This 4-part article series will discuss the typical steps for a California real estate buyer when defects are not disclosed in a real estate sale, which are likely similar to the steps you may encounter for other real estate disputes as...

Partition Actions: Types of Tenancy In order to understand the likely result of a partition action, you need to know the kinds of ownership recognized by California law. A partition action is never the best-case scenario, so this short guide is...

Covid-19: Forbearance & Foreclosure for Small Landlords in California The unemployment and reduction in income for millions of Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis has threatened homeowners and renters across the country. The extension of the moratorium on evictions...

The Basic Steps of Foreclosure in California The following introduction outlines the basic steps in a nonjudicial foreclosure, the most common type of foreclosure in California. A judicial foreclosure involves all the expense and delay of most litigation, but it does...

What is a Petition to Partition? Imagine you and your siblings inherit property. One of you want to sell the family home, but the others don’t. (Although, due to the new property tax law under Proposition 19, you may have to...

Agreed-Boundary Doctrine In theory, many disputes over boundary lines are fairly easy to settle. The parties in a dispute can have a survey done based on the deed description to mark the real boundary of the properties. However, the agreed-boundary doctrine...

Co-Ownership Trials and Tribulations: Quiet Title Actions Vs. Partition Actions Who owns the real estate and who can sell it? How much should each person get? There are many situations in which two people may co-own a property, the most obvious...

Disputes over the boundary between two adjacent properties can take many forms and are the most common cause of real estate litigation between neighbors. They can also be the most contentious, with tempers flaring high. There are few things as personal...

Introduction to Easements An easement is a right granting limited use of another property, whether commercial or residential, that impinges on the owner’s otherwise complete title to the property’s ownership and use, known as an “encumbrance on the title.” An easement...

Who is Responsible for a Boundary Fence? Good Fences Make Good Neighbors In the “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost describes two neighbors doing routine maintenance on their boundary wall. The one neighbor is unthinkingly good-humored about the work: “Good fences make good...