rent stabilization board date: to: from: subject...feedback regarding rent program services to this...

Rent Stabi l izat ion Board

DATE:

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT:

RENT STABILIZATION BOARD

June 18,2012

Honorable Members of the Rent StabilizationBoard

Jay Kelekian, Executive Director

Customer Service Survey of Berkeley Rental Property Owners and Managers

Description of Survey and Survey Procedure

This survey is intended to provide information that can help the Rent Board evaluate andimprove its customer service to rental property owrìers and managers. It begins by asking thenumber of units and buildings they own or manage and then asks a series of questions regardingfirst, the information the Rent Board sends to them; second, their contacts with Rent Board;third, use of the internet to transact business with the Rent Board; fourth, waivers, mediation andpetitions; and finally some questions regarding additional services and anything else they maywish to add. The results and all associated comments are attached.

Internet surveys can be conducted with far less expense than mail or telephone surveys. Theysave staff time and materials costs otherwise needed for calling or mailing and then enteringdata. The main drawback to such surveys is that they may miss a significant group of potentialrespondents who lack access to the internet, particularly those who are low-income and elderly.This is less of an issue for a survey of owners and managers than it is for a survey of tenants.

The Rent Stabilization Program currently has e-mail addresses for nearly 1,500 property ownersand managers -- approximately 213 of all owners and managers on our mailing lists. We continueto collect e-mail addresses as owners contact program staff. Although the universe of ownerswith e-mail may not be entirely representative of all owners, responses can provide valuablefeedback regarding Rent Program services to this group.

We began with a sample of 293 owners or managers, representing every fifth name on the list ofavailable e-mail addresses and 17 of these addresses proved to be incorrect or no longer valid,leaving atotal sample of 276. An initial e-mail was sent on April 25,2012 and a follow-up e-mail was sent on }i4:ay 7 ,2012. The e-mails provided a link to the survey, which was placed onthe SurveyMonkey web site. A total of 79 people completed surveys for a response rate of 29Yo.Additional follow-up would likely have increased the response rate somewhat, but at the risk ofannoying some of the recipients of what was, after all, intended to be a customer service.

Comments on Surve]¡ Results

Rent Board records indicate that 670/o of the property owners with units covered by rentstabilization have 1 - 4 units. In the survey TlYo of the respondents are small property ownerswith I - 4 units. Nine out of ten do some or all of the property management themselves. Thissuggests that the survey respondents accurately reflect the larger landlord demographics, since ifthere is bias in a web survey it would be in missing some smaller owners who might not use theweb. It also reminds us that while more than half of the rent stabilized units are owned by theßYo of aI owners who have 15 units or more, the Rent Board staff is most often dealing withsmall, part-time owner-managers. Staff must be skilled enough that they can clearly explain andhelp these owners follow the legal and regulatory requirements.

Looking at the survey results separately for these small owners and owners with five units ormore there is very little difference between the responses. This is in itself an accomplishment,since owners and managers of larger numbers of units might be expected to be moreknowledgeable and better able to navigate a regulatory system. (Separate results are not aftached,since there were no substantial differences to analvze.)

Landlords are awaîe of the communications from the Rent Board, but do not track them closely.Over the last yeal the Rent Board sent 6 mailings to all owners and 7 to many of them. Nearlyhalf the respondents recalled receiving 2 - 4 mallings. Virtually all owners found the materialunderstandable, useful and timely. Only 7o/o found it difficult to understand, I2yo said themailings were unnecessary and lSYo said the information received was sometimes outdated.

Landlords pay particular attention to the AGA notice, the lawful rent ceiling notices and theannual registration instructions, which between 85o/o andg5Yo find useful. The web site is alsofound useful by 68%. Owners arelargely unaware of Rent Board brochures, workshops and thepost-card announcements, which had only just started. The substantial number of owners whodid not recall receiving the newsletter is surprising, since it has been sent a¡nually for manyyears. This validates the concern that many recipients may not read alengthy newsletter. Afuture survey will be needed to determine whether the new outreach with colorful large formatpostcards gets more attention. Asked how they prefer to receive information from the Rent

Board, they overwhelmingly prefer contact by both regular mail and e-mail and have littleinterest in text messages or Facebook. There was also substantial potential interest in workshops,although the topics suggested were quite diverse. Dealing with problems with and betweentenants were the most frequently suggestioned workshop topics.

