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You know election season is approaching when you start seeing signs on your lawn – everywhere.
The tension is rising many breeds. In some cases, these tensions are between landlords and tenants who disagree on key issues facing California voters in November.
Continue hotly contested proposal statewide expanding rent control. One LAist reader asked:
My landlord placed an election sign in the yard of the single-family house I rented (the sign reads: “Vote for No. 33”). Do I have any influence on whether I want this sign to be there or not?
The short answer is… There is no law in California prohibiting landlords from posting signs in front of properties they own, even in the yards of single-family homes whose tenants do not support this message.
This is the answer LAist received after reaching out to real estate experts, tenant advocates, and landlord groups. We also talked to campaigners for and against Proposition 33. They all agreed that a landlord could place a campaign sign in the yard of his tenants’ home. This applies not only to local and state issues, but even to this highly controversial presidential race.
One possible solution: check your lease
Javier Beltran, deputy director of the Los Angeles-based company Housing Rights Centerstated that the only exception may be the fine print of the lease agreement.
“There may be something in their lease, not just related to political signage, but at least changing the character of the shipyard,” Beltran said.
If the lease clearly states that tenants have full use of the yard or are responsible for maintaining it, this may give tenants grounds to remove the sign.
“It could be something that tenants could use to say, ‘Hey, I don’t want this sign here,’” Beltran said.
But if the lease doesn’t specify who has control over the yard, it’s unclear what tenants can do about an undesirable campaign sign, he said.
Try to raise concerns with your landlord
“No on 33” sign in Pasadena.
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Dana Littlefield
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LAist
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Fred Sutton – Spokesman California Condominium Associationa landlord advocacy group that is also leading funder “No on 33” campaign — said tenants should try to start a conversation if they don’t feel comfortable with a sign posted by their landlord.
“We always encourage residents to contact their housing provider first if they have any concerns about a property,” Ms Sutton said. “Open communication is the best first step in solving any problems.”
Landlords cannot force tenants to remove signs
If landlords don’t respond to their concerns, tenants can always try another approach: displaying their own, competitive sign.
Beltran notes this section 1940.4 California Laws prohibits landlords from stopping tenants who want to place a campaign poster in their window or door.
“You could just put another sign there, counteracting it,” Beltran said. “It might confuse everyone, but at the same time it would at least put the tenant at ease.”
Why does this problem affect tenants of single-family houses?
Lawn signs can be a difficult problem for tenants renting single-family homes. In the case of large apartment buildings, it is not always clear who exactly placed the sign in the yard. However, in the case of single-family homes, neighbors will likely assume that the signs were posted by the people who live there, which puts tenants in an awkward position if they disagree with the message of the sign.
The outcome of Proposition 33 could also mean big changes for landlords who rent single-family homes and the tenants who live in them.
Under a 1995 state law, California cities are currently allowed to impose rent controls on residential buildingsas long as these properties were built before 1995 (in some cities the border falls even earlier). However, this act prohibits local governments from imposing limits on annual rent increases on single-family homes. If voters pass Proposition 33, the state law would be repealed, opening the door for cities to extend rent control to single-family homes.
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