighborhood, your knowledge of similar incidents in the area, any complaints about security from tenants or others, security measures already in place, recommendations from police and others, etc. Once you have considered these factors, honestly ask yourself whether it is likely that more burglaries or similar incidents will occur on the property in the future. If so, then it might be time to call a local vendor of window bars.

Of course, you will have to balance any need to provide a solution with the cost of providing it. It may be too costly to provide window bars for all or most of the tenants. However, you may be able to install the bars for tenants who have been burglarized and those on the lower level who may be at higher risk. Realize that the solution may not be that costly at all if implementing it allows you the retain good paying tenants for long periods of time.

Finally, remember that if you do install window bars, make sure that they comply with state and local codes as well. For example, California Health and Safety Code 13113.9 requires that the bars have a safety release for opening in case of emergency. —LEON H. ROUNTREE III RH The information contained in this article is general in nature. Consult the advice of an attorney for any specific problem. Leon H. Rountree III is an attorney with The Law Offices of Leon H. Rountree III and can be reached at (510) 343-6299 or www.leonrountree.com.

PHOTO: VICTORIA REAY

COLUMN

Article Correction EBRHA’S AUGUST 2015 RENTAL HOUSING ISSUE FEATURED AN ARTICLE ON PAGE 22 TITLED “THE EAGLE EYE.” IN PERTINENT PART, THE ARTICLE STATES: “The biggest innovations pertaining to fire and life/safety are more in terms of code updates to ensure the safety of tenants and property. Some of the newest codes taking effect in California include: • All old smoke detectors that are solely battery powered must be replaced with those that contain a sealed battery that is rated to last 10 years (SB 745 Effective July 1, 2015) • All smoke alarms powered by 120 VAC or battery must have label showing with date of installation and manufacturer (SB 745 Effective July 1, 2015) • Landlords cannot make the tenant responsible for testing or maintaining the smoke alarms. It is the responsibility of the landlords. (January 1, 2014) • All smoke alarms required for the dwelling unit are devices approved and listed by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (SB 745 Effective July 1, 2015)”

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www.adobesoils.com

CORRECTLY STATED • Starting January 1, 2014 state law requires that all dwelling units intended for human occupancy for which a building permit is issued for alterations, repairs or additions for more than $1,000 the city or county that issues the permit will require the owner to demonstrate that all smoke alarms are devices approved by the State Fire Marshal. (H &S Code 13113.7(a)(2) and 1311.8).

• Commencing July 1, 2014 the State Fire Marshal requires battery operated smoke alarms to contain a non-replaceable, non-removable battery capable of powering the smoke alarm for at least 10 years. There are limited exceptions to this requirement. (H&S Code 13114). Any smoke alarm that was approved at the time of installation may remain, but newly installed alarms must comply with the stricter requirements. (H&S Code 13117(a)(4).

• The State Fire Marshal requires battery operated smoke alarms to display the date of manufacture on the device, provide a place on the device to insert the date of installation and incorporate a hush feature on devices purchased and installed on and after January 1, 2015.

• The location and placement of smoke alarms are the same for single-family homes and multi-family homes. On and after January 1, 2016 a landlord shall install additional smoke alarms as needed to ensure the alarms are located in compliance with current building standards (H&S Code 1311.7(d) (3). The current standards require a smoke alarm in each bedroom and central located outside each sleeping area and on every floor including the basement regardless of whether there is a sleeping area on that floor (CBC (F)907.2.10.1.2).

• Landlords are not required to replace existing alarms unless they are inoperable. A landlord may simply replace a battery, if that is all that is required.

• A tenant has a duty to notify the manager or owner if the tenant becomes aware of an inoperable smoke alarm within his or her unit. The owner or agent is not in violation of the law for a deficient alarm if she has not received notice of the deficiency from the tenant (H&S Code 1311.8(e)).

• Local laws may be more restrictive than state law.

• At the time a new tenancy is created the owner/agent shall ensure the smoke alarms are operable (H&S Code 1311.8(d)). RH EBRHA APOLOGIZES FOR ANY CONFUSION THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED

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the green sheet

Take Charge, California!

