Downtown San Diego Real Estate

RE/MAX City Real EstateRE/MAX City Real Estate

Downtown San Diego Real Estate

Contact Us Today At (619) 825-1974
claudette@buysellrentsandiego.com

465 10th Ave San Diego, CA 92101

  • Menu
  • Buy
    • Search Downtown
    • Search San Diego County
    • Featured Listings
    • Foreclosures
    • Distressed Sale Options
    • Finance
      • Mortgage Calculator
      • Get Pre-qualified
  • Sell
    • Distressed Sale Options
    • Listing Syndication
  • Rent
    • Find Downtown Rentals
    • Find San Diego Rentals
  • Property Management
    • San Diego City Property Management
    • Tenant Login
    • Owner Login
  • Downtown
    • Columbia District
    • Core District
    • Cortez Hill
    • East Village
    • Gaslamp District
    • Little Italy District
    • Marina District
  • Testimonials
    • Property Management Testimonials
    • Real Estate Testimonials
  • Member Login
  • The Team
    • About Us
    • The Team
    • Blog
    • We’re Hiring!
    • Lifestyle
      • Blog
      • Downtown San Diego Weather
      • Downtown Dining
      • San Diego Downtown Happy Hour
      • Downtown Theaters
      • Downtown Movie Theaters
      • Downtown Music
      • San Diego Schools
      • San Diego Sports
      • San Diego Resources
  • Contact

Rent Control Regulations: Potential Impact on San Diego

The Name of the Game is Demand and Supply.

The increase in rental units’ demand and the decrease in the supply of rental units gave birth to rising concerns of high rental costs in California. The concerns of increasing housing prices combined with sluggish housing construction have motivated the California to implement rent control laws. Unfortunately, only a handful of cities adopted the law: Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Campbell, East Palo Alto, Fremont, Hayward, Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Oakland, Palm Springs, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, West Hollywood. San Diego does not fall on that list.
The rent control ordinance usually controls two main factors:

  1. Limiting how often and how much landlords can increase rent
  2. Requiring owners to give an adequate reason for eviction

Rent Control Law in California Cities

1. Rent Limit

California cities have implemented rent control laws to keep rental inflation below or in line with the increase in the cost of living each year. The rental hike frequency is a set percentage once every twelve months. The cities that have adopted the price ceiling to curb the exponential growth in rental rates appear below:
 

City Allowable Increase
Berkeley 65% of Yearly San Francisco-area CPI Increase (effectively 2%)
Los Angeles 3% or Los Angeles-area Yearly CPI Increase, up to 8% (whichever is higher)
Los Gatos 5%
Oakland 1.7%
Palm Springs 75% of Yearly Los Angeles-area CPI Increase
San Francisco 60% of Yearly San Francisco-area CPI Increase
San Jose 8% (21% if rents have not increased in more than two years)
Santa Monica 75% of the Yearly Los Angeles-area CPI Increase
West Hollywood 75% of Yearly Los Angeles-area CPI Increase

 
Source: California Apartment Association (Updated 06/05/2015)

2. Eviction Reason

Rent control laws limit evictions to 12 legitimate reasons to avert eviction abuses. These justifications fall into two categories: (1) the tenant is at fault, and (2)  the tenant is not to blame.  
The tenant at fault may be evicted without compensation for any of the following: non-payment of (legal) rent, breaking a term of the lease, refusal to renew the lease, causing a nuisance (including drugs and gangs), refusal to permit the landlord entry for inspection or repair, using the unit for an illegal purpose, or there is a different person in possession of the unit than who rented it.  
When the tenant is not at fault, the landlord must file special paperwork with the City Housing Department and prove the reason is valid. These reasons may include: the owner or owner’s family is moving into that unit, they will no longer rent out the property, the owner is selling the property, or the property is condemned. In these cases, the landlord must compensate the tenant with $3,300 relocation assistance (or $8,200 if the tenant has minor children, a legal disability, or is over 62 years old; new amounts effective 7/1/05)
Source: http://www.caltenantlaw.com/LARSO.htm

Impact on San Diego

Since San Diego has not yet adopted the rent control rules, tenants are facing large rate hike issues, approx. 8.4% in a year. Meanwhile, the rental unit supply has steeply fallen over time due to massive construction regulations that limit investors from developing barren lands. This imbalance in demand and supply has landed a lot of tenants in trouble:
Landlords make full use of this opportunity and increase property rate MOM. Thus, the average rental rate in San Diego has increased to $1940 per month. This number is up about $70 from last year (as per database reports). Today, a majority of tenants contribute around 35% of their income in house rent.
In certain cases, property owners find faulty ways to evict tenants in order to increase the rent. This also leads tenants into trouble of searching for a new rental unit, packing and moving charges, settlement time, legal cost, etc.
**Note** Buy, Sell, Rent San Diego always provides legitimate justification, adequate paperwork, and advanced notice before asking our tenants to move.

What Can Tenants Do?

Be aware of rent raise law:
If you have a lease for more than 30 days (e.g. 1-year lease), your rent cannot be increased during the term of the lease unless the lease allows rent increases. If you have a periodic rental agreement (month-to-month), your landlord can raise your rent. However, he or she must give you proper advance notice in writing. (Civil Code Section 827 (b)). Thus, in these terms, a lease is better than a rental agreement.
Maintenance with rent: 
Tenants can request an upgrade or repair in exchange for a higher rental rate. However, they must discuss this before renting the property. It also has to be noted down in the agreement. The vice-versa is also possible, where the tenants offer a repair work done for a lower rent rate.
Tenants Association:
Tenants can form associations and conduct regular meetings for the same. This would help them be united in times of distress. A powerful pressure ensures corrective actions when need be.
These are just a few of the many precautions a tenant needs to take before renting a property in San Diego. However, if you are interested in renting a trustworthy property manager in downtown San Diego with a trusted name, contact Claudette Cooper at (619)825-1974 today.

Posted in: Rental, Uncategorized

How to find the Right Tenants for your Rental Property

The biggest challenge most landlords face is finding reliable tenants to fill their properties. Vacant time means money lost, but the wrong tenants can deplete your property value or cost you a lot of money in eviction fees. The process of finding tenants requires you to work fast, be available, and know the right questions to ask. With all of the properties available to renters in San Diego, you will want to make sure your property stands out and you can offer exceptional services throughout the process to showcase your ability to be a professional landlord.

Fair Housing Laws

When looking for tenants, be aware of compliance laws related to renting your property. In San Diego, the Fair Housing Laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. This includes printing advertisements about tenant preferences. In addition, owners should be aware of their responsibility to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities. For example, you may be required to grant an exception to a “no pet” policy if the individual requires a service animal. In general, property owners never intend to violate the fair housing laws. Most violations are the result of a misunderstanding. However, lack of compliance can be costly.

Advertising the Property

You’ll want to post ads in multiple places to attract as many potential tenants as possible.
 
Online advertisements: Websites like Craigslist, Trulia, Post it, Rent.com, and Zillow generate prospects from outside of the city.
Physical advertisements: Newspaper ads, yard signs, and flyers may seem old school, but they are still effective for locals.
Word-of-mouth: Tell your friends and family about the vacancy so they can spread the word. Word-of-mouth referrals are usually some of the best tenants.
 
When creating your ads, be prepared to list any property highlights: close to public transportation, all new appliances, large balcony, etc. Include square footage, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, neighborhood name, and expected monthly rent. Leave out advertising that the property is vacant.
You’ll need to be reachable by phone every day from about 8 am to 9 pm. If potential tenants cannot reach you, they’ll move on to other property options.

Screening the Candidates

Screening applicants is one of the most exciting parts of the rental process. It is also the most crucial. Finding the right tenants eliminates early cancellations, late/missing payments, and costly evictions. The process requires careful analysis and patience to locate the right fit. In general, consider what they are looking for in a property, their ability to pay the rent and utilities, and their willingness to abide by the contract. Your application may include:
 
Social security number: So you can run a background or credit check
Length of time at current address: You are looking for someone with consistent behaviors
Contact information for past landlords: These references are often more reliable than a credit check
Contact information for a current employer: We suggest getting written approval to call and confirm employment.
Income: In general, they should make at least three times more than the monthly rent
Personal and credit references: This is always a good character reference
 

Accepting an Applicant:

If you choose to accept any applicants, call them as soon as possible. Any time wasted may result in them choosing another property. Have a contract prepared and ready to sign. Then, review the lease with them to make sure they understand the terms and agreements.

Hire a Property Manager

If posting ads, screening applicants, and preparing a lease agreement seems a little overwhelming, you can also choose to hire a property manager. This a great option for owners with limited time. Buy Sell Rent San Diego, for example, takes care of all of the property marketing, showing the property, and screening for the best candidates for you. We perform credit checks, background checks, and call references to ensure you feel comfortable with your new tenants. In addition, we also coordinate routine and emergency repairs throughout the leasing period to keep your property in the best shape.
Whether you are managing your rental process by yourself or hiring a property manager, make sure you take the time to properly educate yourself about how to protect yourself and your property from bad tenants. If you are interested in learning more about hiring a property manager, you can watch this short video with tips for selecting a property manager or contact Claudette Cooper at  (619) 825-1974 today.

Posted in: Blog, Rental, Uncategorized

Contact us for a Free Consultation or to Schedule a Showing today!

Call us today at (619) 825-1974

Popular Downtown Property for Sale

  • Home
  • Downtown Districts
  • Market Information
  • Finance
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap

About Us

RE/MAX City Real Estate
Downtown San Diego Real Estate
4.5 out of 5 stars based on 18 reviews from Yelp, Facebook and Google+
Price Range:$

465 10th Ave San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 825-1974
© 2022 · Equity Framework
Privacy Policy · Listings Sitemap · Log in