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Rent Control
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Rent Control

For some 20 years, our attorneys have advised public agencies in the development, implementation, and administrative application of municipal rent control ordinances (including so-called “factor based” and “Maintenance of Net Operating Income” ordinances). We serve as general or special counsel to the Palm Springs Rent Review Commission and the Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, two cities with, collectively, over 40 mobilehome parks, and have been in the forefront of litigation to defend municipal rent control. We have also successfully represented mobilehome park home owners associations in rent control ordinance administrative and litigation matters.

Expertise

  • Administrative hearings before rent control review boards
  • Rent increase applications
  • Disputes on capital improvements rent and project maintenance
  • Drafting and defending rent control ordinances
  • Drafting and defending ordinances on conversion from rental to condominium ownership
  • Conversion economic studies
  • Relocation and relocation assistance
  • Developing financing programs
  • State and Federal housing assistance programs
  • Resident park ownership
  • Park valuation issues
  • Mobilehome park legislation
  • Moratoriums
  • Subdivision Map Act
  • Takings issues

Expertise in Action

Our attorneys have successfully represented the City of Palm Springs in a nearly 15-year battle with a mobilehome park owner over application the of a rent control ordinance and numerous challenges to the City’s administrative rulings. Some of these decisions resulted in appellate decisions in favor of the City. See El Dorado Palm Springs, Ltd. v. Rent Review Commission, Court of Appeal Case Nos. E011072, E010773, E011103, E011126, E0111682, and E017518. See also El Dorado Palm Springs, Ltd. v. Rent Review Com. (1991) 230 Cal. App. 3d 335.

We have successfully represented the City of Carson in numerous and on-going challenges to the administrative ruling of its Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, resulting in numerous appellate decisions in favor of the city, including:

  • Carson Harbor Village, Ltd. v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, LASC Case No. BS077148, Court of Appeal Case No. B180317, Supreme Court of California;
  • Carson Harbor Village, Ltd. v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, LASC Case No. BS077364, Court of Appeal Case No. B170146;
  • Carson Harbor Village, Ltd. v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, LASC Case No. BS085137, Court of Appeal Case No. B181771;
  • Carson Estates v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, LASC Case No. BS079860, Court of Appeal Case No. B171598; and
  • Carson Gardens, LLC v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board, LASC Case No. BS072845, Court of Appeal Case No. B180308.

We have successfully advised planning commissions and city councils in the application of state laws related to conversions of mobilehome parks. We have been actively involved in defending our clients’ rights during hostile conversion attempts by mobilehome park owners who resist oversight of their conversion applications.

We served as lead municipal counsel in El Dorado Palm Springs, Ltd. v. City of Palm Springs (2002) 96 Cal. App. 4th 1153. We also acted as lead municipal counsel in Carson Gardens, LLC v. City of Carson Mobilehome Park Rental Review Board (2006) 140 Cal. App. 4th 1323, successfully defending exclusive jurisdiction of local rent control administrative bodies from attempted judicial usurpation of same.