Residential
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May 16, 2025
Fla. Rep. Stands By Condo Termination Proposals At Event
A Florida state representative on Thursday defended her recent effort to revise state law on condominium terminations that Gov. Ron DeSantis had attacked as favoring developers, saying she still thinks changes are needed to protect existing unit owners' property rights.
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May 16, 2025
Judge Orders Feds To Answer Navy Housing Suit Questions
A Court of Federal Claims judge ordered the U.S. government to answer requests for admissions it refused to respond to in litigation alleging that it reduced housing stipends and breached contracts with companies that agreed to provide housing to U.S. Navy service members.
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May 16, 2025
RI City Outlaws Rent-Fixing As Feds Consider Ban On AI Regs
Providence, Rhode Island, joined the growing list of cities nationwide that have banned landlords from using algorithmic price-fixing technology for setting residential rents, saying that software sold by RealPage and similar companies is exacerbating an affordability crisis.
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May 16, 2025
Susan Sarandon, Contractor End Dispute Over Vt. Home
Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon has resolved a dispute with a contractor that oversaw construction and maintenance for her $2 million sustainable Vermont retreat, which featured a geothermal heating system she claimed was less efficient due to missing insulation, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.
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May 15, 2025
Lennar Workers Should Arbitrate 401(k) Suit, Judge Says
Current and former Lennar Corp. employees should have to individually arbitrate a proposed class action claiming the construction company loaded its 401(k) plan with excessive fees and lackluster investment options, a Florida federal magistrate judge recommended, finding the plan's arbitration provision doesn't conflict with federal benefits law.
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May 15, 2025
Ohio Court Upholds Home's $450K Value Based On Sale
The Ohio tax appeals board didn't err in determining that a couple's home was correctly assessed at $450,000 based on its 2020 sale price, a state appeals court said in an opinion released Thursday.
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May 15, 2025
Fla. High Court Won't Rule On Condo Insurance Dispute
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to wade into a dispute between a Miami condominium and its insurer over a claim for damage caused by Hurricane Irma, leaving in place an appellate ruling that the association provided sufficient notice to the insurer that it intended to add or reopen its damage claim.
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May 15, 2025
Insurer Wants Smokestack Demo Cos. To Pay For Damage
Erie Insurance is seeking to make the companies that demolished two smokestacks at a former Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant pay $375,000 for damage that flying dust, debris and shock waves did to a neighboring property, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.
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May 15, 2025
Florida's Haber Law Taps Duo To Lead Construction Practice
Florida law firm Haber Law has selected a pair of longtime construction law attorneys to lead its practice group in that field, bringing a mix of perspectives in representing owners and community associations as well as contractors and other industry professionals.
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May 15, 2025
Senior Living Co. Pleads For Proxy Fight Win After CEO Exit
Brookdale Senior Living, the largest U.S. senior living operator, urged shareholders Thursday to reject a proxy contest brought by an affiliate of activist investor Ortelius Advisors, claiming the fund hasn't offered a new strategy for the company despite its criticism.
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May 15, 2025
Hawaii Justices Won't Review Honolulu Property Class Case
The Hawaii Supreme Court declined to review an appellate court decision that found a special Honolulu property class did not violate the state and country's equal protection clause.
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May 15, 2025
Entrata Hits $4.3B Valuation After $200M Blackstone Plug
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC-advised Entrata, an operating system for multifamily housing communities, revealed on Thursday that it reached a $4.3 billion valuation after securing a $200 million minority investment from private equity giant Blackstone, led by Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.
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May 14, 2025
HUD Allocates $1.1B For Tribal Affordable Housing Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will allocate more than $1.1 billion in Indian Housing Block Grant funding to support affordable housing efforts in Native American tribal communities, HUD announced Tuesday.
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May 14, 2025
Idaho Murderer's Family Can't Get Coverage, Judge Says
The wealthy mining family of a mentally ill man who murdered and allegedly ate his victim's genitalia was denied insurance coverage for underlying litigation brought by the decedent's survivors when an Idaho federal judge determined the killing wasn't unforeseen and the killer's subjective motives weren't relevant.
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May 14, 2025
Questions Swirl About EB-5 As 'Gold Card' Looms
With the Trump administration's proposed $5 million "Gold Card" visa program raising questions about the future of the existing EB-5 investment visa program, an executive at independent fund administrator JTC Group offers insights on where the program may be heading and what investors should know.
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May 14, 2025
Religion Shapes Skylines, Real Estate Investments
Shifting demographics of religious observation, coupled with an affordable housing shortage and the demands of maintaining aging facilities, have led many faith-based organizations to consider how to monetize their land. Here, attorneys specializing in these deals discuss the unique challenges of balancing business requirements with religious priorities.
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May 14, 2025
Fla. Court Won't Let State High Court Weigh Taking Query
An en banc Florida appellate court on Wednesday refused to certify the city of Marathon's question about a factor for determining whether a taking happened to the state's high court.
