The San Francisco Rent Ordinance provides for relocation payments in the event of an owner move-in or if the landlord wants to do capital improvements in your home. Unfortunately, the Rent Ordinance does not entitle tenants to relocation payments in … Read More »

Effective February 1, 2012, rules issued by the San Francisco Rent Board will change to better protect tenants against landlords unilaterally changing the terms of the lease. Currently, a landlord may change the terms of a tenant’s lease by merely … Read More »

The San Francisco Rent Ordinance governs rental housing.  While the Rent Ordinance affects mostly apartments buildings built before 1979, it also affects tenants in single family homes. The Rent Ordinance mandates that a tenant’s rent can only be increased under … Read More »

Under some circumstances, a California landlord can be held liable when a tenant’s dog bites someone. For example, if the landlord has received notice that a tenant had a vicious dog, or knows that a fence is not repaired which … Read More »

What happens when your building is sold and you are under the San Francisco Rent Ordinance? Nothing!  That’s right-nothing.  Legislation passed in 2008 now requires the seller and buyer of a multi-unit building to disclose to tenants (in writing) that … Read More »

You believe your home has serious violations of the housing code.  But you are not certain.  How can you tell?  “Substantial” compliance is the standard.  Landlords are not required to have their properties in a “perfect, aesthetically pleasing” condition.  In … Read More »

The burst of the housing bubble is hurting tenants as more people decide not to buy homes.  In 2004, before the Great Recession, the percentage of Americans who were homeowners was 69 percent.  Now according to the New York Times, … Read More »