Get Free Electric Vehicle Charging at Your Apartment more than a quarter-million electric vehicles on U.S. roads, and almost half of them are in the state of California. Each year car range and vehicle sales go up and price continues to go down, making one thing clear: electric vehicles are on the rise. What does this mean for apartment owners? To support the growing number of EVs, commercial property owners have already installed thousands of chargers—at shopping malls, grocery stores and parks. But the vast majority of California’s renters still have nowhere to charge their car at home. That’s about to change.

For a limited time, through NRG EVgo’s Take Charge program, property managers can take a leadership role in joining the EV movement, add a valuable amenity to their building, and make sure renters have THERE ARE NOW

access to charging. Participation in Take Charge comes at no cost—now or ever—to property owners. Through Take Charge, NRG EVgo is providing the funds to wire up to 10 charge-ready parking spaces at apartment buildings and offices in California. In exchange for the charging infrastructure, renters who sign up for the use of the charging stations pay a monthly subscription fee and electricity usage fees. There is no direct charge to property owners or managers – NRG EVgo assumes costs of maintenance and repairs of 34 RENTAL HOUSING

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

the stations. The benefits of owning an EV are clear—access to the carpool lane, freedom from the gas pump, and more money in their pockets. And the benefits of offering charging in your apartment community are just as clear: EV infrastructure puts buildings on a fast-track toward LEED certification, and renters are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly communities, almost 25% more in the case of LEED certification. To learn more, visit TakeChargeCA.com/EBRHA or call 844-247-4648. RH ebrha.com

information & resources RECYCLING & DISCARDS MANAGEMENT

City of Alameda 510.749.5840 Albany 510.528.5766 Berkeley 1 - 9 UNITS 510.527.5555 10+ UNITS 510.981.7270 www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/pw/swm.html Emeryville 510.613.8710 Oakland 510.238.SAVE (7283) www.oaklandrecycles.com Household Hazardous Waste 800.606.6606 www.household-hazwaste.org REBATE PROGRAMS

EBMUD 866.403.2683 | www.ebmud.com PG&E 800.933.9555 | www.pge.com/res/rebates LOCAL GREEN ORGANIZATIONS

B.A. Green Business Program 510.567.6770 | www.greenbiz.ca.gov Build It Green 510.845.0472 | www.builditgreen.org Recology 415.875.1000 | www.recology.com StopWaste.Org 877.786.7927 | www.stopwaste.org FREE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAMS

Rising Sun Energy 510.665.1501 x17 Spectrum Community Services 510.889.0921 BO - Enterprises 408.354.1900

EBRHA.COM | 510.893.9873

DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR INSURANCE POLICY HAS THESE IMPORTANT COVERAGES?

DON’T GET LEFT OUT!

R Wrongful Eviction R Loss of Rent R Building Code Upgrade R Loss of Value

FOR ALL OF THIS MONTH’S EVENTS, CHECK OUT THE CALENDAR PAGE ON PAGE 36.

If you are not sure, come in or call for a free review and a free quote. It may be time to upgrade your policy.

Call or email today for an appointment.

JAIN L. WILLIAMS State Farm Insurance Agent

Serving the East Bay

APPLIED WATERPROOFING SYSTEMS

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(510) 452-3666

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EBRHA member since 2008.

Decks Patios Driveways

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Seismic & General Contractors

Conform To Soft Story Apartment Building Seismic Ordinance San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland & Berkeley

• Integrity and care

Carlon Tanner, Owner/Broker

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• Successful track record of seismic retrofitting numerous soft-story apartment buildings in the Bay Area.

