All Forum Posts by: Alison Brenner

https://www.bluckerlaw.com/

Honest eviction attorney in LA. Best of luck.

I am looking for an experienced property manager to manage 52 units in North Hollywood, CA. Start date is 2/1/25. Property is class C and falls under RSO. Transparency in billing is must. If you have a referral, please let me know. Thank you and Happy New Year!

I am so sorry this is happening to you. My family has been to this rodeo more than once. Can you tell me more about the accusations in the complaint? Also, what kind of property and what city in California? Is a nonprofit representing the plaintiffs? 

I don't want to say too much on public forum. I suspect your gut instinct is spot on. We operate in a broken system that is ripe for abuse and fails to protect us. I am going to shoot you a PM with my phone number. I am happy share all the gory details over the phone...just don't want to spell them out on BP.

In Zillow Rental Manager, click on "properties," then click on your listing. Look at the pic attached. You can edit the property type by clicking on the three dots at the top of the listing overview page. If that doesn't work, you may have to wait for Zillow support to respond. It can take a few days.

Hi,

I write out my screening criteria and ask for rental history and income verification before performing a credit check via Rent Spree. Once I confirm income and rental history, Rent Spree invites the applicant to apply via email and the applicant pays for the cost of the screening. Rent Spree is free for me but costs the applicant about $50 for a credit and background check. Hope this helps.

https://www.bluckerlaw.com/
James is a fantastic eviction attorney and an excellent strategist. He's a barracuda in sheep's clothing. He handled an eviction for me in 2022. His retainer was $2K and I got about $500 back from him. Best of luck.

Cameras may help. They don't have to be expensive. You can buy something like a cheap Arlo camera system at Costco and pay for the Internet connection in one of your units.
You could ask law enforcement to do routine drive-bys or safety checks. Sometimes a pestering police presence can be a deterrent.
If the suspicious individuals are engaged in criminal activity, calling the police while it's happening helps too. If your tenants don't want to report, ask them to call you when the individuals are hanging out in front of the property and you can report it.

My issue with SB 721 is that interpretations of the law vary from individual to individual. Some inspectors and contractors insist that drilling is required and charge between $4K - $8K to inspect one 200 sq ft balcony. Others say a visual inspection is sufficient, unless there's a reason to drill, and charge between $500 - $1K per inspection. My properties are located in a city that simply does not have SB 721 on its radar. If your properties are located in city with SB 721 enforcement mechanisms in place, I would contact the city for inspection guidelines and then find an inspector and contractor who understand those guidelines.

At the risk of sounding undiplomatic, I have zero desire to pay someone $4K to drill holes in my balconies. I much rather spend that money resealing the balconies and pass the visual inspection with flying colors.

Please be cautious. I suggest reading the legislation for your own knowledge. SB 721 launched an industry with its share of unscrupulous players.

This company was recommended by a waterproofing/deck contractor, who is well regarded. I am planning on using them unless I get another referral.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/california-deck-inspection-orcutt
The general consensus is that if there is any issue with the elevated wood structure, it's best to hire a waterproofing contractor who is working with an inspector to the do any repairs prior to inspection.

Since April, Buildium has been unusually glitchy. Multiple tenants reported struggling to access their portals at various times. There's also been an issue with rejected rent payments. On my end, I have had to reenter both accounting and tenant information multiple times.