Residential
-
December 20, 2024
Mich. Tax Panel's Rubber-Stamp Of Valuation Nixed By Court
A Michigan tax panel "rubber-stamped" a city's $16.5 million valuation of an apartment complex, the state appeals court found, saying questions of fact remained on the city's consideration of the property's purchase price.
-
December 20, 2024
HUD Awards $225 Million To Boost Manufactured Housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it has awarded $225 million under a grant program for manufactured housing communities, prioritizing tribal applicants and resident-managed communities.
-
December 20, 2024
Mich. Duplex Wrongly Added To Site's Tax Value, Court Says
A Michigan municipality should not have boosted the assessment of a property by adding in the value of a third duplex it had erroneously omitted from its tax rolls, the state appeals court said, reversing a state tax panel.
-
December 20, 2024
Calif. Appeals Court Upends Arbitration Denial In OT Suit
A California appeals court partially reversed a ruling that real estate company CoStar cannot arbitrate a proposed class action accusing it of failing to pay workers overtime, finding the arbitration agreement is only unenforceable as to claims brought under the state's Private Attorneys General Act.
-
December 20, 2024
Ga. Real Estate Law Firm Adds 3 New Attys
Georgia real estate law firm GSH Attorneys said Friday that it has brought on three attorneys to the same number of its offices around the state.
-
December 19, 2024
Mortgage Firm Should Face Sex Harassment Suit, Judge Says
A Georgia federal judge on Wednesday recommended not granting summary judgment to CrossCountry Mortgage LLC and a branch manager in a former employee's sexual harassment and retaliation suit.
-
December 19, 2024
State And Federal Insurance Regulations To Watch For In 2025
The insurance market will likely face regulatory challenges and opportunities in 2025 as regulators on the state and federal level gear up to reverse major trends and tackle emerging developments. Here, Law360 looks at a few key pieces of regulation and regulatory areas that will be closely watched by the insurance industry.
-
December 19, 2024
NY High Court Cements Rollback Of Luxury Decontrol Orders
The New York Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state was right to revoke orders deregulating Manhattan apartment units after the Legislature passed tenant-friendly changes to rent stabilization laws, finding that the orders had not yet taken effect when the law passed in 2019.
-
December 19, 2024
Overlooked Evidence In Katrina Suit Highlights Insurers' Risks
The Mississippi Supreme Court's ruling affirming a $10 million Hurricane Katrina damages award against USAA emphasized the risk a carrier runs when ignoring evidence while investigating a claim, while an additional $4.5 million awarded in attorney fees by the court raised eyebrows, insurance experts told Law360.
-
December 19, 2024
RealPage Inks $625K Calif. Tenant Protections Settlement
Tenant screening company RealPage has agreed to pay $625,000 in penalties and restitution to put to rest allegations it violated California's COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act by providing screening reports to housing providers that improperly led to tenants being denied housing, according to an announcement made Wednesday.
-
December 19, 2024
NJ Unclaimed Property Law Targeted In Class Claims
A Chilean citizen on Thursday filed proposed class claims challenging the constitutionality of New Jersey's unclaimed property law, alleging that the state often auctions or sells off abandoned real estate without any prior notice to owners — which purportedly include pop superstar Taylor Swift — and keeps the proceeds for its own use.
-
December 19, 2024
DC Apartment Complex Hits Chapter 11 With Over $10M Debt
The operator of an apartment complex in Washington, D.C., filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware, saying the impact of COVID-19 and the district's affordable housing voucher program have led to diminishing cash reserves.
-
December 18, 2024
Fla. Condo Sues Ex-Board Members Accused Of Fraud
A Florida condominium association has sued its former president, who was arrested earlier this year and accused of running a multifaceted fraudulent scheme with the help of another board member, allegedly resulting in the theft of more than $1 million used for personal expenses and to acquire additional units.
