Our Yellow House

Fair Oaks is a quiet, tree-lined side street, with a tight-knit community of families and friendly neighbors. Our house is just a few blocks from Valencia Street shops and restaurants, 24th Street BART, and the J-Church Muni line.

We are located on a sunny block between Noe Valley and the Mission neighborhoods. This sanctuary has been full of laughter, joy, and community for many years.

Originally the home of artist Tamara, her son Georges and his wife Cynthia of Washington DC, now offer this peaceful home for rentals. Onsite building managers are available for support at all times.

Utilities

Rent Due - First of the month
Trash Day - Wednesday, for a special pick up call (415) 330-1300
Water Bill - Varies, first week of the month

Street Parking

2-hour parking on our block Monday - Friday
Mondays and Wednesdays are street sweeping
Residential Parking Permits are recommended

Potluck

Almost every Friday

Neighborhood Holidays

Fair Oaks Street Fair (Day before Mother's Day)
Halloween Trick or Treaters are no joke

Because of dates on which the landlords are obliged to make payments of their own, rents must be in the landlords’ bank account no later than the fifth day of the month. Payments later than that will be charged $50. for each period of five days that they remain late. 

If possible, deposits are welcome by inter- or intra-bank electronic transfer. If that‘s not possible, cheeks may be deposited at any Bank of America location. The nearest one to 209 is at 24th Street and Castro. Note checks deposited in this manner clear in one business day. 

We accept PayPal, but note that may often be charged for them (credit or debit cards, for example, incur a substantial fee). Seven business days should be allowed for the processing of such transfers by our bank. Consequently, payments by PayPal, should be initialed by the last day of month before the rent is due, so that it is deposited in the landlord's bank account by the present deadline of the 5th; additionally, you use PayPal using an “e-check,” then you should allow a still further six days for PayPal to process it, i.e., a total of thirteen days (e.g., you should initiate the rent payment six days before the 1st of the month, at the lasted).

All questions or problems should be initially directed to the property manager. If for some reason the property manager can’t be reached, reach the landlords. We have used a local handyman for regular maintenance and he can be brought in for most repairs, please reach out to property management before calling in a handyman. Note that any expenses for remedying any problems will not be reimbursed unless a reasonable attempt has been made to notify the manager or landlords to authorize the charge.

Fair Oaks St. is a famously quiet, community minded street, whose residents are mostly working families with children. Except for the occasional weekend party (in which case, ample notification should be provided to the tenants of the other unit), there should no serious noise (e.g. hammering, loud music) between 10pm and 7am and, of course, due consideration should be given the tenants of the other unit regarding noise at other times. We understand there can be an occasions when things get louder than one anticipated. However, if the tenants (or neighbors) complain to us a third time about excessive noise between l0 and 7, there will be a charge of $50 to the offending tenants for that incident, $75, for the fourth, and so forth with increments of $25, for each repeated offense.

The trash bins are stored in the basement between the cars and the storage areas they must not be stored (as they once were) underneath the steps, since it’s too easy for movements in this area to bump the earthquake detectors and shutoff the gas lines. The trash bins should be placed on the street on Tuesday night for pick-up on Wednesday, and then returned to the garage by Wednesday night. The tenants of the two units should make an agreement as to how to divide this labor and stick to it, if left on the street, the trash bins serve to attract garbage and then vermin, and they can be stolen or blown about by the wind. In any case, their unnecessary presence is a bit unsightly and not appreciated by the neighbors. As in the case of excessive noise (sec #3), beginning with a third complaint about tenants not doing their part, there will be fines beginning at $59, and incremented by $25, (if all the tenants of a unit are away for a Wednesday, they should arrange with the tenants of the other unit to take responsibility for that occasion.)

Utility bills are to be paid as follows. Each of the units is responsible for establishing their own PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) and Recology (garbage) accounts. However, the property manager will be responsible for I/4 of each of the PG&E bill, and should be billed accordingly (e.g., via email). This overpays them share somewhat, but this should compensate for her also using each of those unit’s garbage bins. The water bill is paid by the landlords, who have a spread sheet for the purpose. It is divided eight ways: each tenant, Property Manager and the garden counting for two units (the garden water being paid by the landlord).

We emphasize that subletting is not allowed. If a tenant needs to leave and so break the lease before its termination, he or she will lose a portion of the security deposit equal to the costs to the landlords or the manager to find a replacement. Any replacement must meet with the approval of the landlords and the manager.

We emphasize that no pets are allowed.

Each unit is guaranteed one parking space in the basement, one other space being guaranteed to the tenants of the other unit. Given the structure of the basement, cars will need to be parked in tandem, the outer one blocking the inner one. The tenants agree to cooperate with the tenants of the other unit about moving the outer one to allow the exit or entry of the inner one (the usual procedure is to leave a set of keys for the other tenants). The landlord assumes no responsibility for damage to vehicles. It will be the responsibility of the tenants to work out any liabilities regarding damages resulting from any parking arrangements.

Tenants are guaranteed storage space in the garage, all of which lies on the south side of the garage, opposite the place for cars. For 209 this consists of the area between the washing machine and the left side of the furnace; for 209 l/2 it consists of the area from the left of the furnace to the western wall. Belongings should be stacked neatly, and in a fashion that permits reasonable access to other things in the storage area.

The landlord retains full authority and responsibility for the garden, and employs a gardener for the purpose. The garden is for the use and enjoyment cooperatively by all the tenants of the building, as well as the landlord when he visits. The deck and garden furniture (a wooden bench, two wooden chairs and a small table) are available for the purpose. The wooden sculptures are the property of the landlord, and should be moved extremely carefully. if they need to be moved (and they should be if there are prolonged rains) they should be moved to the area under the stairs, which should be kept clear for the purpose. No significant alternations (additions, removals) should be made to the garden without the landlord‘s express permission. Note that it is primarily at garden for adults, and is not suitable for energetic games (ball, frisbee) or animals that might dig or otherwise disrupt it. With the agreement of other tenants, tenants are welcome to use the garden for picnics, however, it is presumed that they will clean up afterwards any debris so occasioned.