We Need Your Voice! Overreaching Tenant Protection Law Vote Coming this Evening
The Chula Vista City Council will be voting on the "Landlord and Tenant Ordinance" this evening at 5:00 p.m. The ordinance proposes to make no-fault termination of tenancy more complicated and costly for housing providers. It will also add to the list of items considered tenant harassment and add potential criminal penalties for violations of the ordinance. Even single-family home rental providers will have to take proactive notification steps or find themselves subject to the entire ordinance.
SCRHA and partner housing groups are opposed to the proposal. Tenant advocates don't think the ordinance goes far enough. Despite the Mayor and another councilmember owning rental property as well, only Councilmember McCann (who opposes the ordinance) has to recuse himself from the discussion and vote. We need housing providers to attend the hearing to make their voice heard and balance out the claims from tenants. Read on for more information.
REGISTER YOUR OPPOSITION
In-Person: Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue. Your presence and comments are important. SCRHA staff will be there to assist with speaker slips. Click here to see the agenda and learn more about speaking at the meeting.
Submit an eComment: Click here, scroll to Item 7.2 and click on "Leave Comment."
Email comments: Click on "Take Action" below to send an email to the Mayor and Councilmembers. The pre-drafted letter can be customized. We encourage you to share how this will impact your livelihood and ability to continue to provide rental housing in Chula Vista.
Summary of Ordinance:
No-Fault Just Cause Termination of Tenancy (Substantial Remodel/Withdrawal from Market/Total Demolition)
- Increased relocation assistance equivalent to 2 months of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Small Area Fair Market Rent for the zip code of the unit.
- Expanded definition of Substantial Remodel, including the requirement that improvements total at least $40 per square foot and the unit needs to be vacant for 60 days.
- First right of refusal for previous tenant once rehab is done or unit returns to market.
- Additional disclosures and noticing requirements.
Anti-Harassment/Retaliation
- Refines harassment and retaliation behaviors and the term “quiet use and enjoyment”
Remedies and City Enforcement
- Provides that the City may take enforcement action, including pursuing administrative action, civil action, and criminal prosecution.
These are just the highlights. Click here to read the entire 21 page ordinance!
Suggest talking points:
- This ordinance is a solution in search of a problem. No study has been done to assess if there are problems that warrant such a restrictive ordinance or how the law might impact housing availability.
- Rental housing providers are being blamed for the lack of available housing supply, low vacancy rate, and rising housing costs and will be required to pay relocation to offset factors outside of their control.
- The limitations on substantial remodel ignore the needs of aging housing stock in the city.
- The ordinance is complicated and cumbersome, and requires copies of all notices be sent to the city.
- Laws and remedies already exist that protect against bad actors; this ordinance is a broad-brush approach that will impact all rental providers.
- The harassment section is one-sided and does nothing to protect housing providers from the same treatment.