All Forum Posts by: Jeremy Lee

 Thanks Jason. It's in the Chatsworth area.

Hi all,

My in-laws are selling their home in LA County and we are unfamiliar with the requirements to sell. My wife and I sold our place in OC a couple years ago and the requirements didn't seem as stringent.

The escrow officer sent these portions of the contract that need to be completed:

I. OWNER'S DECLARATION:

I, as owner, declare under penalty of perjury that the following statements are true and correct for the residential building for which this report is sought.

A. The following device(s) and/or material have been or will be installed as indicated below.

1) Water conservation devices

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in compliance with Section 122.03 Los Angeles Municipal Code (L.A.M.C.).

***Water conservation Certificate of Compliance, as specified in L.A.M.C. Section 122.03, must be filed prior to the close of escrow with the Department of Water and Power (LADWP). A Certificate of Compliance form may be obtained by calling LADWP at (800) 544-4498.***

2) Security Lighting and Locks

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in compliance with Section 91.8607 L.A.M.C.

c) [ ] The Security Lights and Locks Ordinance does not apply since no apartment building (3 or more units) is currently present on the property for which this report is being sought.

3) Seismic Gas Shut-Off Valves (SGSOV) or Excess Flow Shut-Off Valve (EFSOV)

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in compliance with Section 94.1217 L.A.M.C.

c) [ ] The Gas Shut-off Valves Ordinance does not apply since no gas fuel lines are provided for any building on the property for which this report is being sought.

4) Metal bars, grills, grates, security roll-down shutters, and similar devices installed over emergency escape windows in sleeping rooms.

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in accordance with Section 91.1029 L.A.M.C.

c) [ ] Are not installed.

5) Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in compliance with Section 91.8603 L.A.M.C.; Section 91.420.6.2.3 L.A.M.C.

6) Impact Glazing/Approved Film for sliding glass panels of sliding-type doors

a) [ ] Have been installed.

b) [ ] Will be installed in compliance with Section 91.6101; Section 96.302 L.A.M.C.

c) [ ] The Impact Hazard Glazing Ordinance does not apply.

Further, I (owner) certify that smoke detectors in compliance with Section 91.8603 L.A.M.C. and carbon monoxide detectors in compliance with Section 91.420.6.2.3 L.A.M.C and impact glazing/approved film for sliding glass panels of sliding-type doors in compliance with Section 91.6101; Section 96.302. L.A.M.C. will be installed prior to entering into an agreement of sale or contracting for an exchange of said residential property, or, where an escrow agreement has been executed in connection therewith, prior to close of escrow, and that within 10 days after installation, I will so advise the Department of Building and Safety in writing to Residential Property Records, c/o Cashier, 201 N. Figueroa St., 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012-4869.

B. 1) [ ] The property for which this report is being sought is one acre or less in size.

2) [ ] The property for which this report is being sought exceeds one acre in size and I have inspected the property for the existence of protected trees. (For the purpose of this declaration the definition of "protected trees" set forth in L.A.M.C. Section 46.01 shall apply.) The number of protected trees identified as located on this property is (If none, write to "0").

I looked up more and found this as well:

https://www.ladbs.org/services...

I get the carbon monoxide/smoke detectors as that is common we've seen it before. But impact glazing? And they have to get low flow toilets, etc installed?

Ah thank you. I noticed when asking the office it was a figure of 5.69% so I was curious and factoring in CPI that makes more sense now.

So just to clarify: the increase cap (both the 5%+CPI or 10% and twice a year) would apply regardless of being on a month-to-month lease OR a 12 month lease? I thought I had read somewhere that if you're month-to-month/holdover, the landlord can raise rent with no cap (at least the # of times) provided they give proper notice...unless that was the law *prior* to the bill being passed last year?

 Thanks! So it sounds like if we go month-to-month after our lease is up in July, the landlord can raise rent by up to 5%+CPI OR 10% (how do they determine which though?) for that given year and they can only actually increase twice in that year (and provided 60 days notice)? For example: if the month-to-month term rate is $2000 beginning in July 2021, they could increase to $2100 say in November 2021 and then increase to $2200 in March 2022? 

Hi all,

I'm currently in an apartment complex in OC and received the documentation for lease renewal end of July. They outline the terms for 12mo as well as month-to-month and are saying if we don't renew we will just be put on a month-to-month lease, in which case the rent will be the same... However, what they don't mention is that month-to-month is subject to rent increases (I confirmed with the leasing office after receiving the letter). I was told that they can increase rents by a max of 5.69% here... 

Can someone clarify what this actually means? My specific questions are: 

1) how often can landlords increase rent on a month-to-month lease (can they, in theory, increase the rent month over month as long as they're giving notice each time)? Is there a limit or cap?

and

2) is there a max cap that landlords can increase rent by whether month-over-month or over the course of the year?  

Thanks. I'm looking to buy in Orange County (Southern California). I have a realtor now but it's really rough around here and all-cash offers seem to stand out the most. On the other hand, maybe it's better to wait haha.

Hi all,

I'm seriously considering going the delayed financing route on a [primary] home purchase and was wondering if anyone has suggestions or recommendations on what banks or lenders to use for this.

TIA

 This is via Zillow and for a background/credit check. The actual application part doesn't cost which is good. Seems some landlords are offshoring/outsourcing this part via Zillow. Obviously, it's more convenient for private landlords. While I tend to share the sentiment that I would never pay, I would probably do the same if I were a private landlord AND there was a scarcity of rentals in my area (if the rental market were saturated, I would never go this route as it would be a complete turn-off and renters can easily just move on to the next property). 

In this case, rental inventory is very low, so there's not many choices. And, as a renter in a market like mine, you can't really say "I'll just wait for the next one" since time is against you. Just my 2cents.

EDIT: I ended up paying the $29 to have the background/credit check run. It's good for 30 days so I figure, if anything, I can leverage to apply for other places if this one falls through as well as grab a copy of the reports for personal reference etc 

 Thanks for confirming. I had a hunch but I haven't rented from a private landlord before (only apartments and leasing offices) so it makes sense. And I'd probably do the same thinking about it haha. I think especially in today's market, where even rentals are a scarcity (at least where I am), there's not much else you can do if the landlord's asking for it beforehand.

Hi all,

There's a home I'm interested in renting that I saw on Zillow and reached out to the landlord. She is saying that she needs for me to apply via Zillow (there's a $29 universal credit/background check that can apply towards other rental applications for the next 30 days) *PRIOR* to viewing the house... not sure if due to COVID or just wanting to screen out a bunch of people for a smaller pool of more serious potential tenants. 

Is this pretty 'standard' practice and ok to oblige to (no red/yellow flags)?