Residential

  • January 28, 2026

    HUD Asserts Authority In Homeless Services Funding Suits

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pushed for a quick win against two suits in Rhode Island federal court accusing the federal government of wrongfully pulling funding for homeless services, arguing that Congress allows HUD to determine how it distributes its funding.

  • January 28, 2026

    ND Makes Property Tax Discount Apply Before Home Credit

    North Dakota counties must apply a discount for residential property owners who pay their property taxes early before they apply a primary residence credit under a bill signed by the governor.

  • January 27, 2026

    6th Circ. Revives Rocket's Arbitration Bid In Spam Call Suit

    The Sixth Circuit determined that a homeowner using online resources to research his mortgage refinancing options consented to a mandatory arbitration provision with Rocket Mortgage LLC when he navigated to its site through a third-party affiliate, reversing a decision from a Michigan district court that denied arbitration.

  • January 27, 2026

    Mortgage Statements Class Action Tossed, For Now

    Bank of New York Mellon and a mortgage servicing company no longer face class action claims that they unfairly sought to collect on second mortgages following a bankruptcy discharge, a Boston federal judge has determined, finding that the suit didn't show that the firms were required to send borrowers periodic statements showing that they still owed money.

  • February 12, 2026

    Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.

  • January 27, 2026

    Fla. Panel Advances Stricter Caps On Assessment Increases

    Florida's House tax-writing committee advanced a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would ask voters to place tighter limits on property assessment increases used to calculate nonschool property taxes.

  • January 27, 2026

    Marilyn Monroe Homeowners Sue LA Again Over Landmarking

    Owners of a home where Marilyn Monroe died sued Los Angeles officials for the second time Friday, alleging in California federal court that designating the property a historic cultural monument prevented them from demolishing the decaying building they still must pay taxes on, which amounts to an unconstitutional government taking without just compensation.

  • January 27, 2026

    Manufactured Housing Renters Settle Antitrust Claims

    A proposed class of renters has settled its price-fixing claims in Illinois federal court against a manufactured housing company that the plaintiffs accused of illegally conspiring with others to hike up rent prices.

  • January 27, 2026

    Wis. Homeowners Challenge Tribal Tax Ruling At 7th Circ.

    A group of Wisconsin homeowners is asking the Seventh Circuit to revive its claims that local political jurisdictions of the Menominee Indian Tribe joined forces to increase the homeowners' tax burden, arguing a lower court was wrong to dismiss the case.

  • January 27, 2026

    Adhesive Cos. Push Back On FTC Merger Concerns

    The makers of Loctite and Liquid Nails told a New York federal court that the Federal Trade Commission will be unable to show their planned $725 million merger will hurt competition for construction adhesives.

  • January 27, 2026

    Homebuyers Say Rocket Mortgage Illegally Inflated Prices

    A proposed class of homebuyers accused Rocket Companies Inc. and its subsidiaries in Michigan federal court of illegally hiking home prices by sending business leads to real estate agents who pushed clients to use Rocket's "disadvantageous" financing services for purchases.

  • January 27, 2026

    Fla. Judge Says Developer Must Pay For Unfinished Condos

    A Florida state court judge has sided with two Bolivian investors who accused a condominium developer of not returning their deposits after the developer failed to complete two condominium units on time, ruling that the investors have shown that the developer breached their contracts by not finishing the units despite being paid to do so.

  • January 27, 2026

    Tenn. Resolution Would Permit Optional Property Tax System

    Tennessee would allow local governments to make property taxes optional or create deferred tax payment plans under a constitutional amendment introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • January 27, 2026

    Troubled Apt. Co-Op Seeks $6M State Loan To Clear Liens

    The receiver overseeing the finances of the 924-unit Success Village Apartments has asked a Connecticut court to allow it to borrow $6 million from the state Department of Housing, which the agency has already approved, "to eliminate the many tax and utility liens" on the property.

  • January 26, 2026

    11th Circ. Won't Expedite Bid To Halt CFPB Energy Loan Rule

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Monday to fast-track an appeal aimed at halting a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule on clean-energy home improvement loans, rebuffing the rule's trade group challenger as the agency separately defended the Biden-era measure.

  • January 26, 2026

    Colo. Bill Would Include Low-Income Rentals In Tax Credit

    Colorado would expand a tax break for property developed for low-income housing and nonprofit housing providers to include property developed for rental by low-income residents under a bill introduced in the state House.

  • January 26, 2026

    RE Broker Says Mass. Homebuilder Flouted Exclusivity Pact

    A real estate broker and her brokerage accused a Massachusetts homebuilder in Massachusetts state court of violating their exclusivity deal for selling the homes of a residential development project that the brokerage worked on.

  • January 26, 2026

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Greenberg Traurig LLP and Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP were among the firms responsible for the largest New York City real estate deals last week, featuring a series of discounted office properties.