•

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• Screening, evaluation, engineering, construction, city sign-off For inquiries, please contact Homy Sikaroudi, PhD, PE

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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RENTAL HOUSING 35

community calendar EVENTS & CLASSES

september

october

NOTE: WORKSHOPS HELD AT OUR NEW OFFICE AT 3664 GRAND AVE, SUITE B IN OAKLAND

NOTE: WORKSHOPS HELD AT OUR NEW OFFICE AT 3664 GRAND AVE, SUITE B IN OAKLAND

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 EBRHA Office Closed

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 EBRHA 9th Annual Trade Expo Greek Orthodox Church, 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Landlord Basics Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to Members and Non-members 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Workshops Include:

• New Laws for 2016—Ron Kingston, President, California Political Consulting Group & EBRHA State Lobbyist

• Improving Your Real Estate Portfolio: Strategies for Success—James Kilpatrick, President, NAI Norcal

• Legal Q & A with Leading Rental Housing Attorneys

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Landlord 102 Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Members: Free; Non-members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Members: Free; Non-members: $20 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.; Register at www.ebrha.com/expo To exhibit, contact Tina Bocheff at 510-893-9873

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 EBRHA Membership Meeting (Members only) Topics: • Legal Q&A—Brent Kernan, Law Offices of Brent Kernan

• Financial Planning for the Future— Miguel Delgado, David White and Associates

• Latest Technologies in Security and Fire

Protection—Amy Roither, Detect All Security & Fire 10:00 a.m. - Noon Note: Please enter through back door on Weldon Avenue and ring doorbell for access.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Section 8 Program Overview Michelle Hasan, Director of Leased Housing and Teela Carpenter, Housing Assistance Manager, Oakland Housing Authority Members: Free; Non-Members: $69 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Lunch-n-Learn—Insurance Information for Property Owners Abbe Sultan, Stone Creek Insurance Agency $20 for Members and Non-Members Noon - 1:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 Landlord Basics Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Free to Members and Non-members 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 Lunch-n-Learn—Estate Planning: Putting Your House in Order Terry Allen, Enhance Wealth Advisors $20 for Members and their Guests Seating is limited, Registration deadline is Friday, October 9 Advanced registration required at www.ebrha.com/education Noon - 1:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 Applicant Screening Workshop Jill Broadhurst, CCRM, EBRHA Members: Free; Non-members: $69 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 Renovation, Repair and Painting Course-Recertification This EPA-accredited training course will recertify workers as required under the new law for anyone who disturbs lead-coated surfaces during repair or renovation of pre-1978 housing.

This 4 hour course was designed to train contractors who perform building renovations or repairs or painting and how to work safely and comply with the EPA regulations.

The course addresses health concerns, regulations, before, during and after work procedures and well a recordkeeping and training non-certified workers. The class consists of a point presentation of the new RRP regulations and hands on student participation. There is an exam at the end of the course and students must pass at 70%.

Presented by Seth MacFarlane, Benchmark Environmental Engineering Members: $150; Non-members: $250 Seating is limited, Registration deadline is Friday, October 9 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Note: Please bring original RRP certificate the day of class

No Refunds on no shows; Seats fill fast, register in advance! To register and pay, visit ebrha.com/calendar or call (510) 893-9873. Unless noted, all classes and events are held at the EBRHA Education Center, 3664 Grand Ave., Suite B in Oakland.

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Oakland RENT ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM FEE

Annual fees are $30 per unit and are due March 1. Owners are allowed to pass through $15 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.

LANDLORD PETITION FOR EXEMPTIONS

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

ANNUAL ALLOWABLE RENT INCREASE

2015-16 (1.7%) A CPI increase of 1.7% becomes effective on July 1, 2015. Tenants may only receive one increase in any 12-month period, and the rent increase cannot take effect earlier than the tenant’s anniversary date. In addition, California law requires that for tenancies receiving greater than a 10% increase, a 60-day notice is required; if the increase is 10% or less, a 30-day notice is required. Owners can only impose “banked” rent increases equal to three times the current annual allowable rent increase rate. See schedule at right.

