|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Low-income renters in Redwood City will start the new year with stronger eviction and relocation protections under a long-awaited Tenant Protection Ordinance officially taking effect in January.
Designed to curb displacement, the ordinance expands tenant protections citywide, requiring one-year lease offers, limiting when landlords can evict tenants and increasing relocation assistance for low-income households forced to move. The rules apply to most rental properties in incorporated Redwood City and build on state law.
“This ordinance is about protecting stability for residents while ensuring fairness for property owners,” said Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos in a city press release Nov.10.
Minimum lease terms
While California does not require minimum lease terms, the city has expanded its term requirements so that landlords offer a one-year lease at the initial lease-up. Should a tenant decline, the parties may agree to a shorter lease term.
Limits on evictions
Once a tenant has lived in a unit for at least 12 months — or one tenant has occupied it for 24 months — landlords may only evict for specific “just causes.”
These include nonpayment of rent, lease violations, nuisance behavior, criminal activity, denial of a landlord’s access to the unit, and failure to vacate after the lease ends. The end of certain employment or licenses also count.
Landlords may also evict them for ”no-fault” just reasons, including removing the unit from the rental market, complying with a government order, demolishing a unit, performing a substantial remodel or moving the owner or a close relative into the unit.
A “substantial remodel” means work that requires permits and makes a unit unlivable during construction, such as major structural, electrical or plumbing upgrades. Cosmetic improvements do not qualify.
Relocation assistance
Low-income households earning below 80% of the Area Median Income who are forced to move for no-fault reasons will receive relocation assistance equal to three months of Fair Market Rent.
Households that include seniors, people with disabilities, families with children or tenants who lived in a unit for at least five years qualify for four months of Fair Market Rent.
For example, a one-bedroom costs $2,977, and a four-bedroom costs $4,772, according to federal housing data.
Resources
To learn more about the details of the Tenant Protection Ordinance, visit www.RedwoodCity.org/TPO or contact the Redwood City Housing Staff at 650-780-7303.
Project Sentinel, a housing assistance partner for the city, provides free tenant and landlord counseling, mediation and dispute resolution. Contact the organization at 650-399-2149 or visit its physical office at 1615 Hudson St., Suite A for no-charge support.
