Land Use and Real Estate

2026 California Construction Laws, Compliance Updates

Two new California laws took effect on January 1, 2026 that will impact how payment retention and construction disputes are handled on private projects. California Senate Bill 61 limits how…

Redefining a Sale for California Real Property Transfer Tax

When real property changes hands, California imposes two separate taxes – the annual real property tax and a documentary transfer tax. The annual real property tax is reassessed to fair…

The Benefits of Holding Title to Your Real Estate Investment In a LLC

Owning residential or commercial property you rent to others comes with an inherent risk of liability. While maintaining adequate insurance can protect landlords against many conceivable risks, it cannot completely…

Residential Leases – An Owner’s Guide

May 2019 Perhaps you’ve invested in an apartment building as a source of retirement income. Maybe you inherited a second home from a relative, and are debating whether renting the…

Legislation Alert: AB 1482 – Tenant Protection Act Brings Statewide Rent Control to California Beginning 2020

December 2019 Two months ago Governor Newsom signed AB 1482, bringing statewide rent control to California. The new law goes into effect January 1 and includes both a cap on…

Legal Alert: California Fair Housing Law and the Novel Coronavirus

April 2020 California landlords are facing a host of issues caused by the Novel Coronavirus, two of which directly impact California’s robust fair housing framework: Due to either medical risks…

Housing Bills To Watch This Legislative Session

June 2020 The California legislature has spent the last four years passing sweeping housing bills in an effort to make a dent in the State’s severe housing shortage and 2020…

Legal Alert: Real Estate And Land Use Insight – California Continues to Advance “Housing First” Legislation

November 2020 At the start of this legislative session, the California Legislature seemed primed to pass bills that would have significantly impacted housing production and regulation. However, due to the…

Potential Impacts on Commercial Real Estate under the Biden Administrations’ Tax Plan

The 1031 exchange, a popular tool to create wealth by “deferring” capital gains tax on real estate investments, is on the chopping block in the “American Families Plan” put forward…

Key Things to Understand When Leasing Retail Space

Once the ink on a commercial lease for an office building or retail space has dried, it’s too late to make adjustments. Commercial leases are important documents that require careful…