Nearly half the owners had not contacted the Rent Board or only contacted it once over the pasttwo years. Slightly more than half had contacted the Rent Board at least twice, with a smallgroup of 9o/o who had contacted it five times or more. Almost all use the telephone, but fully59o/o also came into the office. Interaction with the Rent Board involves a hish desree ofpersonal contact.

Owners overwhelmingly found that the staff was professional and courteous and provided themwith information that was useful and timely. Most found the staff person they dealt with mostoften to be knowledgeable and the rest said that staff person could refer them to other staff whoknew the answers to their questions. Only one out of forty-five respondents reported that the staffperson was unable to provide useful information. Not a single respondent found the staff "mostlyunhelpful", while 80% reported that the staff person they dealt with most was either very ormostly helpful.

Most owners (83%) pay their registration fees by check rather than with a credit cañ,,but 67%otwo-thirds would like to be able to pay on-line md 84Yo would like to be able to register rents fornew tenancies on-line. They are evenly split on whether people who pay by credit card shouldpay extra to cover the extra processing costs charged by the card companies.

Only a few owners rçorted involvement in waiver requests, petitions or mediation. Those whowere involved in the mediation process were generally happy with the result, while thoseinvolved in the petition process usually considered it at least somewhat unfair. Responses to thewaiver process were nearly evenly split between fair and partly or entirely unfair. V/e plan tolook into doing a follow-up survey of people involved in these processes in order to have enoughrespondents to be able to examine their experience in more detail.

The individual comments give a very helpful picture of how rental property owners perceive theRent Board. Among the themes that come up repeatedly are a desire for a stronger level ofadvocacy for owners' interests within the Board and confrsion over the many different mailingsthey receive from different City departments.

Berkeley

Survey

Rental Property Owners and Managers ff i SUfVeUMOnkeg

1. Dò yóui.;üiientl¡¡ öwn ¿r t"änâg¿ iêntä1,.p -,iin'Berkeley?

Response Response

Percent Count

own rental property ín Berkeley. @I 35.4Yo

Manage rental property in Berkeley. P 1.3o/o

Own and manage rental p¡operty

in Berkeley63.3% 50

answered question

skipped question

t

Response Response

Percent Count

67.6% 50

2 - 4 M 1 7

5 or more M o Ãol^

answered question 74

skipped question

1 o f 2 5

3. How nràny,units do you have registe.red with thê,:Bêrkeley RentrBoard?

Response Response

Percent Gount

1 - 4 7'l 1o/o

13.2%

54

1 05 - e w

1 0 - 1 e @ 7.9%

2 0 - 3 e w 3.9%

40 or more @ 3.9%

answered question

skipped quest ion

4. Whö,ì m à nagëSr. yoùr : Èiöpérty,?, (,P lëãse ôhëck lä l l thâtirä þ þlyJ

l dô some or all of the

managemenr personally.

Response Response

Percent Count

89.5% 68

I hire a professional manager or tffiimanagement company. w 7.9o/o

A family member manages or helps

manage the property. W 7.9Yo

other M 3.9%

answered question

skipped question

2 o f 2 5

5. How man¡1 rental, ÞropertieS,dö you manägê that include at leâst one unit.registered with

the Berkeley Rent Board?

Response Response

Percent Count

0.0%

2 - 4 100.0%

5 or more 0 .0%

answered question

skipped question

6. How many units do you manage that are reg¡stered with the Berkeley Rent Board?

78

Response Response

Percent Gount

l - 4 100.0%

5 - 9 0.0To

l 0 - 1 9 0.0%

2 0 - 3 9 0.0%

40 or more 0.0%

answered question

skipped quest ion

0

1

78

3 o f 2 5

7. About how mäny mailings have yoû reêeived from thè',Rent Bôard over the,past year?

Response Response

Percent Gount

1 M l 16.7% ' t2

2 - 4 M 47.2o/o

5ormore l iM 18.1o/o' t ?

