Residential

  • 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.

  • December 16, 2024

    Bronx Affordable Housing Project Hits Ch. 11 With $23M Debt

    New York City affordable housing complex Valdesia Gardens has filed for Chapter 11 protection in New York bankruptcy court with $22.6 million of debt, saying it faces a $19 million claim from a lender and legal actions relating to personal injury and labor disputes.

  • December 16, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Jeffrey Zwick & Associates PC and Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP are among the firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with transactions in Manhattan and the Bronx leading the way.

  • December 16, 2024

    Multifamily Developer Closes On $134M In Construction Loans

    Leon Multifamily announced on Monday it secured three construction loans over the past month for multifamily projects in North Carolina, Arizona and Texas to the tune of $134 million.

  • December 16, 2024

    What They're Saying About South Florida Real Estate

    As 2024 comes to a close, Law360 Real Estate Authority checked in with attorneys, developers, brokers and other professionals to gather their views on what the year meant for the South Florida market and what they anticipate for 2025.

  • December 16, 2024

    High Court Won't Hear Wisconsin Takings Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to consider claims that federal courts wrongly shut the door on constitutional takings claims from two residents of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, whose properties were taken to make way for a Foxconn Technology Group plant.

  • December 13, 2024

    US Bank Fails To Beat RMBS Suit From Commerzbank

    A New York federal judge has ruled that Commerzbank AG's suit against U.S. Bank may proceed, rejecting U.S. Bank's argument that presuit notification to certain residential mortgage-backed securities trust parties was unnecessary due to their alleged involvement in the misconduct.

  • December 13, 2024

    Fla. Woman Says PI Firm Botched Daughter's Death Suit

    A Florida woman has launched a suit against the personal injury firm that represented her in a case targeting the apartment complex where her daughter was shot and killed, alleging that the firm's negligence resulted in her suit being dismissed twice.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.

  • What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.

  • How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction

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    The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.