No matter where you live, you work hard to maintain a home where you can relax and enjoy your favorite activities. When someone disrupts that time, it can be frustrating. Depending on the specific nuisance, it may even threaten the value of your property.
Here’s what you should know about public nuisances and how to handle them.
How is public nuisance different than private?
The same actions can be either a public or private nuisance; the difference is the number of people affected. A private nuisance affects only a few people, while a public nuisance affects a “considerable number of persons.”
The nuisance does not have to affect everyone in the area equally, but it does need to impact more than a few people. Talk to the other people in the area and find out if they have experienced similar disruptions.
What types of actions tend to be a public nuisance?
Certain annoyances come with living near other people. While irritating, not all frustrations are considered a nuisance. Activities that tend to be seen as a public nuisance include:
When you have a nuisance situation in your area, deal with it as safely as possible. If there are health or safety risks to you and the neighborhood, start with an official who can help you quickly.
]]>While annoying, not every neighborly frustration reaches the level of nuisance.
These are answers to some of the most common questions about private nuisances.
What actions qualify as a nuisance?
In the simplest terms, a private nuisance is anything that interferes with your enjoyment of your property. Actions that could disrupt your use of your property can include activities such as:
The person who is creating the nuisance may not be a neighbor. You may notice people driving or walking down your street who are interfering with time on your property.
What can I do about an obnoxious neighbor?
Your first step might be to talk to your neighbor. Your neighbor may not realize that what they are doing is bothering you. Depending on the activity, it might be possible to reach an agreement that makes you both happy.
You may also want to look at the California code and the code for your city to see if there are guidelines about what they consider a nuisance. If there is not a specific mention of the obnoxious activity, you may want to talk to a local legislator about making a change.
If you live in a Homeowners Association, you may have different standards (often stricter) and other options for dealing with your neighbor. Talk to the head of your association to learn more about the specific requirements of your neighborhood and how to resolve your issue.
]]>Maintaining your property may be overwhelming, but it is essential for maintaining value in your neighborhood and the safety of you and others. Neglecting property maintenance could cause significant problems.
This is what can happen if you do not take care of your property.
Nuisance complaint
If you do not maintain your building, you may hear significant grumbling from your neighbors. Typically, building neglect needs to get severe before it rises to the level of nuisance.
Keep in mind, your neighbors have a right to enjoy their property, which includes maintaining its value for resale. Failing to manage weeds and other exterior maintenance issues can give your neighbors a reason to file a complaint.
Keeping up with codes
There are several layers of laws that mandate how you maintain your building. Most of the time, you do not have to update your building just because there is a change in the code. As long as your building is safe, and you have not made changes, it may be able to stay the same.
Even if you typically do maintenance and repairs yourself, you need to pay attention to changes in the relevant code when you do repairs. In some cases, your city may see a repair as an opportunity to make an update. Failing to update your building could result in fines or other consequences.
]]>Although you want as many people as possible to have easy access to your building, having the latest accessibility modifications is not always feasible or financially prudent. You need to be able to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines without getting involved in an elaborate remodeling project.
Here’s what you need to know about the “readily achievable” standard and how it applies to your business.
Understanding the expectation
There are specific minimum expectations in the ADA guidelines to make your business accessible for people with disabilities. The ADA tries to make its standards to remove accessibility barriers reasonable by not forcing companies to make changes that are not readily achievable. Readily achievable modifications may include:
In addition to meeting the ADA standard, following these guidelines can help your clients have a more comfortable experience when they visit your building.
Some expense, not zero expense
While the ADA does not expect you to go to extreme measure modifying your building, that does not mean you can avoid accessibility modifications altogether. When evaluating your business for the “readily achievable” standard, they will look at factors such as:
When you discuss the readily achievable standard with an inspector or another official, be prepared to talk about the changes you have already made and the nature of your business. You may also need to discuss what resources you have to make changes to your facility.
]]>No matter what your goals are, in most cases, you will go through an inspection of your apartment building. When you do not know what to expect, this can be intimidating and overwhelming.
Here’s a brief overview of what to expect from your first inspection.
A safe place to live
When you look at a checklist for a building inspection, it can be challenging to know where to start processing the information. The lists are often incredibly detailed, and you may wonder how extensive the check will be.
As you prepare, remember that the goal of the inspection is to make sure the apartments in your building are a safe place for your tenants to live. While some inspectors will be more detail-oriented than others, they all have the goal of helping you provide safe accommodations.
Cost and frequency
Each city has its own requirements for inspection of apartment buildings. The frequency also depends on the type of apartment building you own. In Los Angeles, for example, you can expect an inspection every two to four years.
There may also be fees to cover the cost of apartment inspections. Your city may expect you to pay annually or only when it is time for an inspection.
Getting ready for inspection day
As you walk through each apartment in your building to prepare for inspection, keep an eye out for common red flags such as:
When you find out about an upcoming inspection, talk to the office of the inspector to find out what other items will be included.
