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Agenda Item
5 25-0185 Subject: Amendments To The Rent Adjustment And Just Cause For Eviction Ordinances
From: President Pro Tempore Kalb
Recommendation: Adopt An Ordinance (1) Amending The Rent Adjustment Ordinance To (A) Limit Banking Of CPI Rent Increases To Expire After Four Years And After Transfer Of Property; (B) Prohibit Rent Increases For Owners Delinquent On Business Taxes; (C) Extend Tenant Petition Deadlines From 90 Days To 180 Days And (2) Amending The Just Cause For Eviction Ordinance To Prohibit No Fault Evictions For Owners Delinquent On Business Taxes
As a resident of Oakland District 3 and Housing Advocate with the East Bay Community Law Center, I support these amendments because it is important that landlords uphold their obligations of paying their business taxes if they intend on raising rents on tenants to increase their rental income. They shouldn't be able to profit off tenants rents if they cannot uphold their obligations as profit earning business owners. Additionally, long term rent controlled tenants or low income tenants on a fixed income are highly vulnerable when faced with banked rent increases, this can be truly disastrous for older, lower income tenants who have lived in their units for decades. These high rent increases are going to be a burden for them forcing them to chose to pay their rent, basic needs, or their bills, because they cannot afford it all. New landlords issue these high rent increases and catch tenants by surprise because they suddenly cannot afford their rent. These amendments are the bare minimum we should be doing to avoid profit driven landlords from abusing the system and further displacing long term, low income, senior and vulnerable populations out of their homes and on to the streets of Oakland.
I support all of these amendments and think they should go further:
a) We should get rid of banking entirely
b & d) should be expanded to all Taxes and Fees, I understand the focus right now is on getting landlords to pay their business taxes, but the same should apply to RAP fees, etc
But even unnamed these changes are great and I support them.
I also support prohibiting rent increases and no-fault evictions when landlords are delinquent on their business taxes, and urge you to expand that to landlords who are delinquent on their Rent Adjustment Program Fee. Why should a landlord be able to stiff the city while still raising rent on their tenants?
Extending the amount of time that tenants can file a petition against an unlawful rent increase gives them more time to learn their rights and take action. Other cities with rent control largely do not have any limit at all. There is no reason why a tenant should lose the right to contest an unlawful rent increase just because time has passed.
These amendments to our rent laws make zero difference in the lives or finances of law-abiding landlords, while making a huge difference in the lives of the tenants. Please support them!
As a resident of Oakland District 3 and Housing Advocate with the East Bay Community Law Center, I support these amendments because it is important that landlords uphold their obligations of paying their business taxes if they intend on raising rents on tenants to increase their rental income. They shouldn't be able to profit off tenants rents if they cannot uphold their obligations as profit earning business owners. Additionally, long term rent controlled tenants or low income tenants on a fixed income are highly vulnerable when faced with banked rent increases, this can be truly disastrous for older, lower income tenants who have lived in their units for decades. These high rent increases are going to be a burden for them forcing them to chose to pay their rent, basic needs, or their bills, because they cannot afford it all. New landlords issue these high rent increases and catch tenants by surprise because they suddenly cannot afford their rent. These amendments are the bare minimum we should be doing to avoid profit driven landlords from abusing the system and further displacing long term, low income, senior and vulnerable populations out of their homes and on to the streets of Oakland.
I support all of these amendments and think they should go further:
a) We should get rid of banking entirely
b & d) should be expanded to all Taxes and Fees, I understand the focus right now is on getting landlords to pay their business taxes, but the same should apply to RAP fees, etc
But even unnamed these changes are great and I support them.
I also support prohibiting rent increases and no-fault evictions when landlords are delinquent on their business taxes, and urge you to expand that to landlords who are delinquent on their Rent Adjustment Program Fee. Why should a landlord be able to stiff the city while still raising rent on their tenants?
Extending the amount of time that tenants can file a petition against an unlawful rent increase gives them more time to learn their rights and take action. Other cities with rent control largely do not have any limit at all. There is no reason why a tenant should lose the right to contest an unlawful rent increase just because time has passed.
These amendments to our rent laws make zero difference in the lives or finances of law-abiding landlords, while making a huge difference in the lives of the tenants. Please support them!