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Michael Leake

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Michael Leake is a partner and Practice Group Leader of the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group in the firm’s San Diego office. He is a leader of the Multifamily and Real Estate Finance Teams.

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After the recent passage of Senate Bill 1079 (“SB 1079”), significant changes to the nonjudicial foreclosure process will go into effect on January 1, 2021 for real properties containing 1 to 4 single-family residences. Establishing new rights for tenants and community groups, SB 1079 amends Sections 2929.3 and 2924 of the California Civil Code. Originally nicknamed “Homes for Homeowners, Not Corporations,” the new requirements and rights will fundamentally extend the foreclosure process, with the goal of allowing more foreclosed properties to end up in the hands of individuals and nonprofit organizations engaged in the development and preservation of affordable housing.
Continue Reading SB 1079: Changes to Nonjudicial Foreclosure Process Aim to Benefit Tenants, Primary Residence Occupants and Community Groups; Uncertainty Looms for Lenders and Debtors

A recent California Appellate Court decision provided tenants with additional protections when it clarified that local rent control laws applied to a single-family home in which the landlord[1] rented rooms in the home to separate tenants despite the landlord’s belief that single-family homes were excepted from rent control laws. Specifically, in Owens v. City of Oakland Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board (“Owens”), Division Three of the First District of the California Court of Appeal clarified that the landlord’s argument that an exception to local rent control laws found in the Costa-Hawkins Housing Act (“Costa-Hawkins”) did not apply.
Continue Reading Make No Mistake – Rent Control Laws Apply To Single-Family Homes