Residential

  • July 08, 2025

    NY Developer Accuses Atty, Others Of $3M Investment Fraud

    A New York developer and his business have filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing several companies, a law firm and others of defrauding him out of more than $3 million in an investment fraud scheme, saying they made false promises of "extraordinary returns" from purportedly monetizing certain letters of credit.

  • July 08, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Bleakley Platt and Waxman Law are among the law firms that helped with the largest New York City real estate deals that became public last week, with a nine-figure Queens trade leading the way.

  • July 08, 2025

    NYC Seeks To Keep Broker Fee Ban Over Injunction Ask

    New York City told a federal judge that a group of real estate interests, landlords and brokers failed to present a compelling case for blocking a law preventing landlords from passing on broker fees to tenants less than a month after the provision took effect.

  • July 08, 2025

    Michigan Halts Construction Code Rollout Amid Builders' Suit

    Michigan has paused the implementation of a new residential construction code after homebuilders filed lawsuits claiming the adoption of the code violated state law and would drive up the price of homes. 

  • July 07, 2025

    4th Circ. Revives SC Builder's Bid For Condo Repair Coverage

    A Charleston builder will get a second chance at recouping the money it spent repairing a condo complex that flooded after the Fourth Circuit on Monday partially vacated a pretrial win favoring its insurer, finding there are still unanswered questions about whether certain costs might be covered under its policy.

  • July 07, 2025

    Colo. Church, Town Settle Zoning Dispute Over Homeless Aid

    Castle Rock, Colorado, and a church located within the town have agreed to dismiss a suit that challenged the use of zoning regulations to prevent the church from allowing homeless families to park RVs and trailers in its parking lot.

  • July 07, 2025

    PHH Mortgage Loan Officers Urge NJ Court To Halt Calif. Deal

    A California state court's decision to preliminarily approve a settlement in a case against PHH Mortgage would prevent California mortgage loan officers from pursuing their claims in their New Jersey federal court proceedings, two California workers told the New Jersey court.

  • July 07, 2025

    Maine Authorizes Task Force To Explore Property Tax Changes

    Maine authorized the creation of a task force to explore the need for legislation and constitutional amendments to provide more effective property tax relief for residents under a bill signed by the governor.

  • July 07, 2025

    Fla. Condo Says Chubb Insurer Lowballed Hurricane Claim

    A nonprofit Florida condominium owner is urging a federal court to reject a Chubb subsidiary's final summary judgment bid against the nonprofit's hurricane coverage suit, arguing that the insurer offered only $23,801 for property damage that eventually resulted in the nonprofit receiving an award of more than $7.2 million.

  • July 07, 2025

    Ga. Property Owner, Insurer Settle Burst Pipe Coverage Suit

    A property owner and its insurer have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which the owner alleged it should have received coverage under a more than $30 million policy despite the insurer receiving late notice of property damage caused during a 2022 winter freeze.

  • July 03, 2025

    NY Co. Looks To Halt Arbitration Over $280M Loan Deal

    A New York real estate company has sued an Australian finance broker in federal court, seeking emergency relief to halt an ongoing $11.2 million arbitration in Singapore stemming from an allegedly fraudulent scheme related to a $280 million loan for a luxury condo project in Tribeca.

  • July 03, 2025

    Detroit Hits Crypto Real Estate Co. With Major Nuisance Suit

    The city of Detroit has sued Real Token LLC, a cryptocurrency real estate company, alleging it allowed hundreds of properties to fall into severe disrepair while incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid blight fines and property taxes.

  • July 03, 2025

    NJ Panel Declines To Expand Residential Sidewalk Liability

    A New Jersey appellate panel declined to expand the principles of sidewalk liability for commercial properties to a residential property that was unoccupied and undergoing renovations on Thursday, backing a lower court ruling that held the property was not used for investment nor to generate a profit.

  • July 03, 2025

    2 Firms Guide $325M NYC Apartments, Condos Loan

    Property owner and manager Algin Management Co. LLC borrowed a $325 million loan from New York Life Insurance Co. for multiple New York City residential properties in a deal guided by Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

  • July 03, 2025

    What Judges Might Ponder In Judicial Safety Law Challenge

    A Third Circuit panel set to examine the constitutionality of a judicial safety law born out of the murder of a New Jersey federal judge's son is tasked with what experts are viewing as a lesser-of-two-evils choice: chilling free speech or chilling public service.

