2 22-0377 Subject: Ordinance To Modify The CPI Rent Adjustment
From: Councilmember Fife
Recommendation: Adopt An Ordinance Amending Chapter 8.22 Of The Oakland Municipal Code (Residential Rent Adjustments And Evictions) To (1) Make The Annual Permissible Rent Increase For Covered Units 60% Of The Percentage Increase In The Consumer Price Index Or 3%, Whichever Is Lower And (2) Align Annual Adjustment Period With State Law
I am a local housing provider in your city, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
Enough is enough.
Your policies have consistently attacked our livelihood for years.
It is offensive that the city would consider further limiting our ability to recoup expenses for our housing services after two years of forcing us to provide housing for little-to-no compensation under the draconian eviction moratorium.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.
We strongly oppose Councilmember, Carroll Fife's proposed ordinance to cap rent increases to 3%.
The impact of COVID19 IS NOT the fault of Housing Providers and we should NOT be responsible for shouldering the burden of this virus' affect on our community. Many of us have not received rental payments in months and some Housing Providers are losing their propertys that they have worked hard to acquire.
Inflation has impacted everyone!! While we wait for relief funds that are extremely difficult to obtain; we are still required to pay higher property taxes, insurance and maintenance fees and gas prices, while NOT receiving rent payments from many tenants that are able to pay, but are taking advantage of the moratorium.
No other segment of the population is being required to give away their business goods and services for free. Why are hard-working, small mom & pop rental owners being required to do so? This is unfair and not a viable solution for the homeless epidemic that has gripped our city and state...Housing Providers are suffering too!
Also, last month, without wide voter support, Oakland City Council`s pay was increased by 6.3%, based on a CPI formula. This increase was unanimously passed. How can you as city leaders take a pay increase using a CPI formula that is clearly taking inflation into consideration, but attempting to denying housing providers the same considerations? Will your pay increase be reevaluated and reduced to a 3% increase regardless to inflation?
Hello Oakland Council members,
CpI- I am appalled that you would consider changing this.
This is the most radical and hostile proposal coming from CM Fife.
We are working on a team effort to assist you in fighting crime. Having less money would only add to crime as housing providers won't have enough money to do repairs, pay bills and etc.
CM Fife 's ideas do not work in the real world.
Please reject her proposal and vote NO.
Thank you!
I strongly oppose changing the “CPI” rent increases that was created in 2002 because it is not fair nor right. The Oakland City Council voted for an increase in wage for themselves, landlords are entitled to receive rent increases based on the “CPI” to maintain their properties. The pandemic has caused a devastating loss to many people, businesses and the economy. We can never catch up but we can move forward, landlords have had to freeze rent increases and evictions. Many people will have to rethink where they can live and how they can better support themselves. If the landlords properties fall apart because they can’t maintain it then their livelihoods is in jeopardy. Please be fair to the landlords, it very disheartening to see that the city council members want their wage increases but they can’t protect the rights of landlords.
I am a homeowner in Fruitvale, and I wholeheartedly support Councilmember Fife's proposed ordinance. Incomes are not rising as quickly as inflation. This is a commonsense proposal that would bring Oakland in alignment with other area cities. Please vote yes to protect Oakland renters.
Are Oakland Ciry Council Members who side for this lopsided proposal insane? There has been an agreement and metric already setup for the past 20+ years for rent increases. To cap it permanently is irresponsible, setting up a Win-LOSE situation where housing could be held profitably by CORPORATE
I own a large 4plex near one of Oaklands best elementary schools. This ordinance will force me to decide whether to continue to rent to families, or not. My property is unusually large w/3bd/2ba units, perfect for families. This ordinance will prevent necessary property maintenance, especially if permitted/to code.
Protecting Oakland's historic homes, making them safe, isn't cheap!
Converting the units to condos, removing them from the rental market, would be the smart financial decision, especially with this ordinance.
But, in my 15 years of "landlording" I've recognized there is more to being a landlord than cashing checks. My units provide the local elementary school with needed diversity. (We so often ignore social & economic diversity!) They also provide my young tenants w/the opportunity to attend a great school, likely improving their economic status decades from now.