PERI OD

AM O U N T ( % )

JULY 1 ‘15 - JUNE 30 ‘16 . . . . . . . . . 1.7 JULY 1 ‘14 - JUNE 30 ‘15 . . . . . . . . . 1.9 JULY 1 ‘13 - JUNE 30 ‘14 . . . . . . . . . 2.1 JULY 1 ‘12 - JUNE 30 ‘13 . . . . . . . . . 3.0 JULY 1 ‘11 - JUNE 30 ‘12 . . . . . . . . . 2.0 JULY 1 ‘10 - JUNE 30 ‘11 . . . . . . . . . 2.7 JULY 1 ‘09 - JUNE 30 ‘10 . . . . . . . . . 0.7 JULY 1 ‘08 - JUNE 30 ‘09 . . . . . . . . . 3.2 JULY 1 ‘07 - JUNE 30 ‘08 . . . . . . . . . 3.3 MAY 1 ‘06 - JUNE 30 ‘07. . . . . . . . . . 3.3 MAY 1 ‘05 - MAY 30 ‘06 . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 JUNE 1 ‘04 - MAY 30 ‘05. . . . . . . . . . 0.7 Visit www.ebrha.com/members to see previous adjustments.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS INCREASE FORMULA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

(70 % of Improvement Costs ÷ Number of Units) 60 months or 5 years REFER TO ORDINANCE FOR NOTICING, QUALIFICATIONS AND AMORTIZATION PERIODS.

Berkeley RENT STABILIZATION BOARD FEES

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

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

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

ANNUAL ALLOWABLE RENT INCREASE

2015 (2.0%) PERI OD AM O U N T

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

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

2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0% 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7% 2013. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7% 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6% 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7% 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1% 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7% 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2% 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6% 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7% 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9% 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5%, + $3 (1% + $3 IF TENANCY CREATED AFTER JAN. 1999)

2003. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0% *ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS ARE ALLOWED IF AN OWNER PAID FOR ELECTRICITY OR HEAT.

BERKELEY RATES

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

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

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vendor directory — CONTACTS, PRODUCTS & SERVICES Law Offices of Brent Kernan Brent Kernan 510-712-2900 bkernan@aol.com Law Offices of Daniel Riley Daniel Riley 415-823-6129 driley_813@msn.com Law Offices of Elaine Lee Elaine Lee 510-848-9528 www.elaineleeattorney.com Law Offices of Leon H. Rountree III Leon H. Rountree III 510-343-6299 www.leonrountree.com Richards Law John Richards 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com The Evictors Ed Nagy and Alan J. Horwitz 510-839-2074 The Shepherd Law Group Michael Shepherd 510-531-0129 www.theshepherdlawgroup.com

ABATEMENT SERVICES

Environmental Remedies, Inc. Jaime Tamayo 925-519-6354 www.environmentalremedies.com P.W. Stephens Environmental Kimberly MacFarlane 510-651-9506 www.pwsei.com Water Damage Recovery Rick Walker 800-886-1801 www.waterdamagerecovery.net ACCOUNTING & TAX

Collins, Mason & Company LLP Teresa Mason 510-891-9000 www.cmcaccountants.com The Lee Accountancy Group, Inc. Jong H. Lee, CPA 510-836-7400 jhlee@theleeaccountancy.com APPLIANCE SALES & PARTS

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

ATTORNEYS - LAND USE/CONDO CONVERSION

APPRAISERS

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

ATTORNEYS - REAL ESTATE/CORP.

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

BOMA Oakland/East Bay Stephen Shepard 510-893-8780 www.bomaoeb.org Oakland Association of Realtors Sally Dunker 510-836-3000 www.oar.org Oakland Chamber of Commerce Barbara Leslie 510-874-4808 www.oaklandchamber.com ATTORNEYS - EVICTIONS/PROPERTY OWNER DEFENSE

Bornstein & Bornstein Daniel Bornstein 510-836-0110, x1007 www.bornsteinandbornstein.com Buresh, Kaplan, Feller & Chang Fred Feller 510-548-7474 www.bureshkaplan.com Ericksen Arbuthnot Jason Mauck 510-832-7770 www.ericksenarbuthnot.com Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com 38 RENTAL HOUSING

Law Offices of Daniel Riley Daniel Riley 415-823-6129 driley_813@msn.com Law Offices of John Gutierrez John Gutierrez 510-647-0600, x2 www.jgutierrezlaw.com Richards Law John Richards 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