  • January 26, 2026

    Insurer Says Primary Carrier Reneged On Defense Coverage

    A primary insurer owes reimbursement of defense costs for several underlying lawsuits brought against a property owner and construction company that were additional insureds, another carrier told a New York federal court, arguing that the primary insurer previously agreed to offer coverage but reneged without reason. 

  • January 23, 2026

    Victims In $93M Fraud Fight Receiver's 3rd-Party Claims Plan

    Investors in a $93 million Miami real estate development scheme are protesting a proposal by the receiver of the company's estate to hire her own law firm, increase the receiver fees and go after recipients of fraudulent transfers, claiming the proposal will increase costs and decrease transparency.

  • January 23, 2026

    HUD Wants Tenants' Citizenship Verified At Funded Properties

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday urged public housing authorities and property owners overseeing federally funded properties to verify the citizenship or immigration status of their tenants after an audit found these properties housed nearly 6,000 "non-American" tenants who weren't eligible for public housing.

  • January 23, 2026

    Fla. House Panel Advances Property Tax Phaseout

    Florida would phase out property taxes other than school taxes for residential homesteads if voters approve a ballot measure under a joint resolution advanced Friday by a state House committee.

  • January 23, 2026

    1st Circ. Says Mass. Residents' Zoning Suit Lacks Standing

    The First Circuit backed the dismissal of a suit filed by residents of a Massachusetts town who sued over the local planning board's proposed high-density multifamily zoning district, ruling that they lacked standing to sue.

  • January 23, 2026

    Latham, Davis Polk Guide Construction Gear Co.'s $747M IPO

    Construction equipment rental company EquipmentShare began trading Friday after raising $747 million at the midpoint of an expected range in an initial public offering guided by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters counsel Latham & Watkins LLP.

  • January 22, 2026

    Top LA Fire Issues Implicated In Trio Of New Insurance Bills

    Three recent insurance bills in California could significantly change coverage outcomes for policyholders in the wake of disasters and help address some of the issues that have most vexed homeowners following last year's fires in Los Angeles, while adding to a raft of newly enacted insurance laws, pros say.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating The Complexities Of NYC Waterfront Development

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    More than a dozen city, state and federal agencies share oversight of New York City's waterfront, presenting developers and their counsel with both challenges and opportunities to shape the regional and national economy, say attorneys at HSF Kramer.

  • New NY Residential Real Estate Rules May Be Overbroad

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    New legislation imposing a 90-day-waiting period and tax deduction restrictions on certain New York real estate investors may have broad effects and unintended consequences, creating impediments for a wide range of corporate and other transactions, says Libin Zhang at Fried Frank.

  • Compliance Is A New Competitive Edge For Mortgage Lenders

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    So far, 2025 has introduced state and federal regulatory turbulence that is pressuring mortgage lenders to reevaluate the balance between competitive and compliant employee and customer recruiting practices, necessitating a compliance recalibration that prioritizes five key strategies, say attorneys at Mitchell Sandler.

  • What Developers Can Glean From Miami Condo Ruling

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    A Florida state appeals court's recent denial of a Miami condo redevelopment bid offers a detailed blueprint of what future developers must address when they evaluate the condominium's governing declaration and seek to terminate a condominium, say attorneys at Shubin Law.

  • 6 Questions We Should Ask About The Trump Trade Deals

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    Whenever the text becomes available, certain questions will help determine whether the Trump administration’s trade deals with U.S. trading partners have been crafted to form durable economic relationships, or ephemeral ties likely to break upon interpretive disagreement or a change in political will, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.

  • CEQA Reform May Spur More Housing, But Devil Is In Details

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    A recently enacted law reforming the California Environmental Quality Act has been touted by state leaders as a fix for the state's housing crisis — but provisions including a new theoretically optional traffic mitigation fee could offset any potential benefits, says attorney David Smith.

  • Wells Fargo Suit Shows Consumer Protection Limits In Mass.

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    The Massachusetts Appeals Court's May decision in Wells Fargo Bank v. Coulsey underscores that consumer rights are balanced against the need for closure, and even the broad protections of state consumer protection law will not open the door to relitigating the same claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

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    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • 2 NY Cases May Clarify Foreclosure Law Retroactivity

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    Two pending cases may soon provide the long-awaited resolution to the question of whether retroactive application of the New York Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act violates the state Constitution, providing a guide for New York courts inundated with motions in foreclosure and quiet title actions, says Fernando Rivera Maissonet at Hinshaw & Culbertson.

  • Yacht Broker Case Highlights Industry Groups' Antitrust Risk

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    The Eleventh Circuit recently revived class claims against the International Yacht Brokers Association, signaling that commission-driven industries beyond real estate are vulnerable to antitrust challenges after the National Association of Realtors settled similar allegations last year, says Miles Santiago at the Southern University Law Center and Alex Hebert at Southern Compass.

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

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    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.