Don't know IW 18.1% l c

answered question

skipped question

8. Are the mailings easy or hard to understand?

Very easy to understand' WM

Response Response

Percent Count

23.6% I T

Somewhat easy to understand M 36.1%

Nei thereasynordi f f icu l t M JJ.J- lo

Somewhat diff icult to understand W 5.6%

Very diff icult to understand $ 1.4Yo

answered question

skipped question

4 o f 2 5

9. Would,llou say the mailings you rêcêiVe,4re uSeful ôi:unnecessäry?

Response Response

Percent Gount

Always useful IM 14.5o/o 1 0

Mosttyuseful ]@ 37.7%

Sometìmes useful, sometimes

unnecessary36.2Yo

8-7o/o

25

Mostly unnecessary W

Always unnecessary @ 2.9Yo


skipped quest ion 1 0

10. Would you say the informat¡on,¡s:timely or outdated?

Always timely M

Response Response

Percent Gount

17.6Yo 12

Usually t imefy 64.7%

Sometimes timely, sometimes -outdated

]d 14.7o/o 1 0

Usually outdated @ 2.9Yo

Always outdated 0.ÙYo

ansúered question 68

skipped question 1 1

5 o f 2 5

11. Pleasê rate how useful orr nôt,uSeful iou fihd êach of the,fôllôwing types ôf

communications from the Rent Board.

Have not.seen' Not usefulSomewhat

usefulVery useful

Response

Gount

Newsletter 42.6% (261 e.8% (6) 36.10/0 (22) 11.5Yo (7) o l

Web site 2e.0% (18) 3.2o/o (2) 38.7o/o (24]- 29.0o/, (18)

Lawful Rent Ceil ing notice 33% (2) 11.5% (7) 37.7% (23) 47.5% (2el 61

Annual General Adjustment notice 1 . 6 % ( 1 ) 3.2% (2) 40.3% (25) 54.8% (341 o¿

Annual Registration instructions 5 .1% (3 ) 6.8% (4) 44.1o/o (26l. 44.1o/o (261

Post Card Announcements 58.3% (35) 10.0% (6) 28.3% (17) 3.3% (2)

Brochures 63.8% (37) 12.1yo (7) 20.7% (12) 3.4% (2)

Workshoos & Presentations 62.30/0 (381 14.8yo (9) 18.0% (11) 4s% (3) 61

answered question

skipped quest ion 1 5

. : . . : : , , : I r , r r : , t : - . . , - Ì . . '

te. Oveithe last,two¡12¡ years1h.ôW,,bnen häVè ¡¡ou contaCtëd'the Rent Bôärd with a

Never M

Response Response

Percent ,

Count

29.4% 20

once M 19.1To

2 - 4 t i m e s M 42.6%

5 times or more W 8.8%


6 o f 2 5


13. Which methodö have youiuSed to contaii the Rent Boaid? (Please chèökäiliìthàt apply.)

Response Response

Percent Count

Visited the office in person W 58.7%

Telephone 87.0o/o 40

U.S.Mai l MI 17í%

E-mail W 21.7o/o 1 0

Other (please specify) 0.0%

answered question

skipped question 33

l4. What äie thê,mäin êôncerndl¡,thät led you to contact:rthe,Rêntl.Böard?,(ple.as-èimärk,urp,to

Billing W:M

Response Response

Percent Count

23.9Yo 11

Registration M 52.2%

Rent increases or rent ceilíngs M 39.1Yo 1 8

Tenantconduct issues M 283% 1 3

Evíction JM 17.4o/o

Security deposits and interest W 6.SYo

Changes in code requirements such

as carbon monoxide detectors,

seismic safetYM 13.0%

't7.4%Other (please specify) M

7 of25

skipped question 33

answered question

15. Over all; would,,Vöu sav the införmâtion ¡¡ou rèceivèd âftêr contacting thêrRent,Board

was useful or not useful?

Response Response

Percent Gount

very'usefut M 48.9%

Somewhatuseful M 40.Q% 1 8

Mostly not useful M 11.1o/o

Not at all useful 0.0%


skipped quest ion

1 6.,'D¡d tstäff ,résþond.tö,,,yóü',in,,â,,,timè!y, mannei?

