Guide to
Bay Area Rent & Eviction Controls

Take a trip with us around the Bay Area to get an overview of the regulatory regimes rental housing providers face.

 

As policymakers throughout the Bay Area grapple with the dearth of affordable housing, many communities have implemented tenant protections to stabilize renter households and prevent landlords from evicting tenants arbitrarily and bringing in new tenants.

When we began our legal careers over 26 years ago, our attorneys only had to be acquainted with the rent and eviction controls of San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. Since then, there has been a wave of jurisdictions that have passed or are debating rent stabilization laws and related tenant protection measures to limit rent increases, spell out “just cause” reasons to evict, and govern other aspects of the rental relationship.

We have seen so-called "anti-harassment" laws sprout up at an alarming rate. These provisions prohibit a landlord from evicting a tenant in retaliation for exercising their rights, or the landlord from resorting to "self-help" eviction measures through heavy-handed tactics to recover possession of the rental unit in circumvention of the rules.

This harassing conduct is already illegal under existing laws and so these new layers of protections only stand to set the landlord up for a lawsuit for even the most innocent of missteps.

Here, we survey local tenant protections but caution you that the law is in a constant state of flux. Please consult our office before acting upon any information.

 

Is your property situated in a locale that is not subject to more restrictive rent and eviction controls? You may still be subject to statewide law (AB 1482).

Get familiarized with the state law →

 

 

 

When we hear about rent control or gun control, we may think about rent or guns but the word that really matters is 'control.'

~ American Economist, Thomas Sowell

Bornstein Law can help you regain control of your rental unit.

There is no doubt that landlords are swimming upstream in a complicated regulatory regime, but our firm can help you power through your real estate challenges in the fastest, most cost-efficient manner possible, taking into account time, risk, and legal fees.

 

Get in touch