How do you factor societal benefits into your legal equation? City Gov historically has focused on giving large scale developers tax breaks & incentives to build LUX units, out of reach for the majority of Oakland residents. It is more beneficial to incentivize home owners to convert garages to ADUs, or lift their homes, providing new units in low density 'hoods, than to cap rent increases, decreasing tax income.
IMHO being a good landlord is never rewarded, esp. for middle class small biz investor types who love Oakland and do more for Oakland's people (and history) than big developers ever will.
I'm a homeowner in West Oakland and I support Councilmember Fife's ordinance. Please stop this 6.7% increase now and allow our communities of renters to be able to remain housed.
I support Fife's ordinance. 6.9% is too much of a drastic jump at once. It will contribute to our homeless problem that is already bad enough. Thank you.
I am a small housing provider in east Oakland, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
This proposal is further limiting our ability to make the ends meet for our housing services. The rising maintenance cost has been out run the CPI. Further capping the rent increase is not mathematically sound and frustrating small rental owners.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.
Dear Oakland City Council member,
I am a local housing provider in your city. I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
I own one home. I am not a big box rental company. I rely on the income from this one rental to pay my mortgage.
I have already suffered from your egregious laws that allowed my non-paying tenants to live in my rental unite for NINE months rent free, trash my apartment unit, then I had to pay THEM $2000 to move out. This greatly affected my ability to pay my mortgage!
I am required to pay the annual increase in taxes to the city. Why would I not be able to collect the same from my tenants? Why would you force some constituents to pay the increase in CPI, but not others? This is not a fair, nor equitable proposal.
This is yet another proposal that would penalize homeowners like me, just trying to make ends meet, and make my mortgage payment.
Please vote no on this egregious, overreaching, unfair, and inequitable proposal.
Elizabeth Sommers
Please adopt the 3% increase. 45% of Oakland is renters, who are heavily affected by lay-offs, higher gas and food prices, medical bills from the Pandemic, etc.
I've been an Oakland resident for 32 years and very upset about the planned rent increase of 6.7%. I am also a senior citizen on a fixed income with medical issues, and this rent hike would make life very difficult.
It is agreed by everyone in the City that the homeless problem is a major concern, yet the City Council's solution to fixing it is raising rents from 1.9% to 6.7%. Perhaps the City Council thinks there's not enough homeless people in Oakland. I wish there were more Council members who could connect the dots and come up with a more sensible solution for the citizens of Oakland.
I live in district 2, and I’m a BIPOC college student living in Oakland. Significant rent increases will cause more struggle and tension in this city. Inflation is rampant and there has been no relief to address that, nor are wages being met to supplement inflation. Lower income people will be disportionately affected by this legislation. In a city where so many are already struggling, why pursue legislation that will cause more harm to the public. Keeping rent increases at 3% is best.
It would certainly be great if inflation could be controlled by voting to keep it at 3% or less. But the real world doesn't work like that. We are all in a position of dealing with rising costs. My husband and I provide the services we can but as we are now in our 70's there are times when we do use outside services, and they are charging inflation plus. Business have faced a 25% increase in minimum wages, and they pass those costs on to their customers. Drought is a factor, just look at EBMUD bills now. Small housing providers have had lost rents where tenants pay nothing because of COVID-19, and in some cases because they just take advantage of the situation. Sometimes we have reduced rents to keep our tenants in place, which was our situation. Like Alice in Wonderland, we are running to stay in the same place. Please respect the agreement the city council made.
I am an Oakland Nurse who rents out 2 units in my triplex. I am urging you to vote no on council member Fife's amendment to cap rent increases at 3%. It is getting more and more difficult to be a small landlord in Oakland. All my expenses have gone up exponentially in the past year. My property insurance alone jumped almost 50% after the fires. Garbage, water and property taxes have all gone up well over 3%. Property maintenance, labor and supplies have all increased in price dramatically over the past year. There are already limits to rent increases and any more would be unfair and suffocating to small landlords like myself.