Buresh, Kaplan, Feller & Chang Fred Feller 510-548-7474 www.bureshkaplan.com Burnham & Brown Jack Schwartz 510-444-6800 www.burnhambrown.com Ericksen Arbuthnot Jason Mauck 510-832-7770 www.ericksenarbuthnot.com Fried & Williams LLP Clifford Fried 510-625-0100 www.friedwilliams.com Law Offices of John Gutierrez John Gutierrez 510-647-0600, x2 www.jgutierrezlaw.com Richards Law John Richards 925-231-8104 www.richards-legal.com AUTOMOTIVE

Ken Betts Towing Services Ayub Azam 510-532-5000 www.kenbettscompany.com BANKING/LENDING

Chase Commercial Josh Milnes 510-891-4545 josh.milnes@chase.com ebrha.com

Chase Commercial Ted Levenson 415-945-5430 ted.levenson@chase.com Chase Commercial Neil O’Callaghan 415-315-8901 neil.ocallaghan@chase.com Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union Chris Perez 510-647-2127 cperez@coopfcu.org First Federal Savings & Loan Assoc.

Anthony Moreno 415-460-2657 www.ffsavings.com First Republic Bank Jeff Fung 510-336-3907 www.firstrepublic.com Intervest Mortgage Marc Lipsett 510-622-8515 www.intervest-mortgage.com Luther Burbank Savings Larry Miller 925-627-2790 www.lutherburbanksavings.com NorthMarq Capital Brian Esquivel 415-433-4145 www.northmarq.com Opus Bank William Craun 925-648-5915 www.opusbank.com SF Fire Credit Union Herman White, Jr. 415-674-4808 www.sffirecu.org Torrey Pines Bank Dale Marie Golden 510-899-7536 dgolden@torreypinesbank.com BATHROOM & KITCHEN REMODELING

American Bath Enterprises, Inc. Larry Arcadi 510-785-2600 www.americanbathind.com APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS

Elegant Stone & Cabinets Linh Duong 925-954-8845 www.elegantstoneandcabinets.com CARPET CLEANING

Cleaner Carpets Ron Russell 510-522-1344 cleanercarpet@juno.com COLLECTION AGENCIES

Credit Bureau Associates Kathy Parsons 800-564-6440 www.cbacredit.com

vendor directory CONSTRUCTION

A-One Construction Dirksen Rogers 408-690-0890 www.a-oneconstruction.com APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com Bayside Building Services & Pest Elimination Helmut Tutass 510-717-3506 pestcontrol1@writeme.com D.W. Hamilton Construction, Inc. D.W. Hamilton 510-919-0046 www.dwhamiltonconstruction.com Going Green Dan Antonioli 510-652-7593 www.going-green.co KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Schafer Construction, Inc. Mike Barker 510-568-7200 www.schaferconstructioninc.com Smart Building, Inc. Sheryl Dron 510-444-7678 www.getsmartbuilding.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 510-835-3073 www.arc-ca.com Servpro of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda Jenny Villena 925-299-1323 servpro9542@sbcglobal.net Water Damage Recovery Rick Walker 800-886-1801 www.waterdamagerecovery.net DOORS & GATES

R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com Rex Key and Security Joe Towbis 510-527-7000 www.rexkey.com SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com Statcomm Inc. Cherie Anderson 650-988-9508 www.statcomm.com

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

HANDYMAN SERVICES

APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com Bayside Building Services & Pest Elimination Helmut Tutass 510-717-3506 pestcontrol1@writeme.com Halcyon Properties Roger Shane 510-847-7075 rbshane@aol.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Start to Finish Christopher Bailey 510-727-9128 cpmbailey@sbcglobal.net

ELECTRICIANS

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

Paramount Elevator Corp.

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

David White & Associates Miguel Delgado 925-277-2635 www.dwassociates.com FIRE ESCAPE SERVICE

Great Escape Susan Giaquinto 415-566-1479 www.greatescapeinc.com

HAULING SERVICES

KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com Urban Ore Marylou Van 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com

FIRE PROTECTION

Bay Alarm Limor Margalit 510-639-2652 www.bayalarm.com Detect All Security & Fire Amy Roither 510-835-4100 www.detectall.com Sentry Alert David Ingham 510-549-0306 www.sentryalert.com Statcomm Inc. Cherie Anderson 650-988-9508 www.statcomm.com