Response Response

Percent Count

Timely,fastresponse W 45.5% 20

Reasonablyt imely W 36.4Yo 1 6

Somewhat timely, but some delay M 11.4o/o

Excessively slow @ 6.8%

answered question. . :...... .. . .......... ............. .......... ... . .....:.. ..... . . .. .

skipped question

44

35

8 o f 2 5

17. Has the staff person you most often deâlwith usually bèen professional and courteous

or unprofessional and rude?

Response Response

Percent Gount

Always professional and courteous M 42.2o/o 1 9

Usual ly professional and

".::,:",".

Somewhat professional and

somewhat unorofessional

ffi@

51.1%

6.7%

0.0%

23

Often unprofessional and rude

Always unprofessional and rude 0.0%


skipped question 34

18. ls this staff person knowtèd$eabte and abletô answér quêstions:or lack¡ng ¡nknowledge? :

Very knowledgeabfe and able to M

answer most questions

Response Response

Percent Count

57.8% 26

Somewhat knowledgeable and able

to refer me to staff who have Manswers to my questions

40.0% 1 8

Not very knowledgeable and unable

to direct me to staff who can Wanswer my questions

2.2%


9 o f 2 5

skipped quest ion 34

19. Has this staff person been helpful or unhelpfulto you?

Response Response

Percent Gount

Veryhelpful W 28.9% 1 3

Mostfyhelpfut W 5',1.1% 23

Somewhat helpful and somewhat

unhelpful W 20.0o/o

Mostly unhelpful Q.0o/o

Very unhelpful 0.0%

lf they have been particurlarly helpful or unhelpful, please explain briefly.

answered question


' ' .20; Did¡yöu ièceive a timél¡r,nöiitêliòf tne Ouer:Uätêli6..¡ounìannuäi..iggistratiön fées,inreaêhof thè last ¡twö.,.¡aê'ärs?

Yes

Response Response

Percent Count

81.3Yo 52

N o W 14.1%

Don't know W 4.7Yo

answered question

skipped question t 5

1O o f 25

2tl, How did you,pay your registration fees fâSt year?

Response Response

Percent Gount

In person, with a check. @ 7.8o/o

In person, with a credit card. E 1 .6%

By mai l , wi th a check. 75.0o/o 48

By mail, with credít card

information. @ 7.9Yo

By fax, with credit card

information. @ 4.7%

Other (please specify) W 3 .1Yo


skipped question

22. Would you find it usefulto be able to pay on-line?

Yes

Response Response

_ ""t""n, Gount

67.20/o 43

N o M 21.9% 1 4

Don't know Ml 10.9%



11 o f 25

23. Wöüid you'finU it ûsëfù1,io bè áble'to:règibter rénts,ts¡ ¡6w,tenaniiesion-l¡ñe rather than. . . : : r

b ¡ ¡ m ä i | o r i n ' p e r s ö n ? . . . , . . ' . . . . i ì . . .

Response Response

Percent Gount

Yes

N o M l 7.8To

Donlt know ffii 7.ÙYo

answered question

skipped question l 5

24. Gredit card payments cost the Board a percentage of the payment! Do you think the

Board should continue to include this cost in setting'r,eg¡strat¡on fees or should the Board

require those owners who use th¡s method of payment to pay for it and reduce fees for

Response Response

Percent Gount

Gontinue to charge the same M

amount to everyone39.7%

Charge a cre-dit card payment fee

to cover the charge from the

:' card Gompâlr!;

M 39.7% 25

Don'tknow. M 20.6Yo 1 3

answered question

skipped queètion 1 6

12 of 25

25, !n thè,:,þast four yerars, havê,.Vou tëVer received,or requested ,à full or partial.waive¡' ofpenalty fees for tate registration?

Response Response

Percent Gount

Yes M 18.8% t ¿

N o

Don't know @ 7.8%

:"ï::l:_i:::::::"skipped question

26.lÍ you have requested a wa¡ver of penalty fees, was the process fair or unfair?

1 5

Response Response

Percent Count

F a i r M 54.5%

Partly fair and partly unfair M 18.2o/o

unfair Bffiffi 27.3%

Space to comment on the waiver process.

answered question

skipþed question

1 1

68

13 of 25

27.|n the- pästfouryears, háve you ever,used the Rênt Board to mediate a dispute?

