Source: http://www.loguelawfirm.com/blog/
Timestamp: 2013-12-06 21:08:51
Document Index: 58370055

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1671', '§ 1950', '§ 1950', 'art 2', '§1161', '§12', '§12', '§6700', '§ 10']

Logue Law | Santa Barbara Real Estate Law Blog
Santa Barbara Real Estate Law Blog
Home Sales and Real Estate Transactions In Santa Barbara Are Increasing
Posted on April 25, 2013 by Logue Law	There is no doubt that the real estate market is heating up in Santa Barbara at a fervent pace. The volume of transactions has increased dramatically over the last several months.
It is now uncommon when a new, reasonably priced listing does not become a “multiple offer” situation where the listing price gets “bid up”. As a result of the intense competition to “tie up” properties, we have witnessed a lack of attention to detail in the terms and performance of the contract. This carelessness creates problems.
Consequently, we have been actively assisting clients, both buyers and sellers, who are experiencing disagreements during the escrow process. We have encountered and successfully resolved a wide variety of issues and disputes that occur during the purchase and sale transaction.
Whether it’s a Buyer who’s not timely waiving contingencies, a Seller who wants to take his 120” LCD TV attached to the wall even though it’s not “excluded” from the contract, a lender who’s not circulating loan documents, or a Seller who’s failing to timely remove an existing tenant, we continue to effectively resolve an assortment and challenging mixture of disagreements.
Our goal is to always avoid litigation. As a client, you deserve resolution of your issue without the time, expense, stress, and uncertainty of litigation.
Too many attorneys take a hard-nosed, black and white approach to resolving disputes. In fact, the ugly truth is that many are hellbent to litigate. After all, ending up in litigation is an easy and personally profitable result for attorneys to achieve; on the other hand, avoiding it is what takes skill and experience.
We have a Rolodex of clients who endorse us. We invite you to join the club.
Logue Law are Santa Barbara real estate attorneys who represent clients in real estate purchases and sales. We counsel clients to take a proactive approach to avoiding disputes.
Posted in Breach of Contract, Litigation, Purchase / Sale, Real Estate Transactions	|
Residential Lease Agreement Liquidated Damages in California
Posted on March 22, 2013 by Logue Law	Logue Law customarily represents landlords; however, occasionally we represent tenants. Recently, we assisted one of our clients (who is a tenant) achieve a $12,000.00 victory in small claims court (the maximum amount) against an unscrupulous landlord (“Mr. Landlord”), who completely ignored our reasonable demand letters and thought (or hoped) the problem would just go away – a severe and expensive miscalculation.
Our client was renting a high-end home and was forced to leave before the expiration of the lease term. They collaborated with Mr. Landlord on a move-out date and, thankfully, the home was immediately re-rented which, in turn, made Mr. Landlord’s damages nominal. However, Mr. Landlord still deducted $6,000.00 from our client’s $20,000.00 security deposit based on a certain lease provision:
Should tenant opt to vacate and not exercise the third year option, tenants must pay a fee of $6,000.00 prior to vacating premises. Should landlord opt to not renew the third year, tenants do not owe the $6,000.00 fee.
If the above provision seems unfair and oppressive to you, you’re right -it’s illegal, unenforceable, and, potentially, evidence of bad faith. It’s a liquidated damages provision and in California is void as against a residential tenant (and the tenant’s dependants). California Civil Code § 1671(d); see Orozco v. Casimiro (2004) 121 CA4th Supp. 7, 12; see also Utility Consumers’ Action Network, Inc. v. AT&T Broadband of So. Calif. Inc. (2006) 135 CA4th 1023, 1028-1029. As courts have opined, it is demonstrative of a landlord who exploits its superior resources and bargaining position and takes unjust advantage of a tenant.
Moreover, according to California Civil Code § 1950.5(m), no lease or rental agreement may contain any provision characterizing any security as “nonrefundable”. In addition, to make matters worse for Mr. Landlord, Civil Code § 1950.5(l) states that, “The bad faith claim or retention by a landlord…of the security or any portion thereof…may subject the landlord…to statutory damages up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages.”
Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be. After all, California is a state that aggressively protects tenants’ rights, which is why landlords must tread carefully and should obtain expert advice before entering into a lease or when dealing with tenant disputes. If the landlord in this case would have sought our counsel before entering into the lease, he could have saved himself more than a ten thousand dollar bill. Let’s hope Mr. Landlord is a quick study. If you’re a landlord, stop using forms off the internet or drafting provisions that sound good – let us help you employ prophylactic measures. It will save you money in the long run – just ask Mr. Landlord.
Logue Law is a Santa Barbara law firm that frequently counsels clients involved in landlord tenant disputes including evictions.
