Title
FY 2025-2026 Annual Review of the Rent Review Program
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Housing and Homelessness
SUMMARY
The City of San Leandro's (City) Rent Review Ordinance (RRO) requires the preparation and submittal of an Annual Review to the Rent Review Board (RRB) and City Council. The FY 2025-2026 Annual Review reports a continued decline in the number of rent review hearings.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommend that the RRB approve the FY 2025-2026 Annual Review of the RRO and recommend acceptance by the City Council.
BACKGROUND
In April 2001, the City adopted the RRO (San Leandro Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4-32) to provide a public forum for property owners and renters to mutually resolve proposed rent increases. The RRO has been amended multiple times since its adoption, most recently in 2016.
The RRB provides mediation and non-binding arbitration of eligible rent disputes. Eligible rental units are located on parcels containing at least two tenant-occupied housing units and receive either a rent increase greater than 7% or more than one rent increase within a 12-month period.
Analysis
At its meeting on October 28, 2025, RRB members requested additional information in future reports. The FY 2025-2026 Annual Review includes:
• Discussion of RRO inquiry process
• Anonymous RRO inquiry vignette
• Analysis of program data over time
• Background on Alameda County’s Rental Dispute Resolution Program
The Annual Review shows that rent review hearings in the City have continued to decline since Assembly Bill 1482 was adopted in 2019. AB 1482 restricts annual rent increases for covered housing units to 5% plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI), up to a maximum of 10%.
This trend is expected to continue in FY 2026-2027 due to the RRO eligibility threshold exceeding the maximum annual rent increase established by the Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance (San Leandro Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4-46), which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
ATTACHMENT
A: FY 2025-2026 Annual Review of the Rent Review Program
PREPARED BY: Grace Streltzov, Senior Housing Specialist, Community Development Department