Response Response

Percent Gount

No 85.9%

Yes JM 12.5o/o

Don't know B 1.6Yo


skipped question

28.li you have used thê:rnëdietion service, was the,rnêdiätion, helpfülrör:,not helpful?

1 5

Response Response

Percent Count

Very helpful, the conflict was -resolved.

w 50.0%

Somewhat helpful, the conflíct was

reduced. M 33.3%

Not helpful in resolving the conflict. ff i 16.7o/o

Space to comment on the mediation process

answered guestion

skipped question

6

73

14 of 25

29. In the last four years have you filed a petition or responded to a petition from a tenant?

Response Response

Percent Gount

No

Yes - f i led a petit ion M

Yes - responded to a tenant petition S

89.1%

3.1To

3 . 1 %

Yes - both fi led a petit ion and

responded to a petit¡on @ 4.7%

Don't know 0.0%


skipped question l 5

30.rWhat was the petition 6f ,petitions about?t(chêck all that apply)

Rentincrease W

Response Response

Percent Count

28.6% 2

Rent decrease M 14.3o/o

Exempting a unit from registration W:M 28.60/0

Security deposit M 14.3o/o

other(PfeasesPeci fY) M 57.1%

answered question

skipped question 72

15 of 25

31. Do you think the petition:procèSS wâs,fâir or unfair?

Response Response

Percent Count

Completely fair [ÑI 14.3Yo

Mostly fair W 14.3o/o

Somewhat fair and somewhat

unfa i rM 28.6Yo

Mostty unfair M¡ 28.60/o

Completely unfair M 143%

Space for comment on petit ion and hearing process

answered question


' ' : : . ì r l ; i : ì : '

:32. H ow wo u I d yo u preferr tô irece ivê i hformationirfiôm, the' Ren[1 Board?

SomewhatBest Very useful

useful

ResponseNot useful

Coun t

7.1o/o (4\ 56Continue to use regular mail 44.6% (251 35.7o/o (20) 12.5o/o (7)

E-mail 52.7% (291 30.9Vo (17) 12.7Vo (7) 3.60/" (2)

Text messages 0.0% (0) 2.4o/o (1) 9.8o/o (4) 87.8% (36) 41

Facebook page 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) e.8% (4) 90.2o/o (371 4 1

l f there is any other form of communication you would prefer, please describe.

answered question

skipped question

62

'17

16 o f 25

gg,,Ar. yoü awaie of ä,nyrowherö whose primary languâggis not,,English and who might

Uenèi¡t riô; t¿hil"i¡ö¡ "e*¡Cês

in dealing with the Rênt Böard? ,

Response Response

Percent Gount

No 95.0%

Yes M 5.0%

Please specify which language

answered question


34i Dut',inS the

issues?,r; ':: ' :tast two y""ri::h u" you:attended a Reni'gsi¡d wôikStrop,'on.,landlord;tenant

Yes @

Response Response

Percent Gount

6.6%

93.4% 57

Donlt know 0.0%

answered question'''''''''.''...'''''.'''.''''''''''''''''

skipped question

61

1 8

1 7 o f 2 5

I:l

l

35. Would Vóu Oe inteieèted in:ättending â Rent Boärd wòrkshop on landlord-tenant issues i

during the next year?

Response Response

Percent Count

Yes M 17.7o /o 11

Maybe M 35.5% 22

N o M 46.8Yo 29

What topics would be most useful to you? p



. : . i . I . . . , . . . , r : t i . :gOi.{re theiê anù,additionäi cömments orsuggestions,,yqu wöüldl.l!kè,to mäkê,rregarding

thé Rent Board's serv¡ces'io rental property owners and managers?

Response

Count

22

a.lsweled ouest]on 72 l

skipped question 57

18 of 25

, Q14. What are the main concerns that led you to contact the Rent,Board? (pleasé- mark up to th¡eêchoices)

1 Getting information on what lawful rents were for properties being purchased, May 9, 20121:26 PMand if there were any outstanding issues.

2 Number of units on property / AUP to remove a unit May 2,2012 7:58 PM

3 Extremely hard to evict tenants that don't pay rent. lt cost me over 3,000 dollars May 2,2012 6:01 PMto evict one tenant who could not pay his rent. Rent Board could not help me atal lwith this.

