On September 7, 2011, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 332. Under the new law, beginning January 1, 2012, a residential landlord can prohibit the smoking of cigarettes and other tobacco related products on the property, so long as proper notice is provided and local regulations are followed.

This new [...]

Effective January 1, 2012, S.B. 150 amends Sections 1368 and 1373 of the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act and adds California Civil Code 1360.2. to prohibit a homeowner's association (HOA) from restricting an owner's right to rent or lease out their residential unit, "unless that governing document, or amendment thereto, was effective prior to the date the owner acquired title to [...]

Like many residential property owners who have found themselves underwater and facing foreclosure, many owners of commercial buildings are also having trouble keeping up on their mortgage payments. Consequently, a commercial tenant may be asked to pay a bank/lender the rent. What should the tenant do?

California Civil Code Section 2938 provides that, under certain circumstances, [...]

The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 requires all single family dwellings that have either (1) a fossil fuel-burning heater, appliance or fireplace (e.g., a gas stove or water heater) or (2) an attached garage to have an approved carbon monoxide alarm installed outside the bedrooms but in their immediate vicinity (e.g. hallway), and an additional carbon monoxide alarm on each level of the home including the basement (if any).

To be approved, the carbon monoxide alarm must be certified. The [...]

A bad check is a check the bank will not honor. There are two kinds of bad checks: (1) checks marked Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF), which occur when there is not enough money in the account to cover the check; and (2) checks returned because the maker issued a Stop Payment order, which occurs when the account holder instructs the bank to stop [...]