Tenant Protections
current information
Attention: COVID-19 Resources for Homeowners/renters - Click Here
CITY OF EL CERRITO RENT REGISTRY ORDINANCE EFFECTIVE JUNE 20, 2019 - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
RESOURCES
The Contra Costa Housing Services Collaborative offers comprehensive housing services, including tenant/landlord counseling as well as fair housing to County residents at no cost. For legal consultation or representation, please contact Centro Legal at CCTR@centrolegal.org or 510-437-1554.
California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords" Rights and Responsibilities
California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords" Rights and Responsibilities
other HOUSING LEGISLATION
Assembly Bill 1482: Tenant Protection Act of 2019 – Rent Caps - Effective January 1, 2020
In accordance with AB 1482, the current rent cap is 8.8% (5% + 3.8% of the CPI) as of April 2021.
The April 2022 CPI will be available on May 11, 2022 here.
Please visit the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) website here for additional information.
On October 8, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1482: Tenant Protection Act of 2019 – Rent Caps. The bill will take effect January 1, 2020 and sunsets on January 1, 2030. AB 1482 includes annual rent increase caps of 5% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower; protections for ‘just cause’ and ‘no-fault’ evictions; relocation assistance; and revised tenant noticing requirements. Most multifamily rental properties that are at least 15 years old are subject to this law, with some exceptions. To access AB 1482 and its full text, please visit the California Legislative Information website by clicking here.
The City has prepared a summary of AB 1482 that tenants, property owners/managers and others can access here.
Assembly Bill 1110: Rent Increases: Noticing. Effective January 1, 2020
For a summary of other rental housing requirements in El Cerrito, please visit: www.el-cerrito.org/rentalhousing
Assembly Bill 1110: Rent Increases: Noticing. Effective January 1, 2020
This law amends Civil Code § 827(b), requiring a 90-day notice, rather than a 60-day notice, if the landlord serves a residential tenant with a notice of rent increase of more than 10 percent. Please visit the California Legislative Information website here for details and legal requirements.
Senate Bill 329: Discrimination: housing: source of income. Effective January 1, 2020Discrimination: housing: source of income. This bill adds federal, state or local public assistance or federal, state or local housing subsidies (such as Section 8) to the definition of source of income. The bill makes it illegal to reject a prospective tenant solely based on the applicant’s use of a Section 8 federal housing choice voucher or any other federal, state or local public assistance or housing subsidies. It will require landlords to treat voucher holders like any other applicant, except that when qualifying the applicant for income you can only use the applicant’s portion of the rent to determine whether the applicant meets the rent-to-income ratio. The law also prohibits “No Section 8” and similar advertisements. Please visit the California Legislative Information website here for details and legal requirement.
CITY OF EL CERRITO RENTAL Housing REQUIREMENTS
For a summary of other rental housing requirements in El Cerrito, please visit: www.el-cerrito.org/rentalhousing
BACKGROUND
August 15, 2017: The El Cerrito Affordable Housing Strategy (Strategy) was adopted by City Council (Resolution 2017-61). The Strategy was developed based upon an evaluation of the City’s existing affordable housing programs and resources and it aimed to proactively identify programs and policies that could be advanced in the near- and medium-term to meet the City’s housing goals, as articulated in the City’s 2015-2023 Housing Element and San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan. The goals of the Strategy set the framework over the next five years to ensure that the City advances policies and programs to produce, protect and preserve housing at all income levels.
The Strategy identified the following four policy pillars to guide the City’s affordable housing efforts:
- Leverage Private Development to Address Affordable Housing Needs
- Reduce the Risk of Displacement and Help Stabilize At-Risk Populations
- Encourage Development of Missing Middle Housing Types
- Increase Local Funding to Continue Support of Low Income and Special Needs Housing Development
TENANT PROTECTIONS TASK FORCE
On May 21, 2019 the City Council (Resolution 2019-33) directed staff to form a Tenant Protections Task Force comprised of eight members made up equally of landlords and tenants. The purpose of the Task Force was to bring together landlords and tenants to find common ground in order to make policy recommendations to the City Council for their consideration based on Policy Pillar B: Reduce the Risk of Displacement and Help Stabilize At-Risk Populations of the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy. On July 31, 2019 the City Council modified the duties, responsibilities and duration (Resolution 2019-51) for the Task Force to include Just Cause for Eviction with a limited duration of twelve months from appointment. The City Council appointed eight residents to serve on the Task Form on August 20, 2019. Between Fall 2019 - Fall 2020 they convened five times, led by a professional facilitator/mediator and staffed by the City’s Housing Analyst as the liaison. Due to COVID-19, the City Council took action to extend the duration of the Task Force on September 1, 2020 (Resolution 2020-46). The Task Force dissolved on December 20, 2020 and a final report to the City Council was made at the March 2, 2021 meeting here.
For more information, please contact Aissia Ashoori, Affordable Housing Analyst at aashoori@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510.215.4361.