4 Rent Board insisting I owe money when I do not. Apr 26,201210:07 AM

5 inability to pay enormous fees before deadline/ uses up all my reserves so that I Apr 26,2012 8:46 AMcan't fix or update my building. Rent Board does not realize how squeezed weare for money/ Profit margin incredibly thin!!!

6 how to complete forms confusion about forms from other city entities Apr 25,20127:52PM

7 Threats. Receiving notices that lhave screwed up and am being penalized. Apr25,20127:27 PM

I 1. Legalissues regarding leases Apr 25,20123:21 PM

1 Nick Traylor is incredible . . . always courteous, knowledgeable, accessible, May 3, 2012 6:44 AMhelpful with good judgement that seems quite balanced.

2 There isn't a single staff member I have "usually" dealt with-which may be part Apr 26, 2012 10:10 AMof the problem. I have responded to the individual who contacts me, and it'salways someone different who seems to have failed to communicate with therest of the staff. All have been courteous. However, I consider beingknowledgeable part of professionalism, so I qualified my response to Question15. lt appears that BRSB needs better INTERNAL communications andrecordkeeping.

3 | afways had my questions answered and was able to resolve issues over the Apr 25, 2012 7:29 PMphone. I now live in the state og Washington.

4 One tíme I was there I had to wait over 20 minutes in the afternoon because the Apr 25,2012 5:25 PMonly person at the counter was on a break. Not professional at all. A propertyowner is a customer too, not just tenants.

5 They are able to resolve my questions. Apr 25, 2012 3:22 PM

PaSe 8, Q21. How did you pay your registration fee; fast

VearZ

1 | don't remember

19 ot 25

Apr 26,2012 10:10 AM

,,G121. How did yoú rpa)l youi,registration fees last year?

2 phone in credit card information Apr 25, 20123:42PM

Page 9, Q26. lf you have requested â waiver.of Þê¡älty,fêês,:s¡¿5 the process fair or unfair?

1 Still waiting for response May 7,2012 4:12PM

2 Four days after close of escrow, I visited the Rent Board to ensure all was in Apr 26, 2012 1O:14 AMorder for my new building. lt was then I discovered penalty fees incurred by theprevious ownêr of the building-:she was 3 weeks out of compliance. I requesteda waiver or prorated waiver. I was denied

3 Depends on whether we received notice on time, but especially if we need more Apr 26, 2012 8:54 AMtime to make the payment, The penalties should match penalties tenants face fornot paying rent on time, ie about 50 dollars. Can we double the rent whentenants don't pay on time? tf we.are strapped for funds, there should be areasonable extension given to complete payment. Doubling the fee makes italmost certain that we cannot afford to pay. This is victimizing the victim. Pleasereduce the Rent Board fèes!! They are way too high, rLook at the fees in Oaklandand San Francisco. One year I had to borrow the money. You leave me withoutany reserves to make repairs. Then the tenants call me a slumlord for not fixingthings. eant win!

4 | missed the deadline by mailing after 5p on the, due date. I felt that you knew Apr 25, 2012 5:56 PMme because I didn't request the waiver, you notified me that I would not bepenalized for the first offense. That was very fair! Thank yqu!

5 f n the end it was fair, the probtem was it took over 6 months to get a hearing Apr 25, 2012 5:28 PMdate and'at the same time the rent board filed, papers in small claim cou¡t fornonipayment of the same penalty fees that I was waiting for a hearing.

20 of25

, Q28. lf you have used the mediation service, waS the mediation helpful or not helpful?

I

2

Never used. May 7, 20'12 10:39 AM

gave wrong suggestions that made matters worse May 4 , 2012 6 :18 PM

3 Tenant who could not pay rent ended up costing me over 3,000 including lawyerfee. lt appears the Rent Board, understandably, is more in favor of tenants.Small time owners like myself end up suffering as a result, since the largerlandlords can afford such costs.