]]>There are a few ways to get money for city projects like roads and public buildings. One way to get funding is through municipal bonds.
Here are answers to some of the most common questions about municipal bonds.
What projects do municipal bonds fund?
Every city depends on specific pieces of infrastructure to provide services to its citizens. Children need to go to school and the people need to drive to stores and places of employment. Cities and counties depend on municipal bonds to fund projects such as:
Municipal bonds are critical to helping cities and counties function for the benefit of their citizens. When your citizens are happy with their community, your city can be more successful.
How do they work?
Municipal bonds are debt securities and work similarly to a loan. To raise money for a project, a city sells a municipal bond with a set value to an investor. In exchange for the money from the bond, the city pays the investor back over a fixed amount of time with interest.
The city can typically save a substantial amount since municipal bonds usually have significantly lower interest rates compared to corporate bonds. On the investor’s side, a municipal bond is less risky, since it is typically backed by the government entity that issued it.
]]>There may be frequent changes to the California building codes, but not all of them will apply to your building or your project. Even if you are not doing the work, you should still have an idea of what will happen when an inspector comes to look at your contractor’s work.
Here’s what you should know about what happens during a building inspection and what inspectors look for.
Types of inspections
Most of the time, you will schedule an inspection for work that is in progress, or that recently completed. The main types of inspections include:
What are they looking for?
When you are remodeling your building, your contractor may be confident that the work will pass, and you will be able to keep moving forward in the process. As an owner, you may have concerns about what happens during an inspection.
Depending on what city your building is in, a local inspector will look at the work your contractor did and compare it to the relevant and current building code. Most of the time, inspections go smoothly. Talk to your contractor about the code and what the inspector will need to see for the work to pass.
]]>You want your tenants to be safe, but often changes in the building code mean expensive updates. It is especially frustrating when your building is well-maintained and in good repair. Grandfather clauses in the building code could give you more time before making changes.
Before worrying about expensive renovations, consider these typical times when your building may fall under a grandfather clause exemption.
What types of code changes tend to have grandfather clauses?
Some of the most critical code changes have been for accommodating people with disabilities. While you may not need to make immediate changes to your building to adapt to new expectations, there will be times that change your status under a grandfather clause.
There are other parts of the building code that change over the years to adapt to new technology or in response to tragedies. Often, however, you can avoid making changes until you intend to make a related renovation. For example, you may not need to update your breaker box until you are making other electrical changes to your property.
Will there be a deadline for eventually updating?
When it comes to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, typically, there are deadlines. Your most significant risk, however, is facing a lawsuit by someone unaware that your building falls under a different standard for compliance. Even if your building is compliant, you may still have the hassle of dealing with the complaint.
When it comes to other changes, even when there is no deadline for compliance, it is better to plan to implement the change as soon as you can. Your building will be safer and easier to sell in the future if you can prioritize code compliance.
]]>Most often, you find out about a lien when you are trying to sell a piece of your property. As part of the process, a title company will look at the claims on your property, and see if there are any other claims on your property.
Here’s what you should know about resolving and removing a lien against your property.
What is a lien, and why does it matter?
A lien gives a debtor a legal claim to your property. Whether the debt is large or small, it can cause significant problems if you are trying to sell. Liens can come from debtors, such as:
Unfortunately, you could go years without knowing that there is a lien on your property only to find out when it is time to sell or refinance. If you discover a lien against your property, you need to have it removed by resolving the issue with the debtor. In some cases, the problem is an administrative oversight where the lien was not cleared; in other cases, you may have a past due balance to resolve.
How do I find out about a lien?
If you are unsure about the status of your property, the best place to start is with your county assessor’s office. Depending on the information available for your county, you may be able to find out more information with a simple search.
You can also contact the company that holds the title to your property. They can look into the status of your title and tell you what liens are in place so that you can resolve them.
]]>As times change, so do the ADA guidelines. In some instances, the rules change out of a tragedy; in other cases, they change because of technology changes. Unfortunately, the changes can be expensive.
Here’s what you need to know about making sure your building is ADA compliant.
Risks of non-compliance
There are, of course, the expected risks when your building does not meet specific guidelines. Similar to other building codes, if your building does not meet the standard, you can expect fines and an obligation to make changes.
When it comes to ADA compliance, there are more potential risks. On top of a potentially-angry customer, if a person with disabilities is not able to access your building, you could face a lawsuit.
Safe harbor rules
The most significant ADA-related building code changes were in 1991 and 2010. If you made changes to your building to meet the 1991 standards, you are given “safe harbor” and are not required to make more changes to meet the 2010 rules.
There are, however, times when safe harbor rules stop applying. If you make changes or renovations to areas affected by ADA standards, you will need to update those areas to meet the 2010 guidelines.
Time to move?
If you are looking for a new building, check where it stands with the current ADA standards and consider what modifications you may want to make in the future. If your planned changes impact ADA compliance, it may have a significant impact on your budget.
Having an ADA compliant building can help you avoid fines and ensure your building is a safe and welcome place for everyone who comes to visit.
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