  • July 03, 2025

    Kentucky Accuses RealPage, Landlords Of Price-Fixing Rents

    Kentucky has accused property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords of engaging in rent price-fixing, lodging similar antitrust claims against RealPage as the federal government, the District of Columbia and New Jersey.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Residents Urge Judge To Redo Ruling Backing Alaska Casino

    A group of Anchorage, Alaska, residents opposed to a plan to build a casino urged a federal judge to reconsider a ruling finding the Native Village of Eklutna has sovereign immunity and can't face a lawsuit seeking to block the development plan.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From Mass. High Court So Far In 2025

    Massachusetts' top court has tackled a controversial housing initiative, the thorny issue of qualified immunity for public employees and even a high-profile murder case in the first six months of 2025.

  • July 02, 2025

    As Senior Housing Evolves, Zoning Plays Catch-Up

    Developing senior housing projects includes a number of unique legal complexities, according to land use attorneys. Zoning codes don’t always reflect modern senior housing, and projects must sometimes overcome community opposition. In response to a growing need, some cities and states are encouraging denser senior housing development.

  • July 02, 2025

    State Farm Investigation In Calif. Spotlights Adjuster Issues

    A California regulatory investigation into State Farm's California subsidiary is spotlighting common issues in the insurance recovery process following major disasters, but experts also say that the insurer's high level of exposure opened it up to more consumer scrutiny.

  • July 02, 2025

    Conn. Landlords Drop Housing Citation Appeals System Suit

    A proposed class of New Haven, Connecticut, landlords on Tuesday dropped its state court suit against the city alleging it failed to create a system by which the plaintiffs could appeal housing code and rental license citations.

  • July 02, 2025

    How CEQA Reforms Address California's Housing Squeeze

    California lawmakers on Monday enacted a new set of escape routes to the California Environmental Quality Act, the state law blamed for constricting housing development to a crisis point. Experts told Law360's Real Estate Authority that while the changes could speed permit processing in some cases, previous attempts to spur housing development by easing CEQA restrictions have proven ineffective.

  • July 02, 2025

    Local Restrictions In New Fla. Hurricane Law Cause Friction

    The Florida Senate hailed the signing late last week of a wide-ranging bill aimed at bolstering the state's handling of hurricanes, but a legal battle could lie ahead, as Gov. Ron DeSantis provided his signature over objections that portions will trample on local governments' authority to regulate land use and development in their own communities.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan

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    Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.

  • RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.

  • What To Expect From Evolving Wash. Development Plans

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    The current round of periodic updates to Washington counties' growth and development plans will need to address new requirements from recent legislation, and will also likely bring changes that should please property owners and developers, says Jami Balint at Seyfarth.

  • Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus

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    Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • Bank M&A Continues To Lag Amid Regulatory Ambiguity

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    Bank M&A activity in the first half of 2024 continued to be lower than in prior years, as the industry is recovering from the 2023 bank failures, and regulatory and macroeconomic conditions have not otherwise been prime for deals, say Robert Azarow and Amber Hay at Arnold & Porter.

  • How High Court Ruling Is Shaping Homelessness Policies

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson to allow enforcement of local ordinances against overnight camping is already spurring new policies to manage homelessness, but the court's ruling does not grant jurisdictions unfettered power, say Kathryn Kafka and Alex Merritt at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Maryland 'Rain Tax' Ruling May Offer Hope For Tax Credits

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    A Maryland state appellate court's recent decision in Ben Porto v. Montgomery County echoes earlier case law upholding controversial stormwater charges as a valid excise tax, but it also suggests that potential credits to reduce property owners' liability could get broader in scope, says Alyssa Domzal at Ballard Spahr.

  • Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions

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    Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Shipping Containers As Building Elements Require Diligence

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    With the shipping container market projected to double between 2020 and 2028, repurposing containers as storage units, office spaces and housing may become more common, but developers must make sure they comply with requirements that can vary by intended use and location, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling Expands CFPB Power In Post-Chevron Era

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Townstone Financial interprets the Equal Credit Opportunity Act broadly, paving the way for increased CFPB enforcement and hinting at how federal courts may approach statutory interpretation in the post-Chevron world, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Tips For Lenders Offering Texas Home Equity Lines Of Credit

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    As interest in home equity lines of credit increases, lenders seeking to utilize such products in Texas must be aware of state-specific requirements and limitations that can make it challenging to originate open-end lines of credit on homestead property, says Tye McWhorter at Polunsky Beitel.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Expect CFPB To Enforce Warning Against 'Coercive' Fine Print

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    The recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warning against unenforceable terms "deceptively" slipped into the fine print of contracts will likely be challenged in court, but until then, companies should expect the agency to treat its guidance as law and must carefully scrutinize their consumer contracts, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.