-
December 18, 2024
ResiDesk Simplifies Resident Engagement For Deeper Results
At first glance, ResiDesk may look like any of the countless chatbots, platforms and applications pitching its ability to digitize operations, automate functions and tap into artificial intelligence to boost efficiency and profitability for multifamily property owners. But the New York-based startup has achieved early success by more effectively tapping into resident data.
-
December 18, 2024
Insurers Say Arbitration Is Proper In $7M Ida Damage Suit
A group of international and domestic insurers asked a Louisiana federal judge to keep in place an order to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim, disputing a property owner's argument that state law has a say in the matter.
-
December 18, 2024
Real Estate In 2024 By The Numbers
Rising office delinquencies and falling interest rates are among the key changes the commercial real estate market experienced in 2024.
-
December 17, 2024
CFPB Finalizes Rule For PACE Loans
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday finalized a rule that applies standard mortgage protections to so-called Property Assessed Clean Energy loans, where homeowners pay for upgrades through property tax bills.
-
December 17, 2024
RealPage Sees High Supply Of Apartments Easing In 2025
The flow of apartments hitting the market across the U.S. was strong in 2024, particularly in the Sunbelt, but the pace is likely to start slowing down next year as the industry confronts a drop in new construction, according to RealPage.
-
December 17, 2024
US Seeks Foreclosure To Pay 'Survivor' Winner's $3.3M Taxes
A federal magistrate judge should have recommended allowing the U.S. government to foreclose on two properties it claims are controlled by a winner of the "Survivor" TV series who owes $3.3 million in taxes, the government told a Rhode Island federal court.
-
December 17, 2024
Seattle, Solar Group Sue To Block Natural Gas Ballot Initiative
The city of Seattle and solar industry and environmental groups have sued the state of Washington to preserve municipalities' ability to curb natural gas use in new buildings, arguing a voter-approved measure blocking that power had unrelated provisions that made it unconstitutional.
-
December 17, 2024
Pa. Supreme Court Says Judge's Side Job Sinks Tax Rulings
A Pennsylvania state judge who held a side job on a Philadelphia tax appeals board had nullified rulings he made on a local hospital's tax cases, the state's Supreme Court said Tuesday, reasoning that holding both jobs was a "constitutionally impermissible conflict of duties."
-
December 16, 2024
Colo. Justices Revoke Decision On Eviction Jury Trials
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rescinded its October ruling that tenants facing eviction are entitled to jury trials if there are factual disputes, after a tenant revealed in her rehearing petition that she was sent an eviction notice in the mail and wasn't personally served.
-
December 16, 2024
CFPB Says Conn. Decision Supports Its Case Against Lender
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has said a Connecticut Appellate Court decision last week in a lender's case against the state banking department bolsters its own parallel federal proceeding against the same entity, noting that the state court rejected the lender's claims that federal and state regulations do not align.
-
December 16, 2024
NY Gov. Vetoes Change To Property Tax Interest Rates
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation that would have linked the state's interest rates for delinquent residential property taxes to the prime rate and lowered the minimum rate from 12% to 2%, with a cap of 16%.
-
December 16, 2024
Mass. Paper To Close, Pay $1.1M To Settle Defamation Case
A Massachusetts mayor said he has settled his defamation claims against the city's local newspaper for a $1.1 million payment and an agreement that the publication will close its doors later this week.
Expert Analysis
-
A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches
Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.
-
Tax Assessment: Recapping Georgia's Legislative Session
Jonathan Feldman and Alla Raykin at Eversheds Sutherland examine tax-related changes from Georgia’s General Assembly — such as the governor’s successful push to accelerate income tax cuts — and suggest steps to take before certain tax incentives are challenged in the state's next legislative session.
-
11th Circ. Ruling May Foreshadow Ch. 15 Clashes
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in In re: Talal Qais Abdulmunem Al Zawawi has introduced a split from the Second Circuit regarding whether debtors in foreign proceedings must have a domicile, calling attention to the understudied nature of Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, say attorneys at Cleary.
-
A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking
With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.
-
How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.
-
2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities
The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.
-
SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.
-
8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For
In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.
-
Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
-
Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
-
Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.
-
Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact
A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.