The DailyBreeze does a harsh piece on the state of renters in the South Bay. Above all else, we learn that landlords can be bastards (not ours of course, we love them). Kyle Kazan, president of Beach Front Real Estate Services, let's renters know they are on the short end of the stick in this market.
Kazan said he wouldn't rent to people with an eviction record and checks applicants using an unlawful detainer registry service."Even if you won your case -- maybe your landlord was a bastard-- it doesn't matter," Kazan said. "We won't touch you."
He said in a market where occupancy rates ran as high as 99 percent, tenants were like streetcars -- there was always another one coming.
"If you've had problems, we don't need it," he said. "Why take a risk on someone who's willing to fight their landlord? We don't have to -- not in this kind of market."
As the article notes, the majority of the time renters are evicted due to their inability or unwillingness to pay rent. However, in many cases, landlords are unfairly jacking up rents on the people who can least afford to pay them - the working poor living paycheck to paycheck.
· With apartments in demand, eviction is a serious business [LA Times]