I am a local small time resident property provider, and I urge you to vote NO on changing at the last minute, the already established and collaborated formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
The council ignores the higher operating expenses housing providers incurred (utilities, maintenance, remortgage, and insurance cost all increased more than 20% over last two years), while at same time, reduce our monthly income and ability to break even. Inflation is a huge burden for landlord's operating cost. In fact, Oakland landlords have been subsidizing tenants over last two years with very low rent increase (1.9% and 2.7%) while inflation is running at 8-10% a year. This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value and squeezing its original housing providers that are actually providing affordable housing. Interesting that the Oakland City Council will be getting over a 6% increase this year. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s reckless and unethical legislation (and a violation of the State’s sunshine / Brown act).
This last-minute non-transparent proposal (and a violation of the Brown act) to severely reduce the already agreed to CPI rent increase is just another slap in the face to the small property owners like me. It will force us to sell to large non-competitive deep pocket Corp REITS, leading to gentrification and ultimately less affordable housing. This is opposite of what the Council wants to achieve. The Council continuing eviction moratorium for non-paying tenants and the City & State's failure to distribute funds to property owners has left me struggling to meet my overhead: Large Mortgage coupled with 8% insurance, 10% property tax,%10 utilities for this year alone! Not to mention the $15,500 sewer lateral, $12,500 furnace repair, $4500 worth of appliances this year!! The proposal before the Council further exacerbates this trend. We are also your constituents. We urge you to reconsider the radical and short sided proposal. Think about what is fair and can meet the needs for everyone. I have not increased rents in over 3 years and my operating costs have increased over 26%. City Council gets a guaranteed of an annual average 5% CPI. Back in 2004 when owners got 0.7% CPI, the Council got a 5% increase, and the increase in Council salary has been higher than the CPI increase allowed for owners ever since! This year the Council is given a 6.3% increase. Let us get back to the council we knew, great leaders providing equitable and transparent long-term strategic legislation.
Dear Oakland City Council Members, please vote No on changing the formula for the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustment. My costs as a landlord go up and I need to insure that I can continue to maintain the home.
I am a local housing provider in your city, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
Enough is enough.
Your policies have consistently attacked our livelihood for years.
It is offensive that the city would consider further limiting our ability to recoup expenses for our housing services after two years of forcing us to provide housing for little-to-no compensation under the draconian eviction moratorium.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.
Dear Oakland City Councilmember,
I am a local housing provider in your city, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
Enough is enough.
Your policies have consistently attacked our livelihood for years.
It is offensive that the city would consider further limiting our ability to recoup expenses for our housing services after two years of forcing us to provide housing for little-to-no compensation under the draconian eviction moratorium.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.
We strongly oppose Councilmember, Carroll Fife's proposed ordinance to cap rent increases to 3%.
The impact of COVID19 IS NOT the fault of Housing Providers and we should NOT be responsible for shouldering the burden of this virus' affect on our community. Many of us have not received rental payments in months and some Housing Providers are losing their propertys that they have worked hard to acquire.
Inflation has impacted everyone!! While we wait for relief funds that are extremely difficult to obtain; we are still required to pay higher property taxes, insurance and maintenance fees and gas prices, while NOT receiving rent payments from many tenants that are able to pay, but are taking advantage of the moratorium.
No other segment of the population is being required to give away their business goods and services for free. Why are hard-working, small mom & pop rental owners being required to do so? This is unfair and not a viable solution for the homeless epidemic that has gripped our city and state...Housing Providers are suffering too!
Also, last month, without wide voter support, Oakland City Council`s pay was increased by 6.3%, based on a CPI formula. This increase was unanimously passed. How can you as city leaders take a pay increase using a CPI formula that is clearly taking inflation into consideration, but attempting to denying housing providers the same considerations? Will your pay increase be reevaluated and reduced to a 3% increase regardless to inflation?
Hello Oakland Council members,
CpI- I am appalled that you would consider changing this.
This is the most radical and hostile proposal coming from CM Fife.
We are working on a team effort to assist you in fighting crime. Having less money would only add to crime as housing providers won't have enough money to do repairs, pay bills and etc.
CM Fife 's ideas do not work in the real world.
Please reject her proposal and vote NO.
Thank you!
