Services

zfpc

Zacks & Freedman, PC is a full-service real estate transaction and litigation firm, headquartered in San Francisco, California. We create and facilitate strategies to maximize the value of your real estate investments, with industry-leading experience in the following areas:

Rent Increases under the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act:

If you own rent-controlled rental property, and you believe you have a basis for a rent increase, you can add immediate value to your property and increase the monthly income of your investment with a market-rate rent increase. Zacks & Freedman, PC can evaluate whether your property or a particular tenancy may be subject to a market rate increase, for certain single family homes/condominiums, market rate increases for tenants primarily residing somewhere else, market rate increases where the last original occupant is vacating and petitions where a “special circumstance” (like a close relationship with the tenant) resulted in an artificially low, original base rent.

Terminating Tenancies under the Ellis Act:

Zacks & Freedman, PC is the leader in “going out of the rental business” under the Ellis Act. We initiate and prosecute a large number of Ellis Act unlawful detainers, allowing our clients to withdraw their property from the rental market in this highly technical area of law. We challenge both local laws and judicial decisions that interfere with the rights of property owners to regain possession of their rental units, and we’ve earned multiple, favorable published appellate decisions along the way.

Enforcement of Leases and Unlawful Detainers/Evictions:

We are well-versed in unlawful detainer/evictions in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, with fluency in both “for cause” and “non-fault” terminations of tenancies in “just cause for eviction” jurisdictions.

San Francisco “Tenant Buyout Agreements”:

San Francisco now regulates “Buyout Agreements”, which it defines as “an agreement wherein the landlord pays the tenant money or other consideration to vacate the rental unit”. Buyout Agreements have strict prerequisites to beginning discussions with your tenants, as well as tricky formalities that may result in liability to landlords and windfall rescission rights for tenants. Further, not all of your goals can necessarily be achieved by “checking all the boxes” in a Buyout Agreement. When it comes to Buyout Agreements and related goals, we have the experience, and we use it to solve problems

Land Use:

We excel in navigating land use, zoning and permitting issues in San Francisco, including real estate and environmental litigation, real estate finance, historic district zoning, construction defect, in-law units, Accessory Dwelling Units, the Hotel Conversion Ordinance and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

If we can be of assistance with any of your real estate legal needs, please call 415.956.8100 or email Justin A. Goodman at justin@zfplaw.com to ask about a consultation.