San Francisco Bay Property Management Blog

Still Mailing Deposit Checks? California Just Changed the Rules on YouThat stack of envelopes, stamps, and paper checks you keep on hand for move-outs? As of January 1, 2026, it may no longer be legally sufficient. California Assembly Bill 414 (AB 414) has flipped the default for...

Grab your phone, pull up any property management company's review page, and scroll. Notice something? The glowing five-star reviews rarely mention rent checks arriving on time. Nobody writes a raving paragraph about a deposit that landed in their account. That's expected,...

A surprise tax bill can feel like finding dry rot behind a freshly painted wall: expensive, frustrating, and usually preventable. For San Francisco landlords, the real challenge is not just collecting rent or keeping up with repairs. It is knowing which local expenses, tenant-law...

San Francisco’s rental market is unlike any other—high demand, competitive pricing, and tenants with elevated expectations. For landlords in South San Francisco and surrounding areas, one of the most important decisions you’ll face is whether to renovate your pr...

For San Francisco landlords, raising rental income goes beyond simply setting a higher price. It demands careful navigation of one of the nation's most intricate rent control systems. Given the stringent regulations, detailed compliance mandates, and shifting statewide legisl...

For landlords in South San Francisco and throughout the state, avoiding fair housing violations in California is more critical than ever in 2026. California has some of the strictest fair housing regulations in the nation, layering state protections on top of federal laws. Even u...

If you own or manage rental units in South San Francisco or the greater Bay Area, 2026 is not business as usual. Several new laws are reshaping landlord responsibilities, tenant protections, and lease compliance requirements across California.Many California landlords are familia...

California’s rental landscape is shifting again, and this time the focus is squarely on essential appliances. Beginning January 1, 2026, a new state law will fundamentally change how landlords define and maintain habitable housing. AB 628 directly amends Californi...

Owning a rental property in the San Francisco Peninsula, Bay Area, and surrounding communities means dealing with some of the highest rental property maintenance costs in the country. Between dense neighborhoods, coastal weather, older housing stock, and strict building regu...

As of March 1, 2025, the San Francisco Rent Board has announced a 1.4% allowable rent increase cap for the 2025–2026 period. This rate applies to most rent-controlled residential units in the City and County of San Francisco under the San Francisco Rent Ordin...