May 2,2012 6:09 PM

However, the pro tenant bias is really obvious, but probably not to you' Pleasescreen out those pro tenant attornies who teach tenants how to avoid rent for 6-8months regardless of how wrong the tenant is - ie drug addicts, criminal activityetc. lt can take years to recover from such a loss and recreate a reserve forrepairs!

eage 13, Q30. What was the petition or petitionS about? (che ,ck,all that âpply)

1 tenant subletting without informin while returníng to an owned home in anotherstate

tenant eviction

Parking

Apr 26, 20128:57 AM

May 13, 2012 6:35 PM

May 2,20126:10 PM

May 1, 2012 6:15 PM3

4 leak damage from huge storm

Päbé 13, Qgt. Oo yourthink,ihe petition prócess was fair or unfair?,' ,: i , . :

' , r : . 1

1 please see my prior comments: i was told i have to go through the courts toevict a tenant who can no longer affort to live in the unit.

Apr 26, 20129:02 AM

May 2,20126:10PM

2 The bottom line is that only the oldest buildings in Berkeley have to pay the hugeregistration fees, milking us dry, then causing us to have trouble with tenantswhen we can't afford to fix things.The costs of repairs on older buildings isenormous. lt is just not fair that the new construction does not have this burden,ie 25 plus years of this injustice! The new construction has virtually no plumbing,roofing, electrical, or updating issues or expenses. This is victimization of thevict im. '

Apr 26, 20129:02 AM

Ëage in¡ e33. Are you aùare of any owners whose primary language is not English and who might benefit fromtranslätion services in dealing with the,Rent Board?

. !

.1 Korean

21 of 25

May 7,201210:41 AM

, Q33. Arê yóu àwãre,óf .ant ównérs whose þiimary language is not,English and who might benefit fromtranslation services in dealing with the Rent Board?

cn1ne1 o1 311"1 A"i:n l"nsuase Apr 25, 2012 3:31 PM

Page 14, Q35. Would you:bê interested in attending a Rent,Board workshop on landlord-tenant issues during thenext year?

1 RENT CEILINGS May 7,2012 11:25 AM

2 Eliminating rental units in Berkeley. Taking a unit off the market, or convertingtwo units to one unit.

May 7, 20129:57 AM

adjustments to rent May 7 ,2012 9 :51 AM

Evictions. Pied-a-terre tenants. Hoarding. Subletting procedures. May 7,2012 9:32 AM

Dealing with problem tenants. Apr 26, 2012 10:13 AM

How to remove nonpaying tenants who are criminal or drug addicted andannoying to other tenants without the Rent Board giving them names of radicalattornies who help them stay and get months of free rent.

Apr 26, 2012 9:09 AM

Dealing with tenants who don't pay and who also manipulate the system. Apr 25, 2012 11:35 PM

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Berkeley Rent Law A0125,2012_:']t ry

Apr 25, 2012 4:48 PMReduction of onerous registration fees

t 0 Problems between tenants. Apr 25, 2012 4:00 PM

11 What services does rent board provide landlord when a problem arises? (ltseems they only advocate for tenants??)

Apr 25, 20123:31 PM

1 2 Legal requirements of State, City, County, Rent Board of what must be ín thelease or conveyed to a new tenant.

Apr 25,20123:26 PM

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, Q36. Are there any additional comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding the RentBoard's services to rental property owners and managers?

1 trhe rent board seems to ahve a reputation of being anti-landlord. I foudn ti May 13,2012 6:37 PMqwui9te fair and reasonable

2 make the process of registeríng tenants easier May 9, 201210:10 AM

3 Lower the registration fee!! May 8, 201212:03 PM

4 The AGA should be increased so rents will be comparable to other cities who May 8, 201212:26 AMdon't have rent control.

5 overall, you have been responsíve to my queries. what more can I ask? May 7, 2012 11:42 PM

6 Forms need redesign to be clearer/more user-friendly The City's business May 7, 201210:26 AMlicense renewal form is very poortly designed and needs complete makeoverAlthough have not encountered problem, you need to enforce tenant occupancyrule and not permit subletting w/o owner consent I believe in regulation ofresidential rentals, but I do not believe in rent control Thanks for opportunity toprovide feedback!

7 ln the past, I have not received a warm welcome when I have come to the Rent May 7,2012 9:57 AMBoard in person, and sometimes have found it difficult to get answers for myquestions. This has tended to keep me away. I do hope this has improved. I ownone property in Berkeley, which contains my residence as well as twoapartments. My partner and I strive to be good landlords, addressingmaintenance needs, and keeping open communícation with our tenants. I amglad there is rent control in Berkeley, this city would be a different place withoutit. And I am also tired of being vilified by the Rent Board and those who supportstrong rent control measures. I am not the enemy.

