California, Real Estate

AirBnB Users Need To Help Themselves To Some Basic Real Estate Law

Landlord-tenant law doesn't stop just because you are using the internet.

By  
on

People in business over the internet like to act like what they are doing is so new and exciting and technologically advanced that the “old rules” no longer apply. Sometimes that’s true (chances are my two-year-old will never know what a “newspaper” is). Sometimes it’s not (paperless office my ass).

But old laws always still apply. Stealing cable (another thing my kid will probably not use) is stealing cable even if you are paying somebody else to steal the cable for you.

For instance, when you rent out your place to somebody else, you become a landlord. It doesn’t matter if you rent it out through AirBnB. AirBnB is just a travel agent (this post should be in a time capsule) with an impressive roster of vacation rentals….

The landlord-tenant relationship can be complicated and varies significantly across different states. But in most states, landlords have rights and responsibilities. And some of those responsibilities can be a goddamn hassle, especially if you end up with a tenant who is well aware of his or her rights. Look, if being a landlord was easy, everyone would do it.

Of course, AirBnB wants everyone to do it, so it kind of downplays the significant legal ramifications of renting out your property. A woman in California who I’m guessing has no formal legal training is now experiencing the downside of having an income property.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a “horror story” happening to Cory Tschogl. She rented our her Palm Springs vacation condo to a long-term tenant who now will not leave.

Sponsored

The tenant sounds like a real ass and Tschogl seems like a nice lady, so you feel sorry for her. But the eviction process in California is long and involved. If you’ve rented a unit for more than 30 days, the landlord has to serve you with an official eviction notice, and then give you 30 additional days to vacate. After that, you can start a process that will eventually lead to a non-paying tenant getting physically ejected, D.J. Jazzy Jeff-style, from the unit…

Continue reading on Above the Law Redline…

Sponsored

Topics

, , ,