Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
SB 684 and SB 1123 (Caballero) expand the Starter Home Revitalization Act to further facilitate the construction of “starter” home projects consisting of up to 10 dwelling units (not exceeding an average of 1,750 net...more
Most people understand that a partition lawsuit under Pennsylvania law can be used to force the division or sale of a vacant parcel of land owned jointly by two or more persons, or even a parcel of land with a house, cabin,...more
On March 19, the FHA rescinded three mortgagee letters related to appraisal policies in its Single Family Housing programs through Mortgagee Letter 2025-08. The letter rescinds FHA Single Family Housing policy changes issued...more
Build-to-Rent (“BTR”) is a subsector of Single Family Rentals (“SFR”). As a subsector of SFR, BTR occupies a unique space within the U.S. residential rental market. The broader category of SFR includes scattered homes for...more
SB 684, which took effect on July 1 of this year, provides for streamlined, ministerial processing of certain residential projects in multifamily zoning districts consisting of no more than 10 single-family homes. The law...more
Does G.L. c. 40A, § 3, ¶ 4 “impose[] a per se requirement that all sober homes be treated in all circumstances as would single family homes as a matter of law?” In anticipation of December 2024 oral arguments, the Supreme...more
FinCEN seeks to safeguard residential real estate as evidenced by the issuance of the Final Residential Real Estate Rule issued 8/28/24 and taking effect on 12/1/25. The Final Rule requires “certain” industry professionals...more
Invitation Homes, the nation’s largest landlord of single-family homes, has agreed to pay $48 million and to stop a significant number of its rental practices, including misleading renters about lease costs and charging...more
Elk Grove has settled a lawsuit with the state over a 67-unit supportive housing project the city denied, despite the fact that the city had recently approved a similar market-rate project. The lawsuit filed by Attorney...more
The Massachusetts Affordable Homes Act (H. 4977), signed into law on August 6, 2024, includes provisions intended to promote residential housing construction. These provisions: (1) require municipalities to permit accessory...more
This is part two of my three-part series on common misperceptions about the vacation rental industry in Oregon. Last week, I explained why vacation rentals are important drivers of local economies. This week, I take on the...more
Several cities in California successfully petitioned for a writ of mandate seeking the invalidation of California Senate Bill 9 (the HOME Act)....more
On April 2, 2024, HUD published a new rule in the Federal Register regarding the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). The new rule updates the HUD regulations on Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands and...more
Officials broke ground Monday on a new high-speed rail system that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas. The Brightline West system will average speeds of about 115 miles per hour and reach a top speed of around 200...more
What Happened? Both the FHA and VA have established new loss mitigation options to provide payment reduction to delinquent borrowers. On February 21, 2024, the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) within the U.S....more
On March 28, 2024, the Adams Administration announced that its City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning proposal would, if approved by the City Council, introduce new, higher-density residential zoning districts to New York...more
Governor Gavin Newsom, whose second and final term ends in January 2027, has made curbing homelessness and increasing housing key priorities. However, his recent budget cut proposal contains more than $1.2 billion in cuts...more
On November 15, HUD increased its fee limits for property inspections for single-family homes. HUD requires federal mortgage holders to perform property inspections to determine “occupancy status, ascertain property...more
San Diego’s Planning Commission unanimously voted last Thursday against a key part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s housing plan that would have eliminated single-family zoning in much of the city. The commission voted to recommend the...more
The Illinois legislature recently approved the Electric Vehicle Charging Act (“Act”), which imposes certain requirements for “newly constructed single-family homes and multi-unit residential buildings” with parking spaces,...more
On April 7, 2023, New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed into law New Mexico’s Right to Repair Act (Act), 2023 N.M. SB 50. The Act’s effective date is July 1, 2023. The Act applies to construction defects in...more
Housing advocates touted the “Builder’s Remedy” as a clever way to circumvent NIMBY politics and get more housing built. But in the two months since the law has been available to Bay Area developers, few have submitted...more
Not a day seems to go by in recent weeks without multiple articles and media hits on controversies over gas stoves. Across the U.S., opponents of gas stoves have implemented a coordinated effort by government regulators,...more
LOS ANGELES — Waymo Says It’s Bringing Robotaxis to L.A. Driverless car company Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet, said October 19 that it plans to add autonomous taxi fleet operations to Los Angeles. “L.A. is in the top...more