Considerations When Funding a Trust with Your Real Estate Holdings

Generally speaking, people own two kinds of real estate – a primary residence and/or investment property (residential rental, commercial real estate, etc.). So when the time comes to design an estate plan, the natural question is: Should I put my house or investment property in my living trust? There are several factors to consider before

What Happens in Small Claims Court?

Clients sometimes come to my office regarding a claim they have on a defaulted personal loan or they want to retrieve a security deposit from a landlord or have some other matter where money is due them. In many cases, the amount they claim is too small to warrant being handled in acivil court of

Tenants’ Rights When a Property is Sold or Goes into Foreclosure

I’m often asked by tenants what they can do if the house they’re renting is about to be sold by the landlord or is headed for foreclosure. Here’s information that should prove helpful to you in these situations: In California, landlords wishing to sell their rental property are required to notify tenants in writing of

What Are My Rights As A Tenant?

Here’s a situation I encounter frequently. Tenants renting a house or apartment say they’ve called the landlord repeatedly to repair something or clean up pests of some kind, and nothing gets done. What can they do? Under California law, every residential tenancy, whether under a written lease or otherwise, is subject to a landlord’s warranty

Are You A Tenant Moving Out? What You Need To Know About Security Deposits

Lately, I have been getting requests regarding terminating a tenancy. What is a tenant to do when facing the end of their lease or if there’s a desire either by the landlord or tenant to terminate the lease early? More importantly, and the most frequently asked question on this matter:  what’s going to happen to

You Have Rights When It Comes to Your Security Deposit

As every renter knows, a security deposit is the amount of money a landlord usually requires at the beginning of a lease, in order to protect him or her in the event that a tenant breaks the terms of a lease agreement. Depending on the terms of the lease, the security deposit is usually held