Q and A with Prop West

Q) I just bought a non-rent controlled building and none of the tenants have rental agreements. I drafted new agreements and all of the tenants refused to sign them. What options do I have?

A) Actually, you have two options. The first would be to serve them a 3-Day Notice to Cure or Quit and if they do not sign the agreement or move in within the time period you can start eviction. The second option would be to send them the new agreement along with a 30-Day Notice to Change Tenancy. Once the 30 days have passed the new agreement will be legally binding. This can not be done to establish a fixed term lease, only a month to month lease.

Q and A with Prop West: California Law

Q) When I rent a unit my usual business practice is to make a copy of the applicant's driver's licence. Recently, I had an applicant tell me that under California law he did not have to display his driver's licence.

A) Actually this applicant is correct. Under California law an applicant does not have to show you their driver's licence but also under California law you do not have to rent to them.

Q and A with Prop West

Q) While I was getting one of my vacant units "rent ready" a friend of a tenant came by and viewed the unit. They said they would like rent it as is and finish up the repairs themselves if I would lower the rent amount. Is this a good idea?

A) Generally, no, this is not a good idea. Most of the time these situations do not work out and you should never have your tenants do their own repairs. In many cases the tenants never do the repairs or they do them incorrectly. Only the landlord or a qualified third party should do the work.