Posted in Landlord Tenant, Leases	|
Renting Tips: Landlord Resolutions for 2013 – 2 of 2
Posted on March 14, 2013 by Logue Law	This is Part 2 of the previous entry.
3. Confirm your insurance is in order – If you are thinking, “what insurance?” Don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for…
Step One: If the lease requires the tenant to provide a certificate of insurance, confirm it is up to date and if it isn’t take action!
Step Two: Make sure you are named as an “additional insured”.
Step Three: Consider adding a provision to your lease requiring your tenant to have renter’s insurance or a liability policy to cover the tenant’s pit bull or chinchilla. Talk with your insurance agent to confirm your liability insurance policy sufficiently covers you for a tenant’s negligent acts which may occur on your property. If you have a property manager, double check their policy as well.
4. Consider forming an LLC for asset protection - Savvy landlords understand that the rental business is risky. You do not need to have a ton of rental property to carry risk. It only takes one rental to put you in this category. Of course, as you may be personally aware, tenant’s do not always perform as promised, but also, s*** happens. The most conservative and risk averse clients will form a separate LLC for each rental property owned. Now for a very important point – assuming you keep your records separate and successfully avoid those “piercing the corporate veil” arguments, a limited liability company will limit your exposure to the value of the assets owned by the LLC. The cost of forming and maintaining the LLC, will pale in comparison to the personal costs you will suffer when an aggressive Plaintiff’s attorney is feverishly trying to attach all of your assets to the judgment from that catastrophic personal injury case which literally occurred in your backyard. We speak from experience as this nightmare happens more than you want to know.
5. Hire an attorney to file the unlawful detainer action -Landlords frequently try to save money and file the eviction action themselves. VERY BAD IDEA. If you are even considering doing it yourself, please consult an attorney. The unlawful detainer statutes are tedious, complex, and in the tenant’s favor. What appears like a trivial mistake, may unwind your entire case and cost you dearly. The foundation of the unlawful detainer case is the Three Day Notice. Therefore, hire your attorney to draft it or at the very least to review it, as it may end up saving you thousands of dollars.
Logue Law routinely handles landlord-tenant disputes and represents landlords almost exclusively. Logue Law counsels real estate owners to be proactive rather than reactive. Take action and contact us today at (805) 963-4700 to resolve your issue.
Posted in Evictions, Landlord Tenant, Leases, Real Estate Transactions	|
Renting Tips: Landlord Resolutions for 2013 – 1 of 2
Posted on January 28, 2013 by Logue Law	Has the “New Year” brought any significant changes to your life? If you have made and perhaps already broken some of your personal resolutions it is time to renew your commitment again. If you are a Landlord or own real estate, there is no time like the present to “audit” your business practices to assess whether you are conducting business intelligently.
A large part of Logue Law’s business is based on helping our Clients be PRO-active rather than RE-active. The occasional “thank you for saving my behind” note from a Client makes the days spent fighting the unnecessary battles worthwhile. We would rather not say, “I told you so.”
Wondering what exactly you might tweak a bit? The following is the first of two posts, which will address that question:
1. Have a “Landlord friendly” written lease – Operative word: WRITTEN. It’s amazing how many of our Landlord clients initially contact our office in connection with a landlord-tenant dispute who do not have a written lease. We hear: “Well they have been good tenants for years.” Or “I didn’t think I should make my second cousin sign a lease just because her boyfriend and his two large dogs and chinchilla moved in.” While a written lease is not legally required, it is a dangerous gamble to make on such an important investment. To have no document in place which articulates the terms of the lease is simply foolish. If you are in this situation and your client is a month to month tenant, with sufficient notice, you should get your tenant’s signature on a landlord friendly written lease. So your next step is to go online and google “landlord friendly lease”, right? NO. Please don’t think it’s that simple because you will still be calling us when that unexpected situation arises. We repeat: it’s not adequate to simply have a written lease. Surely you can download a “form lease” from the internet or buy one from Staples; however, a more prudent business decision is to have a lease professionally prepared and tailored for you by an experienced landlord-tenant attorney. That way when a problem arises (and one will arise at some point), you can rest assured you are protected.
2. Screen your prospective tenants - One of the keys to being a successful landlord is finding the “dream” tenant – that is, a tenant who does not burden you with unreasonable requests or complaints, pays his rent on time, and is conscientious to your property and your neighbors. Believe it or not, finding the dream tenant is easier than you think, it just takes some proactive investigation on your part.
Start by contacting the potential tenant’s previous landlords and ask questions like:
Did they always pay their rent on time? Did they ever have pets? Did they get along with other tenants or neighbors? Did you ever have any problems with them? Is there anything else I should know?
