The California state legislature has passed, and the governor signed, AB832. Here is the text of AB832

See also Governor Newsom AB832

The highlights are:

  • Extension of Moratorium.  Senate Bill 91, the statewide eviction moratorium and rental assistance bill, is to be extended though and including September 30, 2021, and then no further extensions.

Conformed pages Complaint Finally, common sense prevails in Santa Monica “related to housing laws”!  In the Federal (9th Circuit) case of Salisbury v. City of Santa Monica (2021)  What is even more entertaining, is the video argument.  Check it out: Salisbury Video of Oral Argument  Judge Bea is so cool and old school, really knows

Residential leases, in any facility where a person “resides”, cannot contain a mandatory arbitration clause.  The plain language of Civil Code Section 1953 states that waivers of litigation rights in a lease or rental agreement are void as public policy, and Civil Code section 1940 extends these rights to tenants, lessees, boarders, or others of

The mail box rule survives.  Many leases, including the AIR leases, provide that notices are “deemed given” if they are “addressed as required herein and mailed with postage prepaid.” This case involved a certified mail letter, which does not require handing it to the post man, just “mailing it”.  The result is all a landlord

The current primary laws affecting residential tenancies are the CDC Agency Order Published September 4, 2020 and California’s AB3088 enacted August 31, 2020 aka The California Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act.  Commercial evictions for non-payment of rent may still be limited through Governor Newsom’s September 23, 2020 Executive Order extending the

Should I use the AIR CRE Commercial Leasing form of the CAR Commercial Leasing form?  The lawyer answer is that they are similar but different!  Most of the time the AIR form should be used, but both have pros and cons for landlords and tenants.  See this attached memo with snippets of the clauses discussed or read below.  Click here: AIR vs. CAR Commercial Leasing Forms  Please let me know what you think of my comments.

Nine AIR Commercial Leasing Forms vs. One CAR Commercial Leasing Agreement?

Most California commercial leasing transactions use one of the AIR CRE Commercial Leases (“AIR Forms”) or the CAR Commercial Lease form (“CAR Form”).  The AIR Forms are very inclusive at 20+ pages, are balanced for the landlord and tenant, but may not be the right choice for every commercial lease.  The CAR Form is user friendly at 6 pages, but only covers the basics.  The AIR CRE forms have specific leases for office, single, multi-tenant, ground leases and for shopping centers.  AIR also offers addendums for arbitration, options to extend, rent adjustments, right of first refusal, etc.  The primary difference between the AIR and CAR forms are detailed assignment of responsibility. Read more below:
Continue Reading Comparison of the AIR vs. CAR Commercial Leasing Forms (With Hints!)

There are several legal doctrines to examine to determine if a commercial tenant’s lease obligations are excused.  The start is Civil Code §1511 and Civil Code §1514  This post examines  the doctrine of “frustration of purpose” which is close to the related “impossibility of performance” doctrine, but frustration more properly relates to the consideration for