The ESA problem
In 2017, Marlin Jackson boarded a cross-country flight. When he got to his row, another passenger was already in the middle seat with an emotional support dog in his lap. According to Jackson’s attorney, “The...
A visionary’s life
The architectural community lost a giant of the industry when Mark Humphreys died last month. The founder of the nation’s largest multifamily-focused architectural firm died on January 3. He was 67. Humphreys was a visionary...
Pets on planes: Change ahead
Just five months after the US Department of Transportation released a final statement regarding service animals on flights, the agency has proposed yet another modification to its emotional support animal policy. This one would...
Supreme Court blocks mandate
National Federation of Independent Businesses v. OSHA, rejected a Biden Administration effort to mandate vaccination or testing for COVID in workplaces with more than 100 employees. This effort―embodied in an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)...
Crime maps deemed problematic
When looking at a listing, users of Realtor.com and Redfin will be provided information about local school districts, walkability, and availability of public transport, but can no longer have the option to evaluate crime...
Small business owners battle inflation
The majority of the nation’s landlords are individual investors. They own about 23 million units spanning 17 million properties, according to the U.S. Census. Forty-two percent of small business owners say the ongoing pandemic is...
California rolls out organic waste law
A key component of a new California law that will forever change how residents and businesses sort their food scraps and landscaping trimmings took effect Jan. 1 and, so far, Orange County cities are...
N.Y. Gov touts pro-housing proposals
In a welcome departure from her predecessor’s indifference to the housing crisis in the New York City metropolitan area, New York governor Kathy Hochul included pro-housing development proposals in her 2022 State of the...
Apartment demand smashes previous record
Demand for market-rate apartments in 2021 soared far above the highest levels on record in the three decades RealPage has tracked the market. Net demand totaled more than 673,000 units—obliterating the previous high set...
LIHEAP checks fast and loose
In February 2021, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 13 agencies administering the rental assistance program “reported using no electronic data to verify beneficiaries’ income, verifying income in other ways, such as checking...
Timeless test of character
Seekers of freedom everywhere would do well to remember an indomitable, 16th-century Jesuit college professor named Juan de Mariana, who was dragged before the Inquisition and fought charges of treason during Spain’s 1609-1610. The story...
Corporate greed isn’t driving inflation
Inflation has reached its highest level in nearly 40 years, and everyone is looking for answers. Before fiscal and monetary authorities can muster a policy response, we need to understand what is causing inflation....
Digital evolution 2.0
The global response to the coronavirus disrupted economies worldwide, destroyed livelihoods and many small companies, and negatively impacted larger ones. It also compelled new demands from businesses and provided a unique opportunity for multifamily...
Birth of a builder
Christmas makes me think of builders. It celebrates, among other supernatural events, the birth of a carpenter who apprenticed in the family business. Once grounded in the principles of earthly construction he went on...
Apartment boom boosts adaptive re-use
New renters are signing leases and moving into 109 luxury apartments at The Arden, an old office building that re-opened as a new multifamily community in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, in August...