I strongly oppose changing the “CPI” rent increases that was created in 2002 because it is not fair nor right. The Oakland City Council voted for an increase in wage for themselves, landlords are entitled to receive rent increases based on the “CPI” to maintain their properties. The pandemic has caused a devastating loss to many people, businesses and the economy. We can never catch up but we can move forward, landlords have had to freeze rent increases and evictions. Many people will have to rethink where they can live and how they can better support themselves. If the landlords properties fall apart because they can’t maintain it then their livelihoods is in jeopardy. Please be fair to the landlords, it very disheartening to see that the city council members want their wage increases but they can’t protect the rights of landlords.
I am a homeowner in Fruitvale, and I wholeheartedly support Councilmember Fife's proposed ordinance. Incomes are not rising as quickly as inflation. This is a commonsense proposal that would bring Oakland in alignment with other area cities. Please vote yes to protect Oakland renters.
Are Oakland Ciry Council Members who side for this lopsided proposal insane? There has been an agreement and metric already setup for the past 20+ years for rent increases. To cap it permanently is irresponsible, setting up a Win-LOSE situation where housing could be held profitably by CORPORATE
I own a large 4plex near one of Oaklands best elementary schools. This ordinance will force me to decide whether to continue to rent to families, or not. My property is unusually large w/3bd/2ba units, perfect for families. This ordinance will prevent necessary property maintenance, especially if permitted/to code.
Protecting Oakland's historic homes, making them safe, isn't cheap!
Converting the units to condos, removing them from the rental market, would be the smart financial decision, especially with this ordinance.
But, in my 15 years of "landlording" I've recognized there is more to being a landlord than cashing checks. My units provide the local elementary school with needed diversity. (We so often ignore social & economic diversity!) They also provide my young tenants w/the opportunity to attend a great school, likely improving their economic status decades from now.
How do you factor societal benefits into your legal equation? City Gov historically has focused on giving large scale developers tax breaks & incentives to build LUX units, out of reach for the majority of Oakland residents. It is more beneficial to incentivize home owners to convert garages to ADUs, or lift their homes, providing new units in low density 'hoods, than to cap rent increases, decreasing tax income.
IMHO being a good landlord is never rewarded, esp. for middle class small biz investor types who love Oakland and do more for Oakland's people (and history) than big developers ever will.
I'm a homeowner in West Oakland and I support Councilmember Fife's ordinance. Please stop this 6.7% increase now and allow our communities of renters to be able to remain housed.
I support Fife's ordinance. 6.9% is too much of a drastic jump at once. It will contribute to our homeless problem that is already bad enough. Thank you.
Dear Oakland City Councilmember,
I am a small housing provider in east Oakland, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
This proposal is further limiting our ability to make the ends meet for our housing services. The rising maintenance cost has been out run the CPI. Further capping the rent increase is not mathematically sound and frustrating small rental owners.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.
Dear Oakland City Council member,
I am a local housing provider in your city. I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
I own one home. I am not a big box rental company. I rely on the income from this one rental to pay my mortgage.
I have already suffered from your egregious laws that allowed my non-paying tenants to live in my rental unite for NINE months rent free, trash my apartment unit, then I had to pay THEM $2000 to move out. This greatly affected my ability to pay my mortgage!
I am required to pay the annual increase in taxes to the city. Why would I not be able to collect the same from my tenants? Why would you force some constituents to pay the increase in CPI, but not others? This is not a fair, nor equitable proposal.
This is yet another proposal that would penalize homeowners like me, just trying to make ends meet, and make my mortgage payment.
Please vote no on this egregious, overreaching, unfair, and inequitable proposal.
Elizabeth Sommers
Please adopt the 3% increase. 45% of Oakland is renters, who are heavily affected by lay-offs, higher gas and food prices, medical bills from the Pandemic, etc.
I've been an Oakland resident for 32 years and very upset about the planned rent increase of 6.7%. I am also a senior citizen on a fixed income with medical issues, and this rent hike would make life very difficult.
It is agreed by everyone in the City that the homeless problem is a major concern, yet the City Council's solution to fixing it is raising rents from 1.9% to 6.7%. Perhaps the City Council thinks there's not enough homeless people in Oakland. I wish there were more Council members who could connect the dots and come up with a more sensible solution for the citizens of Oakland.
