Category: Latest News

April 15, 2026 – We are honored and thrilled to announce that HechtSolberg’s real estate practice has been recognized in the 2026 California Spotlight published by Chambers and Partners. The Spotlight serves as a guide for those seeking specialized expertise other than from large law firms, and only a highly select group of small and mid-sized…

By Neil Hyytinen and Adrian Reyna – July 21, 2025 – On Monday, June 16, 2025, the San Diego City Council voted 5-4 to approve significant amendments to the City’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) regulations after a lengthy and contentious public hearing. The amendments were targeted to reign-in the most egregious examples…

By Austin B. Quinn – July 9, 2025 – California residential landlords will need to adapt to several new changes affecting tenant security deposits this year. The new law, Assembly Bill 2801 (AB 2801), aims to reduce disputes by requiring landlords to collect photographic evidence and communicate the reasons behind each charge. AB 2801 creates new rules affecting…

By Adrian Reyna – June 18, 2025 – In recent years, the United States generally and the State of California particularly have become all too familiar with declarations of states of emergency, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Los Angeles wildfires. Because of this, California now seeks to implement additional protections to combat predatory practices such as rental price gouging during a crisis through Assembly Bill 380, which has passed the California Assembly and is headed to the State Senate.  California landlords should be aware of AB 380 and its potential effects. Specifically, the bill proposes additional restrictions on residential and…

By Austin B. Quinn – February 10, 2025 – The new year has brought with it many changes to real estate laws in California. Brokers will have to adapt to the new rules in AB 2992, a bill that requires every broker to have a written buyer-broker representation agreement before receiving a commission on the sale of real property. This applies to both residential and commercial property sales. The new law does not apply to leases, loan brokerage services, or the sale of state or federal land. Context Behind the New Rules The objective of AB 2992 is to provide greater transparency and…

By Austin B. QuinnDecember 30, 2024 The California Legislature’s 2023-2024 regular session came to a close this year on August 31, 2024, concluding with a frenzied final week featuring hundreds of bills on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Land use and housing crisis issues drove legislative change yet again in areas involving ADUs, CEQA, fee transparency,…

By Austin B. QuinnDecember 4, 2024 Starting January 1, 2025, commercial landlords in California will need to accommodate additional tenant protections for certain small businesses and nonprofits. These changes stem from the recently passed SB 1103, which created new rules for rent increases, recovery of building operating costs, and lease termination procedures. In some instances,…

By Adrian ReynaNovember 19, 2024 Every residential landlord must be aware of a key change: one of the bills Governor Newsom signed into law this autumn aims to help residential tenants improve their credit scores by requiring many residential landlords to offer to report each tenant’s “positive rental payment information” to credit agencies. Offer to…

By Austin QuinnNovember 8, 2024 If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In the eyes of the IRS, “buying deductions” through syndicated conservation easement transactions falls squarely in this category.  The U.S. Treasury Department and IRS recently issued final regulations classifying syndicated conservation easement transactions as “listed transactions” – a form…

By Sabrina D. JohnsonOctober 31, 2024 It goes without saying that real estate is a hot commodity in San Diego County. With the increased property values, comes increased disputes between neighboring owners over property boundaries. Every square foot counts where we are paying premium prices (and property taxes!) for our beloved San Diego land. Disputes frequently arise…