Sabelhaus & Strain PC, formerly Law Offices of Patrick R. Sabelhaus, is a private law practice with emphasis on housing and real property, residential development, State and Federal Tax Credit Law, partnership law and title and escrow matters started by the late Patrick R. Sabelhaus in 1981. The firm represents both non-profit and for-profit developer clients with Tax Credit projects throughout California Since 1987, the first year of the Tax Credit Program, the firm has served as the attorneys of record for more than 350 Tax Credit projects consisting of more than 25,000 affordable rental housing units.

The firm has assisted in securing and/or closing construction and permanent debt and equity financing with California Statewide Communities Development Authority, California Municipal Finance Authority, Golden State Finance Authority, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Umpqua Bank, J.P. Morgan Chase, Pacific Western Bank, California Housing Finance Agency, California Department of Housing and Community Development, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, Boston Financial, WNC & Associates, The Richman Group, Redstone Capital, RBC Capital Markets, National Equity Fund, Aegon, Enterprise, R4 Capital, Raymond James and other financial and investment groups. We have also assisted in securing and closing soft, subordinate financing from local jurisdictions at the city and county level throughout California.

The firm has also worked as both consultant and borrower counsel with a variety of Federal and California State financing programs including the HOME Investments Partnerships Program, the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Homekey Program, the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program, the Transit Oriented Development Program, the Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, the Multifamily Housing Program, the National Housing Trust Fund Program, the Mental Health Services Act Program, the No Place Like Home Program and the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program among others.

Our Late Founder, Patrick Sabelhaus

Patrick R. Sabelhaus practiced law in the Sacramento area and specializes in state and federal low-income housing tax credit law, tax-exempt bond financing, real property law and syndication. His clients included both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Mr. Sabelhaus secured one of the first low-income housing tax credit allocation in California in 1987 and served as the attorney of record to some 375 entities involved in the development of 18,000 low-income housing tax credit units in California, Nevada and New Mexico. He passed in August of 2023.

Prior to entering private law practice, he served as Chief, Community Affairs Division, California Department of Housing and Community Development and prior to that as a senior consultant to the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Regulatory Functions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs in Washington, D.C. From 1967 – 76 Mr. Sabelhaus was with the Office of Economic Opportunity and director of field operations for the Rural Housing Alliance and from 1964 – 67 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Venezuela, South America. Mr. Sabelhaus is the Secretary/Legislative Liaison of the California Council for Affordable Housing and a member of the State Bar of California. Mr. Sabelhaus received his J.D. from Golden Gate University Law School and has a B.A. in Business Administration from Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana.