In the wake of COVID-19, some companies have announced plans to allow employees to work from home permanently, freeing people to live anywhere. What does this mean for Mendocino County? Maybe nothing or maybe we’ll have an influx of city dwellers ready to escape the rat race. Lucky for them, working isn’t the only thing … Read more
Landlords sometimes wonder whether they can use a tenant’s security deposit to cover unpaid rent. The answer depends on whether the landlord planned ahead. Although security deposits cannot be used to cover “normal wear and tear,” California law allows property owners to use security deposits and pet deposits to pay for various tenant expenses, as … Read more
Sometimes when I’m scrolling through information online, I find an entertaining and informative blog that pertains to my line of work. This happened recently when I found a blog titled, “Odd, Bizarre, and Restrictive Rental Rules” by the Tenant Screening Center (www.tsci.com). They rightly point out that one of the toughest things about being a … Read more
When people decide to buy or sell property, sellers want to earn as much as possible and buyers want to pay as little as possible, so unless they understand the value of having a Realtor, neither of them will be interested in paying a commission, or brokerage fee, on the sale. Buyers bring the cash … Read more
If you’re wondering whether now is the time to buy or sell a house in the Ukiah Valley, the answer is an unequivocal yes. For sellers, the supply of residential properties on the market is severely limited, making each property more valuable. And for buyers, the historically low interest rates make homes more affordable than … Read more
It’s always puzzling to me when a landlord goes through the trouble of collecting information from a potential tenant, and then doesn’t bother to verify it before handing over the keys. About a third of residential rental applications include some form of fraud. Sometimes it’s fairly harmless, like pretending a senior in high school is … Read more
I’ve written a few columns on rent control lately because the State of California is paving roads with good intentions, and we all know where those lead. No one disputes that California has a housing shortage. In late 2019, we were about 3.5 million homes short of meeting the need of California residents. No one … Read more
As we all adjusted to life in the face of a shelter-in-place order from the coronavirus outbreak, it got me thinking about other disruptions. Usually, we cannot know the exact nature of upcoming disasters, but typically, we know enough to plan for the kinds of interruptions they can pose. The last time my life was … Read more
Although the shelter-in-place order continues to lighten and allow more economic activity, it’ll be a long time before things return to normal—if they ever do. For some lucky people, the shut-down simply meant working from home, but for others, it meant being fired, furloughed, or forced to stop work because of a coronavirus illness and … Read more