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

Advanced Home Energy Shira Henry 510-540-4860 www.advancedhomeenergy.com Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com Black Diamond Mechanical Robert Lopez 510-522-4196 robertlopez@blackdiamondmechanical.com Hassler Heating & Air Conditioning Mike Hassler 510-848-3030 www.hasslerheating.com

FLOOR COVERINGS

Bay Area Contract Carpets, Inc. Kerry Plain or Ken Scott 510-613-0300 www.bayareacontractcarpets.com Dick’s Carpet One Dan Biles 510-633-9533 www.dickscarpetoneoakland.com

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Housing Authority of the City of Alameda Mike Pucci 510-747-4325 www.alamedahsg.org Oakland Housing Authority Leased Housing 510-874-1500 www.oakha.org GREEN BUILDING

Going Green Dan Antonioli 510-652-7593 www.going-green.co Smart Building, Inc. Sheryl Dron 510-444-7678 www.getsmartbuilding.com Urban Ore Marylou Van 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com GUTTER CLEANING

Mr. Sparkle Dylan Kelly 510-504-7048 www.mrsparkle.biz

Avitus Group Lance Harris 925-827-0680 www.avitusgroup.com INSPECTIONS

SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com INSULATION

Advanced Home Energy Shira Henry 510-540-4860 www.advancedhomeenergy.com INSURANCE

Bulloch Insurance Brokers, Inc. Curt Bulloch 925-640-0485 www.curtbulloch.com Commercial Coverage Insurance Paul Tradelius 415-436-9800 www.comcov.com CSE Insurance Group David Earwood 925-817-6497 www.cseinsurance.com ebrha.com

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vendor directory Capital Insurance Group John Reynoso 1-800-682-9255, x7519 jreynoso@ciginsurance.com Commercial Coverage Insurance Paul Tradelius 415-436-9800 www.comcov.com David E. Quan Agency Insurance Brokerage Xavier Quan 510-653-8880 www.dquanagy.com The Greenspan Co./Adjusters Int’l.

Rich Hallock 866-331-4790 www.greenspan-ai.com Jain L. Williams - State Farm Insurance Jain L. Williams 510-530-3222 www.jainwilliams.com Kelly Lux – State Farm Insurance Kelly Lux 510-521-1222 Kelly.lux.gjcg@statefarm.com Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency Ruth Stroup 510-874-5700 www.stroupinsurance.com Stone Creek Insurance Agency Tom Lynch 925-297-4202 www.stonecreekinsurance.com Yonas Hagos - Farmers Insurance Yonas Hagos 510-763-1030 www.farmersagent.com/yhagos INTERCOMS & ACCESS CONTROLS

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT

PEST & VECTOR CONTROL

Alameda Co. Vector Control Services Daniel Wilson 510-567-6826 daniel.wilson@acgov.org Terminix Robert Sater 510-489-8689 www.terminix.com Times Up Termite Mike Barker 510-568-7200 www.timesuptermite.com

APT Maintenance, Inc. Keith Berry 510-747-9713 www.aptmaintenanceinc.com KMK Contracting & Property Services Kevin Knobles 925-292-8667 www.kmkcontracting.com PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE

SYNCrew John Cranston 415-968-1593 www.syncrew.com

LEAD, MOLD & PEST MANAGEMENT

Alameda County Healthy Homes Dept.

Julie Twichell 510-567-8252 www.aclppp.org

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

PAINT SUPPLIERS

Dunn-Edwards Paints Jim Perry 925-822-7535 www.dunnedwards.com

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

Coinmach Claudette Lucey 510-909-9786 www.coinmach.com Excalibur Laundries Carlos Barraza 510-872-1554 www.excaliburlaundries.com Innovative Coin Cheri Guffey 510-259-1494 www.innovativelaundry.com

40 RENTAL HOUSING

MARKET RESEARCH

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

Albert Nahman Plumbing & Heating Albert Nahman 510-843-6904 www.albertnahmanplumbing.com Frank Bonetti Plumbing Dan Bonetti 510-582-0934 www.bonettiplumbing.com Pacific Drain & Rooter Service Nasir Jalil 510-452-4606 nasirjalil80@gmail.com Roto-Rooter Martin Alvarez 510-755-1262 sanactma@aol.com