People usually fail to timely pay their rent because of cash flow issues. Thus, contact your prospective tenant’s employer and ask questions like:
How long have they worked at your company? Is their job secure? Are they a good employee? Can you describe their character? Can you confirm the income stated on their application and whether it is hourly, salary, or based on commissions?
The employer may not answer all of your questions, but the worst they can do is say “no”.
Logue Law routinely handles landlord-tenant disputes and represents landlords almost exclusively. Take action and contact us today at (805) 963-4700 to resolve your issue.
Propert Tax Assessment Appeal Victory
Posted on January 16, 2013 by Logue Law	We are pleased to report another client victory for one of our property tax assessment appeal clients.
Yes, it’s a long process, but it’s worth it.
Check out details of the refund here.
We are Santa Barbara attorneys who focus on real estate issues and civil litigation. Call us today at (805) 963-4700 for a consultation.
Posted in Assessment Appeals	|
Letters of Intent in Commercial Real Estate are Tricky
Posted on December 15, 2012 by Logue Law	In commercial real estate transactions, letters of intent are ubiquitous. They appear absolutely harmless because they are intended to be non-binding and a “tool” for future negotiation. In fact, most letters of intent go out of the way to explicitly state that “it shall not be construed in any way to be legally binding” or that “your signature below merely means you are agreeing to this invitation to negotiate”.
You need to seriously think twice before accepting this ostensibly harmless “invitation“.
While a letter of intent is certainly a preferred tool for commercial brokers and agents because of its convenience and ease of use, the principle risk is inadvertently creating an enforceable contract under the theories of waiver or promissory estoppel because of imprecise drafting or the subsequent conduct of the parties.
Although the basic deal points of a real estate transaction are usually negotiated by the principals involved, letters of intent should be drafted by an attorney who is carefully attuned to the contractual risks inherent in letters of intent. There are certain provisions which should and should not be included so that you do not mistakenly end up litigating in court about what you considered to be a harmless non binding letter or an invitation to negotiate. Contact our firm to draft or analyze your letter of intent.
Logue Law is a Santa Barbara real estate law firm that routinely handles commercial real estate transactions.
Posted in Commercial Real Estate, Landlord Tenant, Leases, Real Estate Transactions	|
Property Assessment Appeal Success
Posted on November 24, 2012 by Logue Law	Logue Law successfully handles property tax assessment appeals for its clients on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not get paid unless you save money.
As you would expect, our clients love this type of fee arrangement.
We have reduced our clients’ property assessment values by tens of millions of dollars and, in turn, our clients have saved tens of thousands of dollars annually.
Frequently, people think they can do it themselves, which is true. However, appealing property tax assessments is more of an art than science. Customarily, it takes well over a year and numerous communications between us and the County Assessor’s office before the case is concluded. We have the contacts, a proven strategy, and the experience to get the job done well. What is your time worth? Why not hire professionals with a proven track record?
See how our client received a refund check for over $26,000.00 here.
Logue Law is a Santa Barbara law firm that focuses on real estate transactions and litigation. Call us at (805) 963-4700 for a consultation. Posted in Assessment Appeals	|
Posted on November 16, 2012 by Logue Law	Logue Law has represented scores of clients in unlawful detainer (eviction) proceedings. While we represent Landlords 95% of the time, we do occasionally represent qualified tenants. In doing so, we have been amazed how frequently plaintiff’s attorneys, property managers, and owners fail to understand how to properly compute the three day notice period in the context of a three day notice to pay or quit.
See an example of a Demurrer to the Complaint we filed which the Court sustained without leave to amend in regards to this issue here.
One may not file an unlawful detainer complaint until three days have elapsed after serving a three day notice. CCP §1161. The first step in counting to three is excluding the first day and including the last. CCP §12. Next, if the third day falls on a “holiday”, the Complaint may be filed the day after the next business day. CCP §12a. Holidays are defined as Saturday, Sunday, and the other days listed in Govt C §6700 and CCP §§ 10, 12a, 12b, and 135.
A demonstration of how holidays stretch the time under the 3-day notice occurred in Lamanna v. Vognar (1993) 17 CA4th Supp 4, 22. In Lamanna, the landlord served a 3-day notice to pay or quit on Wednesday, May 20 and filed an unlawful detainer action on Tuesday, May 26. The Court held that the action was filed prematurely. The first day (May 20) did not count in the three days, so the third day was Saturday, May 23. But that day, the following day (Sunday), and the next day Monday (Memorial Day) were all legal holidays. Therefore, the third day became Tuesday, May 26, and the tenant had until the end of that day to pay the rent or quit. The Court ruled that the earliest the landlord could file the unlawful detainer complaint was Wednesday, May 27.
Logue Law is a Santa Barbara real estate law firm. Call us today at (805) 963-4700 for a consultation.
Posted in Evictions, Landlord Tenant, Leases, Litigation	|
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