Residential

  • May 09, 2024

    REIT Says Insurers Must Cover Antitrust Conspiracy Claims

    A real estate investment trust accused its insurers of wrongfully denying coverage for an underlying multidistrict litigation alleging that the company was part of an antitrust conspiracy to inflate rents for multifamily housing, telling a Colorado federal court that the MDL falls plainly within multiple coverage parts of its policies.

  • May 09, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Says Parking Garage Is Rent-Stabilized

    A New York state appeals court on May 9 upheld a housing agency's decision finding that a parking garage in a building in the Bronx borough of New York City is rent-stabilized.

  • May 09, 2024

    NY Tribunal Affirms Couple Can't Claim Real Estate Deduction

    A New York couple was correctly denied a real estate deduction on their personal income tax returns because the husband didn't qualify as a real estate professional, the state Tax Appeals Tribunal affirmed in a decision released Thursday.

  • May 09, 2024

    Mass. Tax Board Axes Home's Value Based On Similar Sales

    A Massachusetts home was overvalued, the state Appellate Tax Board ruled, finding evidence of comparable sales presented by the homeowner to be persuasive.

  • May 09, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers Approve Extended Property Tax Cuts

    Colorado would extend its current temporary property tax rate reductions into 2024 and would lower tax rates for future years under legislation passed by Colorado lawmakers that could save property owners about $1 billion in its first year.

  • May 09, 2024

    Va. Builder's Sand Purchases Found Subject To Sales Tax

    A Virginia homebuilder that purchased dirt and sand must pay sales tax on those purchases because both are tangible personal property, the state's tax commissioner ruled.

  • May 08, 2024

    Fla. Condo Terminations Could Spread, But Won't Be Easy

    A reckoning is approaching for aging condominium buildings across Florida, with state structural inspections and reserve studies mandated after the deadly 2021 Surfside building collapse due at year's end. But although this could present much needed redevelopment opportunities, the path looks as difficult to navigate as ever, experts said at a real estate conference this week in Miami.

  • May 08, 2024

    Execs Weigh In On Housing Trends At DLA Piper Panel

    Why is it so hard to build housing? Blame high interest rates, spiking insurance rates and maybe even some sort of elderberry beetle — according to a group of housing development executives gathered in Chicago this week for DLA Piper's annual real estate conference.

  • May 08, 2024

    Upstate NY Cities Aim To Join Rent-Regulated Ranks

    After a 2019 tweak to state law allowed localities beyond New York City and its surrounding counties to opt into rent stabilization for the first time since the original legislation was passed in 1974, a smattering of upstate cities have attempted to do just that, to varying degrees of success.

  • May 08, 2024

    Brokers Lean On Other Business With Transactions Flat In Q1

    Commercial real estate's big four brokers are still waiting for inflation to cool down so capital markets can rebound, despite signs in the first quarter that a recovery was underway.

  • May 08, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Class Counsel Talks Settlement, Legacy

    With residents of East Palestine, Ohio, on the verge of a $600 million payout for the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Jayne Conroy shared some thoughts about the role property values played in the proposed settlement and what ripple effect their arguments might have in similar cases.

  • May 08, 2024

    Coldwell Banker's Lockboxes Draw BIPA Suit

    Coldwell Banker has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of employees who claim it violated Illinois' biometric privacy law by failing to get their informed consent before requiring them to scan their fingerprints to access biometric lockboxes that store keys for rental units shown to potential customers.

  • May 08, 2024

    NAR Magazine Subscribers Drop Data-Selling Claims

    A proposed class has mediated and permanently dismissed claims in Michigan federal court accusing the National Association of Realtors of illegally selling, exchanging and renting the personal data of subscribers to the NAR's Realtor magazine.

  • May 08, 2024

    Homebuyers Can't Stop NAR's $418M Settlement Hearing

    An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday she won't derail a final settlement hearing for the National Association of Realtors' $418 million deal with home sellers, despite a class of homebuyers' claims that the deal interferes with their separate case, saying they will have a chance to voice concerns at the hearing.  

  • May 08, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Closes Green Retrofit Deal For Mass. Housing

    Nixon Peabody LLP has wrapped up a deal that will allow older adults in Quincy, Massachusetts, to use U.S. Department of Housing and Development funds and a federally insured loan to build a new HVAC system that's energy efficient and to make their housing more accessible, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • May 08, 2024

    Colo. Lawmakers OK Historic Structure Tax Credit Extension

    Colorado's tax credit for rehabilitation of historic structures would be extended and apply to structures as young as 30 years old under legislation approved by the Senate and headed to the governor.