8 lt woufd be helpful if there were at the Rent Board a person designated as May 7,2012 9:32 AM"property owners' advocate", someone on staff who explicitly was there to helpproperty owners navigate the bureaucracy, someone property owners hopefullywould come to trust. Nick Traylor, for example, would be an excellent choice forthis position. This person ideally would be someone with management,ownership, and/or real estate experience. He or she would be the Board's liaisonto the BPOA. ldeally, he or she would advocate for property owners'rights/positions within the agency and before the Board.

9 50% renters 50% owner based rent board will be very honestly godly and May 4,2012 6:31 PMrespectfull of all human race. it will work in everyones prosperity and fairness.beacuse we all know too much lenience in one directíon not good for humanrace. Karma !!

10 The only thing I really want is to be told are the faws I have to follow - the forms I Apr 27,2012 10:44 PMneed to complete, a list of things. Like you have to give the tenants a certainnotice two weeks before they move out. You have to fill out the vacancy form ifyou don't rent it in a certain amount of time. I had trouble answering the surveyquestion about your newsletter and the brochures and postcards because I can'tremember what's in the newsletter and have little recollection of any brochuresand postcards. fn general, the less stuff you send out, the better. Don't fill thenewsletter with chatty chat. Just tell the essentials. Show your website address.

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, Q36. Are there any additional,comments or suggestions you would l ike to make regarding the RentBoard's services to rental property owners and managers?

11 1. Keep accurate records of payments. 2. When you believe a landlord owes Apr 26, 2012 10:17 AMmoney, state the amount and what it is for. 3. When you believe a landlord isowing, send written notice and phone call before threatening to turn the caseover to collections. 4. Allow different staff can access notes on a file. The righthand needs to know what the left hand is doing.

12 The services can be rendered without the crushing overhead of such high Apr 26,2012 9:09 AMregistration fees. Reduce staff, salaries, & benefits. You have hit the hard wall ofsmall landlord affordability. We simply can't afford these fees.

13 Like to see a listing of how annual rental fees are spent. Like to know the make- Apr 25, 2012 10:00 PMup of rental owners in Berekeley: large companies to small unit individualowners, percentages. Like to know how many disputes and the types the boardhandles each year.

14 I *love* the FAQs on the web site. They are very clear and answer all questions Apr 25,2012 8:58 PMvery well. Flus, the tenant can read the same information I read, and we bothunderstand the same message.

15 difficult to distinguish what is what during my first year of renting. i receive mail Apr 25, 2012 8:00 PMfrom rent board, housing safety, business license info. all of this says i mustsend money and file forms but none of the mail sent explains why i must submitto the policies or what i am getting in return. staff have been helpful but it isdifficult to be open about questions because i do not have basic information inthe beginning. ijust receive bills.

16 No, thank you. Apr 25, 2012 5:58 PM

17 f n all the mailing I have received, it reminds owners what their responsibilities, Apr 25, 2012 5:37 PMplease include tenants responsibilities! l-ike pay rent on time, not to damage theproperty, not cause noise issues, etc. Renting in Berkeley is a sharedresponsibility, yet the mailing fail to express this. The rent board is to neutralbody,

18 The rent board does not service property owners and managers. We service the Apr 25, 2012 4:48 PMrent board.

19 Nothing at this time. Apr 25,2012 4:22PM

20 | have a comment not specifically for the Rent Board, but City services in general Apr 25,2012 4:02 PM- it would be nice if there was one coordinated place to update the owner'smailing address for a particular property. Currently, I have to contact the RentBoard, RHSP Program; Fire Inspection, and Refuse Service separately. TheRent Board is good about updating my address information, but otherDepartments are not. I have been charged late fees severaltimes when billswere sent to the wrong address.

21 Won't buy any more property in Berkeley because of rules about having 5 or Apr 25, 2012 4:00 PMmore units. Need to treat all landlords the same and give them *real* help indealing with trouble tenants.

22 How is enforcement of rent registrations handled?

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Apr 25, 20123:31 PM

rent stabilization board date: to: from: subject...feedback regarding rent program services to this...

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