Palo Alto City Council voted last night to adopt the Urgency Ordinance to halt residential evictions for COVID-19 related hardship. 

The city's moratorium on evictions will remain in effect until the city's state of emergency expires. After that, residents would have 120 days to make full payment of the back rent.

Looking at the Agenda for the Palo Alto meeting reveals that the council is also evaluating to extend the eviction moratorium to small businesses, non-profits and commercial tenants also impacted by the State of Emergency. Agenda found here.

The San José City Council has enacted a temporary eviction moratorium in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium is in effect through April 17, and the City Council may extend it.

The new ordinance is effective immediately.

The moratorium applies to all residential properties in San José, including single-family homes, rooms rented in single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums, income-restricted apartments (i.e., affordable housing), rent-stabilized apartments, market-rate apartments, and mobilehomes.

Please note the moratorium only applies to residential evictions for nonpayment of rent due to impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. There is no moratorium on lawful evictions for other just causes.

Neighbor disputes are expensive, time consuming, and there is no attorneys’ fees provision. The recent case of Madani v. Rabinowitz is one where the misplaced fence was moved, and the wronged neighbor received no damages.

The Facts:

Mr. Madani sued his neighbor for trespass and nuisance after he had a survey done and learned that the shared fence encroached on his side of the property and that Mr. Rabinowitz was parking cars on his property.

In California, the statute of limitations for bringing a trespass claim is three years. (Code Civ. Proc., § 338, subd. (b).) The same three-year statute of limitations applies to private nuisance claims.

In California, real estate often has multiple owners due to investment structure or inheritance of family property.

Co-owners of California real estate can hold title to the property as joint tenants or as tenant-in-common.  These two types of ownership have different legal ramifications and tax treatment.  However, under the law, each co-owner has equal rights to the property regardless of co-ownership percentage.