  • May 07, 2024

    LA Sued For Landmarking House Marilyn Monroe Died In

    Owners of a Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died sued the city in California state court saying it orchestrating an illegal, rigged process to designate it as a historical landmark, arguing Monday nothing in the home shows the actress spent a single day in it.

  • May 07, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Says Privilege, Immunity Don't Protect Trustee

    A real estate company says a Chapter 7 trustee overseeing a Connecticut woman's personal bankruptcy cannot invoke the doctrine of qualified immunity or assert a litigation privilege to avoid being countersued for trying to stop a home sale the trustee considered fraudulent.

  • May 07, 2024

    Property Co. Gets $365M In Loans Modified For Biz Growth

    Property owner and manager The GSH Group wrapped up the modification of $365 million in multifamily senior loans for its properties with lender Arbor Realty, it announced Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Settles Homeowner's Telemarketing Suit

    A potential class settled its Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit against a New York real estate company that buys and sells homes, according to a New York federal judge's order.

  • May 07, 2024

    New Missouri Law Forces Landfills Further From Cities

    A new Missouri law will increase the radius for approvals needed from nearby municipalities for several types of landfills to one mile from half a mile, in what the governor called a "win for property rights."

  • May 07, 2024

    HUD Unveils $5.5B In Housing Grants, New Voucher Reforms

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday that it will send over 2,400 housing grants worth $5.5 billion to 1,200 American communities, with the agency also detailing reforms to its housing voucher programs.

  • May 07, 2024

    Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims

    A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

  • May 07, 2024

    Ore. Tax Court Drops Values Of Residential Parcels

    The Oregon Tax Court ruled that the real market values of two parcels teed up for a residential subdivision should be lowered after agreeing with the owner's comparable sales study and development cost analysis.

  • May 07, 2024

    Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension

    Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

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    Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

  • How Cities Can Tackle Post-Pandemic Budgeting Dilemmas

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    Due to increasing office vacancies around the country, cities may consider politically unpopular actions to avoid bankruptcy, but they could also look to the capital markets to ride out the current real estate crisis and achieve debt service savings to help balance their budgets, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.

  • FHFA Plans Forecast The Year Ahead In Affordable Housing

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    This year attorneys in the affordable housing sector can expect to see developers utilizing the financing tools included in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's updated equitable housing finance plans, including various sponsor-elected programs and Freddie's forward commitment initiative, say Evan Blau and Beth Budnick at Cassin & Cassin.

  • A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties

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    In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.

  • How To Determine Best Format For Annual Building Meetings

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    As hundreds of New York City co-ops and condominiums conduct their annual meetings over the next few weeks, they should keep both legal and practical considerations in mind when deciding between virtual and in-person formats, says Robert Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • EB-5 Reform Continues To Weigh Heavily On Participants

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    Recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance helps clarify aspects of the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, which increased oversight of EB-5 regional centers, but does not end the industry's continuing state of uncertainty, says Robert Divine at Baker Donelson.

  • Colo. Bankruptcy Ruling Clarifies Debt Collection Rules

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    The Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling in U.S. Bank v. Silvernagel provides necessary clarification on the state's debt collection statute of limitations commencement rules and gives lenders breathing room to pursue foreclosure after their borrowers receive a bankruptcy discharge, say Erin Edwards and Justin Balser at Troutman Pepper.

  • Preparing For Legal Scrutiny Of Data Retention Policies

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    Two recent cases involving Google and Meta should serve as a call to action for companies to ensure their data retention policies are updated and properly implemented to the degree of being able to withstand judicial scrutiny, especially as more data is generated by emerging technologies, say Jack Kallus and Labeed Choudhry at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Echoes Of '80s Thrift Crisis Are Present In Today's Bank Woes

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    The current distress in the banking industry bears an uncanny resemblance to the thrift industry crisis of the 1980s, and while that collapse was a worst-case scenario, it provides lessons for understanding the fundamental economic forces at work today, says Alan Frankel at Coherent Economics.

  • Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI

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    National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients

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    As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.

  • EV Chargers Can Bring Benefits For Calif. Property Owners

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    California property developers and owners face growing pressure to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure — but this can be a unique opportunity to add value to real estate assets, and can be accomplished in multiple ways, say Riley Cutner-Orrantia and Eurie Hwang at Crosbie Gliner.