Residential Rent and Eviction Control Resources
Curbed SF reports on the latest rental rates in San Francisco with a color-coded chart showing rental rate “hot zones” (although, even the green areas are… impressive). The article notes that median rental prices are now $3,600, up from $3,023 last year. For convenience, the most recent “Curbed Comparisons” is roughly in that price range.
SocketSite reports on new legislation to close an eviction “loophole”.
In an apparent response to stories like the “rent increase heard ’round the internet” from last March, the City has drafted legislation to require conditional use authorization before landlords can “remove” in-law units by merging them into the adjacent single family home (which has the effect of rendering the entire property “alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit” and exempt from local rent increase limitations under Costa-Hawkins).
The San Francisco Business Times proposes five strategies for San Francisco to increase the amount of affordable housing in the Mission – once Supervisor Campos’ “Mission Moratorium” (presumably) fails to pass.
San Francisco Business Times digests the latest report from Zillow.com, which put data to the common refrain that the Bay Area is in the midst of a “rental crisis”. The report notes that rents have “galloped past” home values this April. In particular, while homebuyers spend about 15 percent of their income on house payments versus 30 percent on rent, nationally, San Francisco homebuyers spend about 39 percent to renters 45.6 percent of income on housing.
Curbed SF digests Zillow and Zumper reports to confirm that San Francisco rents are still increasing, but comforts us with the knowledge that rents are increasing faster in surrounding cities.
Last week, San Francisco approved enhanced relocation payments for tenants displaced by Ellis Act evictions. The ordinance resembles last year’s “Campos Amendment”, which sought to align relocation payments with rental rate differentials (i.e., the difference between what displaced tenants had been paying and what they would be paying on the open market).
In an effort to address the constitutional problems that led to the law being overturned last year, the latest modification to the Rent Ordinance caps the enhanced payment at $50,000 per unit, and only requires it where tenants to be displaced confirm that they will use the enhanced relocation payment for housing related expenses.
Curbed SF reports on the impact of Airbnb-dedicated rental units in San Francisco, based on a report prepared by the San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office. While only (roughly) 925 to 1,960 units are being kept off San Francisco’s rental housing market, the fact that only 8,438 units were vacant (in 2013) suggests that this actually imposes a significant impact on available housing supply (and prices).
San Jose Councilman Raul Peralez has proposed strengthening San Jose’s existing rent control ordinance.
State Senators McGuire and Leno have proposed the Thriving Communities and Sharing Economy Act (SB 593), which would empower cities like San Francisco to assert even greater control over their residential rental housing inventory. The proposed bill would “prohibit an operator of a hosting platform from facilitating the rental of a residential unit offered for occupancy for tourist or transient use, if such a use of that residential unit, or the offering of that residential unit for such a use, is prohibited by an ordinance of the city, county, or city and county in which that residential unit is located”.
ABC-7 News’ I-TEAM explores the San Francisco Housing Crisis from the rarely-told perspective of a local landlord. Attorney Andrew Zacks explains how the pendulum has swung too far against landlords in San Francisco. Mayor Ed Lee responds that the City emphasizes fairness, and the solution is more affordable housing. Lee recently stood behind this position, encouraging an unprecedented housing bond to subsidize affordable housing for San Francisco’s middle class.