Martinez Real Estate Investment Jose Martinez 510-769-0436

LISTING SERVICE

LOCKSMITH EVICTION SERVICES

Golden Gate Locksmith Co Ralph Scott 510-654-2677 kgglocksmith@yahoo.com Rex Key and Security Joe Towbis 510-527-7000 www.rexkey.com

PLUMBING/WATER HEATERS

R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com Rex Key and Security Joe Towbis 510-527-7000 www.rexkey.com Statcomm Inc. Cherie Anderson 650-988-9508 www.statcomm.com

Trulia Pierre Calzadilla 415-400-7260 www.trulia.com/rent

LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES

SpottCheck Consulting Susan Spott 510-816-1452 www.spottcheck.com

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES

Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Jermane Griffin 916-752-7608 jermane.griffin@ferguson.com Wilmar Nick Mraz 800-345-3000 www.wilmar.com

ebrha.com

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Advent Properties, Inc. Benjamin Scott 510-289-1184 www.adventpropertiesinc.com Bay Property Group Daniel Bornstein 510-836-0110 www.baypropertygroup.com Beacon Properties Carlon Tanner 510-428-1864 www.beaconprop.com Caldecott Property Management Services Ronald Reece 510-594-2400, x226 www.caldecott.com Canyon Pacific Management Tom Scripps 415-495-4739 www.canyonpacific.com Cedar Properties Jonathan Weldon 510-834-0782 www.cedarproperties.com Crane Management Kit Crane 510-918-2306 www.cranemanagment.net The Enterprise Company William McLetchie 510-444-0876 ERI Property Management Sasha Bermudez 510-883-7017 www.erirentals.com Lapham Company Jon M. Shahoian 510-594-7600 www.laphamcompany.com Marquardt Property Management Karen or Judi Marquardt 510-530-2050 www.mpmoakland.com MSB Property Management Nik Bhachu 510-649-3380 www.msbmanagement.com Oaktown Urban Properties Michael Moynihan 415-572-0334 www.oaktown-up.com OMM Inc./Mason Management Janice Mason 510-522-8074 www.ommhomes.com Premium Properties Sam Sorokin 510-594-0794 www.premiumpd.com Shaw Properties Liz Hart 510-665-4350 www.shawprop.com Sphinx Property Management Jon Goree 510-798-9299 www.sphinxpm.com Wellington Property Company Jillian Loh 510-338-0588 www.wellingtonpropertyco.com Woodminster Property Management Nicholas Drobocky 510-336-0202 www.woodminstermanagement.com

vendor directory REAL ESTATE BROKERS & AGENTS

Advent Properties, Inc. Benjamin Scott 510-289-1184 www.adventpropertiesinc.com ARA Pacific Mike Colhoun 415-273-2177 www.arausa.com Caldecott Properties Andy Read 510-594-2400 www.caldecott.com CBRE Keith Manson 510-874-1919 www.cbre.com Coldwell Banker – Apartment Specialist John Caronna 925-253-4648 www.eastbayIREA.com Coldwell Banker Commercial Henry Ohlmeyer 925-831-3390 www.coldwellbanker.com Edrington & Associates Steven Edrington 510-749-4880 sedrington@msn.com Home & Investment Realty George Vassiliades 510-710-6826 www.propertiesbygeorge.com Lapham Company Tsegab Assefa 510-594-0643 www.laphamcompany.com Litton/Fuller Group Luke Blacklidge 510-548-4801, x130 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 510-972-4941 www.naikilpatrick.com Paragon Commercial Brokerage Ben Weil or Zack Ward 415-874-5018 theBWteam@paragon-re.com Property Counselors Link Corkery, Inc. Link Corkery 510-886-1212 www.pclclink.com Red Oak Realty Kevin Hamilton 510-250-8780 kevin@redoakrealty.com Woodminster Real Estate Co Inc. Nicholas Drobocky 510-336-0202 www.woodminsterrealty.com RECYCLING/REUSE

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

RENT CONTROL CONSULTANTS

SEISMIC ENGINEERING

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

Alan K. Beales 510-339-9776 Bay Property Group Cristian Villarreal 510-474-7404 cristian@baypropertygroup.com

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

Edrington & Associates Steven Edrington 510-749-4880 sedrington@msn.com

SOLAR ENERGY

Liz Hart 510-813-5440 liz.hart1801@gmail.com St. John and Associates (Berkeley only) Michael St. John 707-937-3711 msjetal@pacbell.net RENTAL SERVICES

Cal Rentals Elaine Perkins 510-642-3644 www.calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu Hamilton Properties Bay Area Delesha Hamilton 404-606-2141 www.hamiltonpropertiesbayarea.com

Sun Light & Power Martin Morehouse 510-809-3686 martin@sunlightandpower.com TENANT SCREENING SERVICE

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

Ken Betts Towing Services Ayub Azam 510-532-5000 www.kenbettscompany.com PPI Towing Stephanie Gipson 510-533-9600 www.ppitowing.net

ROOFERS

A-One Construction Dirksen Rogers 408-690-0890 www.a-oneconstruction.com Fidelity Roof Company Doug Kellor 510-547-6330 www.fidelityroof.com Frank Fiala Roofing Frank Fiala 510-582-6929 www.ffialaroofing.com General Roofing Company Michael Wakerling 510-536-3356 www.generalroof.com

TREE SERVICE

Bartlett Tree Experts Tony DeMola 925-934-6306 www.bartlett.com Coastal Tree Service Hans Waller 510-693-4631 www.coastaltreeservice.com TUB, TILE & COUNTERTOP REFINISHING

Discovery Coatings Gargie Balarbar 415-971-8207 www.discoverycoatings.com

SECURITY/SURVEILLANCE

Bay Alarm Limor Margalit 510-639-2652 www.bayalarm.com Detect All Security & Fire Amy Roither 510-835-4100 www.detectall.com R & S Overhead Garage Door Sean Boatright 510-483-9700, x14 www.rsdoors.com Sentry Alert David Ingham 510-549-0306 www.sentryalert.com

WASTE & COMPOST COLLECTION

Waste Management Company David Tucker 510-430-8509 www.wastemanagement.com WINDOW WASHING

Mr. Sparkle Dylan Kelly 510-504-7048 www.mrsparkle.biz WINDOWS

SEISMIC CONSTRUCTION

Adobe Soil & Structures Mark Almeida 510-919-1880 www.adobesoils.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

Advanced Home Energy Shira Henry 510-540-4860 www.advancedhomeenergy.com SGK Home Solutions Vladmir Merabian 408-264-6964 www.sgkhomesolutions.com Urban Ore Marylou Van 510-841-7283 www.urbanore.com

ebrha.com

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SEPTEMBER 2015

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RENTAL HOUSING 41

ad index

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510.893.9873 | FAX 510.893.2906

ebrha.com

| SEPTEMBER 2015 |

WATERPROOFING

East Bay Rental Housing Association Oakland, CA 94610

42 RENTAL HOUSING

General Roofing Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

ebrha.com

SGK Solutions.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 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.

Vendor Fair • Workshops • Oktoberfest Reception • Free Parking 9TH ANNUAL

Trade Expo

Presented by

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 3:00 - 7:00 P.M. Greek Orthodox Church 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland EBRHA Members & Registered Guests: Free Non-Members: $20 (fee can be applied to new membership)

The Bay Area Expo for Residential Rental Property Owners & Managers

Speakers

Workshops include • New Rental Housing Laws for 2016 • Improving Your Real Estate Portfolio: Strategies for Success • Legal Q&A with Leading Rental Housing Attorneys and Experts

Ron Kingston President, CPCG EBRHA State Lobbyist

James Kilpatrick President NAI Norcal

Clifford Fried

Sponsored by

Attorney Fried & Williams LLP

Daniel Bornstein Attorney Bornstein & Bornstein

REGISTER NOW AT WWW.EBRHA.COM/EXPO

To exhibit, contact Tina Bocheff at 510-318-8303 or tbocheff@ebrha.com