I live in district 2, and I’m a BIPOC college student living in Oakland. Significant rent increases will cause more struggle and tension in this city. Inflation is rampant and there has been no relief to address that, nor are wages being met to supplement inflation. Lower income people will be disportionately affected by this legislation. In a city where so many are already struggling, why pursue legislation that will cause more harm to the public. Keeping rent increases at 3% is best.
It would certainly be great if inflation could be controlled by voting to keep it at 3% or less. But the real world doesn't work like that. We are all in a position of dealing with rising costs. My husband and I provide the services we can but as we are now in our 70's there are times when we do use outside services, and they are charging inflation plus. Business have faced a 25% increase in minimum wages, and they pass those costs on to their customers. Drought is a factor, just look at EBMUD bills now. Small housing providers have had lost rents where tenants pay nothing because of COVID-19, and in some cases because they just take advantage of the situation. Sometimes we have reduced rents to keep our tenants in place, which was our situation. Like Alice in Wonderland, we are running to stay in the same place. Please respect the agreement the city council made.
I am an Oakland Nurse who rents out 2 units in my triplex. I am urging you to vote no on council member Fife's amendment to cap rent increases at 3%. It is getting more and more difficult to be a small landlord in Oakland. All my expenses have gone up exponentially in the past year. My property insurance alone jumped almost 50% after the fires. Garbage, water and property taxes have all gone up well over 3%. Property maintenance, labor and supplies have all increased in price dramatically over the past year. There are already limits to rent increases and any more would be unfair and suffocating to small landlords like myself.
I am a local small time resident property provider, and I urge you to vote NO on changing at the last minute, the already established and collaborated formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
The council ignores the higher operating expenses housing providers incurred (utilities, maintenance, remortgage, and insurance cost all increased more than 20% over last two years), while at same time, reduce our monthly income and ability to break even. Inflation is a huge burden for landlord's operating cost. In fact, Oakland landlords have been subsidizing tenants over last two years with very low rent increase (1.9% and 2.7%) while inflation is running at 8-10% a year. This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value and squeezing its original housing providers that are actually providing affordable housing. Interesting that the Oakland City Council will be getting over a 6% increase this year. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s reckless and unethical legislation (and a violation of the State’s sunshine / Brown act).
This last-minute non-transparent proposal (and a violation of the Brown act) to severely reduce the already agreed to CPI rent increase is just another slap in the face to the small property owners like me. It will force us to sell to large non-competitive deep pocket Corp REITS, leading to gentrification and ultimately less affordable housing. This is opposite of what the Council wants to achieve. The Council continuing eviction moratorium for non-paying tenants and the City & State's failure to distribute funds to property owners has left me struggling to meet my overhead: Large Mortgage coupled with 8% insurance, 10% property tax,%10 utilities for this year alone! Not to mention the $15,500 sewer lateral, $12,500 furnace repair, $4500 worth of appliances this year!! The proposal before the Council further exacerbates this trend. We are also your constituents. We urge you to reconsider the radical and short sided proposal. Think about what is fair and can meet the needs for everyone. I have not increased rents in over 3 years and my operating costs have increased over 26%. City Council gets a guaranteed of an annual average 5% CPI. Back in 2004 when owners got 0.7% CPI, the Council got a 5% increase, and the increase in Council salary has been higher than the CPI increase allowed for owners ever since! This year the Council is given a 6.3% increase. Let us get back to the council we knew, great leaders providing equitable and transparent long-term strategic legislation.
Dear Oakland City Council Members, please vote No on changing the formula for the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustment. My costs as a landlord go up and I need to insure that I can continue to maintain the home.
Dear Oakland City Councilmember,
I am a local housing provider in your city, and I urge you to vote NO on changing the formula to the Oakland Residential Rent Adjustments.
Enough is enough.
Your policies have consistently attacked our livelihood for years.
It is offensive that the city would consider further limiting our ability to recoup expenses for our housing services after two years of forcing us to provide housing for little-to-no compensation under the draconian eviction moratorium.
This proposal is further evidence that this city does not value its housing providers. Please consider the barrage of regulations we have endured and reject Councilmember Fife’s proposal.