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May 14, 2025
Wisconsin Lake Homeowners Amend Tribal Tax Burden Suit
Four lake homeowners and an association have amended a suit against local governments in the Menominee reservation in northern Wisconsin, claiming the tribe has sought to grow the amount of tax-exempt land while leaving owners of taxable homes to pay more than their fair share.
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May 14, 2025
4 Firms Guide NJ Luxury Multifamily Housing Deal
Four companies acquired and recapitalized Na ew Jersey-based, 829-unit luxury multifamily complex project, in a deal advised by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Milbank LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, the companies announced Wednesday.
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May 14, 2025
Zillow Settles StreetEasy Fees Suit With NY Real Estate Firm
Zillow has settled a proposed class action filed in Washington federal court by a New York real estate firm that accused the online real estate company of charging agents daily fees for listing properties on its StreetEasy platform, even after a listing agent's name was obscured online by another agent.
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May 14, 2025
Landlords Detail Policies To Cut After Trump Admin Ask
Two trade groups for apartment owners requested that federal officials eliminate COVID-19-era eviction restrictions and a framework for accepting emotional support animals, as well as undo appliance efficiency standards, union wage rates and other policies the groups say are holding back multifamily development.
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May 14, 2025
McGlinchey Stafford Adds Real Estate, Financial Services Pro
McGlinchey Stafford PLLC announced that the firm has added a real estate and financial services pro to its financial services litigation practice, who joins the firm following a five-year stint in private practice.
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May 14, 2025
Attorneys Size Up NYC Condo Conversion Bill
Tucked away in New York's 2026 budget are changes to blue-sky law that allow some mixed-income rental buildings to be converted to condominiums, but attorneys say the update comes with numerous caveats and regulatory hurdles, and that it prompts questions about cost-sharing.
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May 14, 2025
NYC Real Estate Week In Review
Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn and Kramer Levin are among the law firms that handled the largest New York City real estate deals that became public last week, a list topped by Amazon and Blackstone purchases in Manhattan.
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May 13, 2025
Mortgage Lender Overcharges Service Members, Suit Says
Mortgage lender Planet Home Lending LLC faces a proposed class action alleging that it violated the federal Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act by refusing to retroactively apply an interest rate below the act's maximum threshold during a customer's time on active duty.
Expert Analysis
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Understanding The IRC's Excessive Refund Claim Penalty
Taxpayers considering protective refund claims pending resolution of major questions in tax cases like Moore v. U.S., which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, should understand how doing so may also leave them vulnerable to an excessive refund claim penalty under Internal Revenue Code Section 6676, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.
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Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact
A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.
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Takeaways From FDIC's Spring Supervisory Highlights
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s spring 2024 consumer compliance supervisory report found that relatively few institutions had significant consumer compliance issues last year, but the common thread among those that did were inadequacies or failures in disclosures to consumers, says Matthew Hanaghan at Nutter.
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What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers
A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.
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How 3D Printing And Prefab Are Changing Construction
The growing popularity of trends like 3D printing technology and prefabrication in the construction industry have positive ramifications ranging from reducing risks at project sites to streamlining construction schedules, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline
The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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A Deep Dive Into High Court's Permit Fee Ruling
David Robinson and Daniel Golub at Holland & Knight explore the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that a local traffic impact fee charged to a California property owner may be a Fifth Amendment taking — and where it leaves localities and real estate developers.
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The Case For Overturning Florida Foreclosure Ruling
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Desbrunes v. U.S. Bank National Association will potentially put foreclosure cases across the state in jeopardy, and unless it is reconsidered, foreclosing plaintiffs will need to choose between frustrating and uncertain options in the new legal landscape, say Sara Accardi and Paige Knight at Bradley.
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Bracing For The CFPB's War On Mortgage Fees
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau homes in on the legality of certain residential mortgage fees, the industry should consult the bureau's steady stream of consumer lending guidance for hints on its priorities, say Nanci Weissgold and Melissa Malpass at Alston & Bird.
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DOJ Consent Orders Chart Road Map For Lending Compliance
Two recent consent orders issued by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its efforts to fight mortgage lending discrimination highlight issues that pose fair lending compliance risks, and should be carefully studied by banks to avoid enforcement actions, says Memrie Fortenberry at Jones Walker.
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Reverse Veil-Piercing Ruling Will Help Judgment Creditors
A New York federal court’s recent decision in Citibank v. Aralpa Holdings, finding two corporate entities liable for a judgment issued against a Mexican businessman, shows the value of reverse veil piercing as a remedy for judgment creditors to go after sophisticated debtors who squirrel away assets, says Gabe Bluestone at Omni Bridgeway.
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Calif. Housing Overhaul May Increase Pressure On Landlords
Two recently enacted California laws signal new protections and legal benefits for tenants, but also elevate landlords' financial exposure at a time when they are already facing multiple other hardships, says Laya Dogmetchi at Much Shelist.