Latest updates for Small Businesses in Real Estate, ABC Law, and Behavioral Health
Guidance on the new COVID-19 law for DC landlords The COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency law. provides mortgage deferment, rent freezes, stops notices to vacate and protects consumers from certain debt collection activities. Obviously, the law was hastily drafted and it is not completely clear how it will be applied. This post will be updated as additional Read more about New COVID-19 Law for DC Landlords[…]
COVID-19 Assistance for Hospitality Businesses-Legal Guide SUPPLEMENT Supplement 4/1/20 Recently, the government has made COVID-19 assistance for hospitality businesses a priority. We have updated our earlier guide with the most recent legal information available. If you own a bar or restaurant and have any questions, I will be glad to consult with you free of Read more about Guide to COVID-19 Assistance for Hospitality Businesses[…]
Emergency Coronavirus Law for DC Bars and Restaurants (Updated 3/22/20) The COVID-19 emergency has decimated the hospitality industry and the legal situation is fluid. We have put together this legal guide to assist you in identifying appropriate resources. If you own a nightlife establishment, I will be glad to consult with you free of charge. Read more about Guide to DC Emergency Coronavirus Law[…]
When the courts interpret a commercial lease, they assume that both landlord and tenant are sophisticated businesspeople with equal negotiating leverage. Unlike residential tenancies, there are no legal presumptions to favor tenants in eviction cases. That makes the specific language of a commercial lease extremely important. Below, I list, and explain, what I see as the Read more about Commercial Lease Agreements in DC: ‘Must Haves’ for Landlords[…]
I ask most new clients if they are registered for rent control or if they have “perfected an exemption.” Often, the response is, ‘I’m exempt, I only have 1 unit.” If you read carefully, you’ll realize that is not the question that I asked. “Have you PERFECTED an exemption from rent control?” In DC you Read more about DC Rent Control Exemptions[…]
Eviction of a tenant in DC is more difficult, time-consuming, and expensive than anywhere else in the country. The laws and regulations are heavily slanted against landlords and free lawyers are readily available to tenants. Presently, there are only ten (10) legal reasons that a landlord can evict a tenant, all of which are interpreted very Read more about DC Eviction Guide for Landlords[…]
If you are or want to be a landlord in DC you may have a lot of worries about your legal responsibilities. Collecting a security deposit, like everything else in the DC rental business has very specific and technical rules. This post covers the basics of what you need to know. You can only collect Read more about DC security deposit rules[…]
Recently, New York City’s tough AirBnB law was struck down by the Federal court. This is a major win for host listing services and may foreshadow things to come in D.C. When D.C. adopted one of the most stringent laws in the country to regulate transient, so-called ‘AirBnB’ rentals, the practical reality of actually implementing Read more about How is DC going to enforce its AirBnB law?[…]
Every so often there is a news item about the tons of leftover food that go to waste each year while millions of Americans go undernourished. As I recently learned, this is not a problem that can be easily pinned on politicians. In fact, the Federal Government and many states have legislation that protects food Read more about Leftover Food Donations by Restaurants: Why would you not do this?[…]
There are certain bills that a bar just has to pay on time. If you don’t pay purveyors or wholesalers you won’t have any food or drink to sell. But what about other, less vital accounts that you have? It’s easier to let those slide or get behind. If you do, the consequences can be Read more about Your liquor license can be seized to satisfy outstanding debts[…]