Letter: Tenant rights bill not as it seems

Sunday, Jan. 24, 1999 | 11:10 a.m.

While Schneider's efforts to gain more accountability from condominium governing boards has merit, Goldwater's year-long effort to trash the month-to-month rental contracts as we know them could destroy the delicate balance existing in competitive rents, generally much less than comparable metropolitan areas.

Goldwater wants to require landlords to give a reason whenever giving a tenant a (until now, commonly known as "no cause") 30-day notice, giving tenants leverage if they decide to sue. On its face this looks appealing and fair, but in reality it essentially abolishes month-to-month contracts by converting them to indefinite tenancies terminated only at the will of the tenant, unless a landlord has unlimited resources to fight a resistant tenant.

It could be argued that landlords have an obligation to thoroughly check out prospective tenants, perhaps as does the area's subsidized housing with its two-year waiting periods. But try doing that and even your good prospects needing housing "right now" will just move on to other projects which don't take a week (or two years) to get into.

Contrary to the Sun's opinion, both tenants and rental housing industry will be the winners if in its wisdom the Legislature again rejects such nonsense as doing away with the month-to-month rental contract under the guise of enhancing tenant rights.

Leo D. Tafolla

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