Title
Motion to Accept the FY 2023-2024 Annual Review of the Rent Review Ordinance and Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Housing and Homelessness
SUMMARY
The City of San Leandro's (City) Rent Review Ordinance (RRO) and Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance (TRO) require the preparation and submittal of an Annual Review to City Council. The Rent Review Board (RRB) reviewed this item at its October 22, 2024 meeting where it voted to add the three RRB member comments listed in Attachment B.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Annual Review is a report that assesses the effectiveness of the RRO and TRO programs and recommends changes as appropriate. Staff recommends that the City Council review and accept the Annual Review for both programs.
BACKGROUND
In April 2001, the City adopted the RRO, San Leandro Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4-32, to provide a public forum for both property owners/managers and tenants to mutually resolve proposed rent increases. The RRO was amended in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2015, and 2016.
The program is utilized by the community as a rent dispute forum for tenants and property owners/managers and is applicable to rental housing units on parcels that contain at least two tenant-occupied housing units that receive a rent increase greater than 7% within a 12-month period.
In September 2017, the City adopted the TRO, San Leandro Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4-37, to mitigate the adverse health, safety, and economic impacts of displacement from a “landlord-caused termination” of tenancy or by a rent increase of greater than 12% within a 12-month period. Under such circumstances, the tenant is entitled to a relocation payment from the landlord of up to $7,000.
Analysis
The Annual Review finds that the City continues to experience a decrease in rent review cases since the adoption of Assembly Bill 1482 in 2019, which prohibits landlords from raising the rent for most rental units by more than 5% plus the Consumer Price Index, up to a maximum of 10%. In FY 2023-2024, the City contracted with ECHO Housing to assist with education and mediation on tenant/landlord issues. Most of the inquiries related to the RRO that qualified for an RRB hearing were settled with a mutual agreement between the landlord and the tenant after receiving housing counseling.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A: FY 2023-2024 RRO & TRO Annual Review
Attachment B: Rent Review Board Comments on the FY 2023-2024 Annual Review
PREPARED BY: Grace Streltzov, Senior Housing Specialist, Community Development Department
REVIEWED BY: Kerri Heusler, Housing Manager, Community Development Department