“Discover How You Can Save Money With the New Workers Comp Program”!

Posted on 26. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Introducing, the new workers compensation program exclusively for AOA Members

“The goal was to create a workers compensation program that delivers the most competitive rates while upholding the best safety, loss control and claims handling practices the industry has to offer.  We believe we have achieved just that.” – Anthony Miller, CEO of GS Insurance Solutions, the exclusive agency for AOA. […]

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Is Your Living Trust Obsolete With the New 2018 Tax Laws? – by Attorney Michael K. Elson

Posted on 03. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Most living trusts created prior to 2009 contain a mandatory requirement to divide the trust into two or more sub-trusts upon the death of a spouse.  These trusts were commonly utilized to reduce or eliminate estate taxes, by taking advantage of the estate tax exemption.  This is the value of assets which can pass to your heirs free of estate tax.  Any assets over the estate tax exemption are taxed at 40% or more.  […]

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ADA Parking Space Common Mistakes – What is Wrong with This Picture? – by Anthony C. Guichard

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a variety of requirements that apply to parking lots. Every day I come across parking lots that do not fully meet the ADA’s Federal and State standards and leave the property owner at risk of an ADA lawsuit. In California, all businesses, apartment buildings, shopping centers or buildings that operate as places of public accommodation or commercial facilities must have accessible parking lots and means of accessibility.  […]

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Something to Think About #66: Uncle Sally’s Nephew, Part 29 – by Klarise Yahya

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

If you’ve missed some of the prior articles, basic guidelines on successful investing are in my book “Stairway to Wealth” available at LuLu.com.

Continued from Part 28:  This is not a difficult scenario to imagine. We’ve just passed through a period when interest rates were artificially maintained at, someone wrote, “the lowest in 5,000 years”. Rates are now climbing. It is not unreasonable to believe that every credit-worthy person and every credit-worthy company who was willing and able has already refinanced their loan(s) and even opened new credit facilities. There is good reason borrowers did that: money was cheap. There is equally good reason lenders cooperated: cheap money is (by definition) risk-free money. But now rates are climbing and risk is stirring. Payments easily made when the 10 year Treasury rates were 1.50% (July, 2016) are a little more difficult when they approach 2.50%. That may not sound like much, but it is a 67% increase. It is fully equivalent to the interest on 8% money going to a bit over 13%. The higher rates climb, the more business lines of credit are reduced (mostly over the borrower’s objections). Factoring costs more. New automobiles are offered at 72 months interest-free financing and there are fewer takers. Foreclosures are again 3-to-a-block. Lending money becomes riskier, and riskier money is more expensive. When interest rates climb, values drop. When values drop, the economy tends towards the deflationary. The potential is much worse than 2008 Housing Bubble because, due to a decade of historically low rates, every sector of the economy is now overborrowed. That makes every sector vulnerable. The dystopians may be proved optimistic. […]

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Legal Q & A – by Dennis Block, Attorney

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Question One: I had a tenant sign a one-year lease which will expire on Feb. 28, 2018. On Dec. 15, 2017, he served me with a 30 day notice that he would be vacating as of Jan. 15, 2018. I have since leased the unit, effective Feb. 1, 2018. Is my original tenant liable for rent through Feb. 28, 2018? […]

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Letter Sent to the Mayor on the Trash Monopoly

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

January 12, 2018

Mayor Eric Garcetti
City Hall
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA  90012

Mayor Garcetti:

Enclosed is the January issue of the Apartment Owners Association News.  Over 100,000 copies are mailed out each month to housing providers and other businesses.  As you can see by the cover, this new trash contract has really caused big problems and got the angry attention of housing providers and all other businesses in Los Angeles.

To prevent this atrocity from hanging over your head, please consider taking steps to correct the major problems it has caused. […]

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Legal Q & A – by Richard Beckman, Attorney

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Question 1: An existing tenant had a dish antenna installed several years ago on the roof.
The building’s roof will soon be replaced (repaired) which will require the antenna’s removal. Who is responsible for the cost to re-install (re-calibration fee) the antenna? […]

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Letters to the Editor

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Dear Dan:

We are so pleased to be members of AOA – attending seminars, going to the Convention Center in Long Beach and utilizing the web site.

This morning, for the first time, (I am pretty old-school!), I used the online forms to give a 60-day notice for a rent increase. Thank you!  It was so much easier than I ever thought it would be.  So, I called this morning to pass on the compliment and they suggested I drop you a note.

So here is my note of thanks! Thank you for a great website, a really top-notch organization and fine seminars and staff.

We use QuickBooks because of you.  We re-did our Family Trust because of you.  Can’t begin to say how much we appreciate AOA!  Sincerely, Garth and Mary Reid […]

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Legal Q & A – Section 8 Housing – by Franco Simone, Esq.

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Q: I am a landlord of an apartment complex. I have several tenants that receive government assistance through Section 8 housing. All of my Section 8 contracts state the landlord is responsible for paying the water bill. However, I have one tenant that always has a really high water bill. He agreed to a rent increase of $20.00 to cover the cost. Can I charge him the additional $20.00 per month? […]

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7 Simple Steps to Real Estate Investing – by William Bronchick

Posted on 01. Mar, 2018 by Cris.

Whether you are BRAND NEW to real estate investing or an expert in the game, it is critical that you understand these 7 Simple Steps to real estate investing. 

First Things First

• Real Estate is NOT a get rich quick scheme. However, if you learn the foundations and put them into practice, you will make more than enough money to realize all of your dreams and goals.
• The real estate bubble is not going to burst overnight. The real estate market will, however, shift and the real estate market will change just as it always has! What’s hot now may turn ice cold in the next few years. But, there are ways to “bubble-proof” your real estate investments. It’s actually quite simple. […]

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