By Jodi Summers
The Action Apartment Association is an organization dedicated to preserving the rights of property owners in Santa Monica. It was established in 1979, shortly after rent control laws went into effect. The association is there for anyone who owns a property affected by rent control laws.
“It really is the only game in town for an apartment building owner,” said current association president Gordon Gitlen, esq. “The Santa Monica rent control board has very limited knowledge and resources, they’re not designed to be an unbiased agency. They are designed to assist the tenant. If the owner is looking for assistance, they’re generally not going to receive it from the rent control board. They have to find the information out on their own. The action apartment association helps with that process.”
“The Santa Monica rent control board has very limited knowledge and resources, they’re not designed to be an unbiased agency.” — — GORDON GITLEN Current association president
The AAA declares itself to be a full-service trade association representing the approximately 3,000 multi-unit owners in Santa Monica, as well as the entire Westside of Los Angeles. They offer free legal forms — many in both English and Spanish — an owner’s hotline to answer questions, and inexpensive credit and eviction reports.
Most importantly, they represent the owner’s point of view and will fight to represent the needs of property owners on the Westside.
“Most recently, Action Apartment Association filed suit against the city of Santa Monica claiming that the Rent Control Board's new regulation requiring landlords to pay interest on security deposits is unconstitutional,” Gitlen said. “The Court of Appeals agreed with the Action Apartment Association and struck down the requirement to pay 3 percent interest on security deposits — even though they didn’t get 3 percent at any bank. The rent control board then revoked its regulation and was then held responsible for the damages they forced landlords to pay. We figured it was at least $3 million that the landlords had to pay in interest to tenants. Then we filed motion for attorney’s fees. And the court awarded us $200,000 against the city of Santa Monica. Now Santa Monica has to pay back to the Action Apartment Association.”
The hot topic of the moment around the AAA is mold.
“What we have found in many cases is the tenant is living in a unit and they do not mention to the landlord that there is a dripping washing machine, a dripping dishwasher, a pipe or a roof leak,” Gitlen said. “Months go by. Eventually the landlord discovers that there is a water seepage problem and mold has grown because the tenant has failed to report it at the ear-liest possible moment. Mold is dangerous and causes a lot of damage.
“Insurance companies do not cover mold, so there is a lot of mold litigation,” he added. “It’s the fastest growing area of property damage. It has now replaced what used to be one of the biggest areas of litigation — asbestos. So mold has become a serious topic.”
Action Apartment Association dues are approximately $200 a year. The AAA board of directors currently features president Gitlen, vice president Carl Lambert, secretary Arlee Hains, treasurer Wendie Olshan and executive director Gwen Wunder. AAA offers credit reporting, labor referrals, answers and gives knowledge about current laws throughout the state and throughout the city. The offices are located at 2812 Santa Monica Blvd. The telephone number is (310) 828-7628. The Web site address is http://www.action-wam.com. Their monthly magazine features articles on how to run buildings more efficiently and how to best protect your real estate investment. Monthly meetings present guest speakers sharing information about legislation, court cases, local ordinances, rent control, “Owner Beware” tips, tax laws and credit checks. Meetings are held the first Monday of every month, presently at the Roosevelt Elementary School auditorium at Lincoln Boulevard and Montana Avenue at 7:30 p.m.
“The law in Santa Monica changes virtually every month,” Gitlen said. “The Santa Monica Rent Control Board can pass a regulation at any one of its meetings that just changes the rules of the game. It’s difficult to keep up, but if you’re in the business, you have to know what your game is.” (If you would like to receive more information of interest to property owners, please , or call at (310) 309-4219).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 6, 2003. Read the original PDF.