Protect Oakland Renters is a group of community organizations that advocated, organized, and lobbied for Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (510) 251-2846, Non-legal Tenant Support: Great value at $10k to $30k per unit. It includes the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Breach of lease (noncompliance with the terms of the lease), Refusing to sign a new lease with materially similar terms, Causing substantial damage to the premises, Denying the landlord access to the unit if required by law, If you are being evicted under the Ellis Act (removing the whole property from the rental market for 10 years) OR. (Keith Burbank/Bay City News). New Sunset of Eviction MoratoriumNow through July 14, 2023 current eviction moratorium remains in place, July 15, 2023: Eviction moratorium and late fee moratorium end, July 1, 2024: Rent increase moratorium ends. If I Live in a Single Family Home, Does the Moratorium Apply to Me? All rights reserved. The council also voted to end the citys moratorium on rent increases above the consumer price index on July 1, 2024. An earlier proposal by Bas and Councilmember Dan Kalb had sought to phase out the moratorium gradually beginning in September, and it would have forced landlords to prove that their lease-violating tenants caused substantial actual damage.. Beelers order is in response to a court hearing in late September, where lawyers for the landlord group sought summary judgment, asking the judge to declare the moratoriums unconstitutional without having to proceed to trial. I wont say Im thrilled with all the modifications, but part of the legislative process is the art of compromise in a fair fashion, as long as you still have a good end product and I think we still do, Kalb said at Tuesdays meeting, where public comment lasted several hours. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 629, Legal Assistance for Seniors - (510) 832-3040, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach - (510) 251-2846, Causa Justa Just Cause - Tenant Hotline: (510) TENANTS (836-2687) (general advice for tenants in, English & Spanish); (510) 763-5877 (main number, tenant organizing), Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment - (510) 269-4692 (tenant organizing), Oakland Tenants Union - (510) 704-5276 (tenant counseling). Los Angeles County's Thanks to Steph Currys 50-point day, Warriors beat the Kings in Game 7 to advance, Mortgage fees to rise for buyers with high credit scores, fall for those with lower scores, Concord: Man killed in 4:30 a.m. solo crash on I-680, Tucker Carlson: How early rejection by hippie San Francisco mom made him shameless, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. But tenants cannot lose their housing for nonpayment during the State of Emergency. Your landlord can sue for the rent in other forums-- for example, in small claims court. You should also collect and keep proof that you were financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis so that if your landlord ever tries to evict you later on, you can present that proof in court. If you are unable to pay rent out yet), that notice is also legally invalid. He is CEO of Madison Park, which owns numerous rental buildings in Oakland and elsewhere. Currently, that amount is 3.5%. Just Listed: Developement sites in Hayward that can be entitled for up to 66 Townhomes or 182 Apartments. Your landlord can sue for the rent in other forums for example, in small claims court. In Oakland, in order to access those protections, you are not legally required to notify your landlord that you are impacted by COVID-19 or provide them with proof right now. 2) Protection Against Future Evictions for Nonpayment of Rent Im proud of our City Council for taking this important step to gradually end the moratorium in a way that provides a transition time for tenants and property owners to work together on addressing outstanding rental payment," said Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb, one of the authors of the original eviction moratorium. Oakland city leaders late Tuesday night voted to end the city's eviction moratorium on July 15. Whether or not you pay rent right now is a personal matter that depends on what choices and resources For folks who are saying that this is slavery, shame on you. May 1, 2023. Oakland to consider phasing out controversial eviction moratorium. In Oakland, a debate is heating up about how pandemic protections against eviction should come to a close. The Oakland Moratorium was originally sponsored by Councilmembers Nikki Fortunato Bas and Dan Kalb It extends the current eviction moratorium until mid-July allowing for outreach, education, and support to tenants and property owners; provides a clear end to the moratorium on July 15; and adds new permanent tenant protections to help avoid a surge in evictions.. Non-legal Tenant Support: Causa Justa Just Cause - Tenant Hotline: (510) TENANTS (836-2687) (general advice for tenants in. Unfortunately, no individual city can pass a law that says otherwise. Sign up for NBC Bay Areas Housing Deconstructed newsletter. Just to stop it abruptly like that would be like a death sentence for a lot of renters, said Sameerah Karim, co-founder of Moms 4 Housing. This time period will allow for outreach, education, and referral to services to support tenants and property owners with the changes in law. Currently, that amount is 3.5%. You will still owe that rent in the future, but you cant be evicted for failing to pay it. After extensive lobbying by property owners, however, Bas and Kalb compromised on the earlier date. Why Doesn't the Ordinance Stop a Landlord from Filing an Eviction Lawsuit? The order does not extend the time for any tenant to pay rent or make them more likely to win an eviction case. A landlord cannot evict you if the landlord: If your landlord does file an eviction lawsuit against you, you still need to take steps to respond to the lawsuit in time. 2) Even after the State of Emergency ends, it protects Oakland tenants financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis from being evicted because they were unable to pay rent during the emergency period. Hannah Kirk, a self-described single mom who rents out part of her property in Oakland, described having no recourse to evict a problem tenant who refuses to pay rent. Natalie Orenstein covers housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. During the unprecedented global pandemic, our eviction moratorium met its goal of keeping people housed and preventing homelessness for many Oaklanders. Why Doesnt the Ordinance Stop a Landlord from Filing an Eviction Lawsuit? Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The Cliff House was once a colossal Victorian mansion that met a Steph Curry adds to his Warriors legend by lighting up Kings for 50, Warriors crush Kings 120-100 as Steph Curry scores Game 7-record 50 points. 10 years) OR You are protected from any Natalie lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, and has only left her beloved East Bay once, to attend Pomona College. Nikki Fortunato Bas, the councils president and author of the legislation, said she hoped it would meet our broader goals of housing stability, homelessness prevention and certainty about the end of the moratorium.. The eviction is because the tenant is an imminent health or safety risk to other occupants. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). OAKLAND Property owners can once again kick out tenants for failure to pay rent starting July 15, a hard-fought compromise end date to the city's COVID-era ban on evictions. services were overwhelmed, among other pandemic impacts . We think the order is functionally useless, and it is certainly not a moratorium. In any of the above cases, if your landlord then files an eviction lawsuit against you, you still need to take Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips. 2. you are protected from being evicted in the future for failure to pay that rent. It the continued application and enforcement of the eviction moratorium is an . In March 2020, Councilmembers Bas and Kalb authored and passed the residential eviction moratorium in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to promote housing stability, encourage compliance with shelter-in-place orders, prevent transmission of COVID-19, and avoid unnecessary displacement and increased homelessness. This is not a paywall, butThe Oaklandside depends on reader donations to support our nonprofit newsroom. I Cant Pay Rent Right Now - How Does the Moratorium Work for Me? Tenants will not owe back rent for what went unpaid in the time since the eviction moratorium first took effect in March 2020, as long as they can demonstrate financial losses due to COVID. Legal Assistance for Seniors - (510) 832-3040. As Fife spoke, a woman who stood with pro-landlord groups yelled that she was being treated as a slave and security eventually escorted her out of the council chamber. This amended proposal addresses concerns weve heard, and I hope my council colleagues will support it. A key clause in the ordinance that would have strengthened Oakland's permanent just-cause eviction protections was not part of the approved policy. Emergency that had not yet expired (for example, the notice was for 60 days, but the 60 days had not run The City of Oakland Police Station at 455 7th Street in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The last three years of the pandemic have been unprecedented. The Moratorium applies if you are being evicted for any of these reasons: The only two exceptions to the blanket Moratorium are: How Long Does the Eviction Moratorium Last? At Tuesdays meeting, Fife walked back her phrasing but continued to criticize property owners for conflating lost rental revenue with over 400 years of state-sanctioned violence. She received broad support from tenants and some landlords alike who joined in condemning the rhetoric. English & Spanish); (510) 763-5877 (main number, tenant organizing) For evictions based on non-payment of rent that accrued between March 9, 2020 and July 14, 2023, tenant will have a defense if the rent was unpaid due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. If your landlord gave you an eviction notice prior to the State of Emergency that had not yet expired (for example, the notice was for 60 days, but the 60 days had not run out yet), that notice is also legally invalid. Here's an overview of what it does: 1) It protects Oakland tenants from being evicted during the Oakland State of Emergency for nearly every reason. What am I? Bay Area Legal Aid - (510) 250-5257. If you do, you can easily win the lawsuit without having to produce lawsuit filed by a group of rental property owners, Eviction attempts plummeted during the pandemic in Oakland, No evictions in Oakland, Alameda County until after COVID-19 emergency, Can you get evicted in Oakland? How we transition out of a moratorium that prevented thousands of tenants from becoming homeless will determine whether Oakland can prevent another housing crisis. The five-county region saw more than 6,300 eviction filings between July 2021 and June 2022, a spike that started when many eviction bans started to expire in September 2021. If your tenancy is covered by Oaklands rent If you cannot pay rent Here are five key structures that need to bounce back to help the city recover. Box 7737, Oakland, CA 94601, Oakland Office: 1419 34th Ave., #203, Oakland, CA 94601 | 510.763.5877 (p) 510.763.5824 (f), SF Office: 4804 Mission Street, Suite 231, San Francisco, CA 94112 | 415.487.9203 (p) 415.487.9022 (f), Oakland Tenant Services/Servicios para inquilinos de Oakland, San Francisco Tenant Services / Servicios para inquilinos de San Francisco, Report ICE Activity // Reporta actividad de la migra, INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY CELEBRATES IMMIGRANTS AND FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. (BCN) Oaklands City Council has voted to phase out the citys pandemic-related moratorium on evictions and rent increases over the next 15 months. The Oakland Moratorium was authored by Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas and co-authored by Councilmember Dan Kalb and Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker. is the city's financial engine and it is sputtering. Oakland to end COVID eviction moratorium amid pressure from landlords, Downtown S.F. Whether or not you pay rent right now is a personal matter that depends on what choices and resources you and your family have available to you. lawfully evict you for not paying. I dont want to hear another white, yellow, whatever person talk about what my ancestors experienced about being enslaved and making that akin to being a landlord.. And landlords cant remove a tenant who owes less than a month of whats considered fair rent for an equivalent unit on the market. OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) Already a city with robust renter protections, Oakland extended an eviction moratorium until July to prevent thousands of people being evicted and banned rent hikes until July 2024. More than 100 people spoke during public comment. Were journalists for Oakland. Both ACCE and In It Together Oakland plan to hold separate news conferences Tuesday ahead of the committee meeting. Oakland's eviction moratorium, authored by councilmembers Nikki Fortunato Bas and Dan Kalb with City Attorney Barbara Parker, was designed to "preserve and increase housing security for . It took city officials weeks to fine-tune the new ordinances details amid contentious debate as well as numerous demonstrations between East Bay landlords and the citys renters. "We are coming out of -- I wont say completely, but mostly coming out of -- the COVID pandemic, and most people are back to work in some fashion," Kalb said. Oakland City Council Approves July 15 End to COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium By NBC Bay Area staff Published April 18, 2023 Updated on April 19, 2023 at 6:29 am NBC Universal, Inc. The law does NOT require you to provide personal documents like bank statements, pay stubs, or medical records to your landlord at this time, or to give your landlord personal information about your situation, even if your landlord asks you for it. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The Oakland Moratorium is currently one of the only real moratoriums on evictions in the state of California. . How renters will be protected when Oaklands, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), How renters will be protected when Oaklands eviction ban ends in July. The city of Oakland and county of Alameda took brave and decisive action which protected untold numbers of tenants during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, she said. "Before they ask any further owners to take on this responsibility, there has to be funding, because were all going to be homeless if the banks get our property,said Oakland resident and landlord Michelle Hailey. Like many cities, Oakland has had an eviction moratorium in place since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Did Governor Newsom Pass an Eviction Moratorium in California? As long as you do not fall into one of the exceptions above, the moratorium covers you. You could use pay stubs, a If at that time you prove that you couldnt pay rent No. Still, tenants at the Oakland meeting said they needed a softer landing after a financially volatile pandemic. Williams said he lives in the same West Oakland property where he also has a tenant. (The governor can do that, but he hasnt.). Opinion: How could the As ungrateful owner do this to us? The city of Oakland's eviction moratorium is not scheduled to expire yet, though this proposed ordinance would change that. Limits certain rent increases during the State of Emergency. The Oakland Moratorium is currently the only real moratorium on evictions in the state of California. This proposed ordinance would establish a timeline to end the moratorium, rather than leaving the expiration date tied to the end of the Local COVID-19 Emergency. because of it. Former mayoral candidate Seneca Scott, who has served as a spokesperson for the East Bay Rental Housing Association, called Fifes language divisive.. It includes the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Causa Justa Just Cause, Centro Legal de la Raza, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), Oakland Tenants Union, the East Bay Community Law Center, and East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO). The proposal, introduced by Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and Council Member Dan Kalb, who is running for state Senate, is an amended version of a proposal they introduced in March. 4) It also protects small businesses and nonprofits who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis What Kind of Proof Do I Need to Show That I Cant Pay Rent Because of COVID-19? A landlord could sue for the rent in other forums for example, in small claims court. now for almost any reason including failure to pay rent. Abrupt closure of S.F. Many speakers spoke in support of Bas and Kalbs legislation, which they said would wind down the moratorium in a safe way.. Did Governor Newsom Pass an Eviction Moratorium in California? Who Can I Contact in Oakland for Help If My Landlord Is Still Trying to Evict Me? Like many cities, Oakland has had an eviction moratorium in place since . The council adopted its restrictions on eviction in March 2020 in an effort to prevent homelessness, ensure residents could comply with the shelter-in-place orders in effect at that time and avoid punishing residents who lost income due to the pandemic. OAKLAND Property owners can once again kick out tenants for failure to pay rent starting July 15, a hard-fought compromise end date to the citys COVID-era ban on evictions. Oaklands City Council voted 7-1 to removeCOVID-related eviction protections starting in July. The city of Oakland's eviction moratorium is not scheduled to expire yet, though this proposed ordinance would change that. What Does the Law Do About Rent Increases? Existing rent increase moratorium is a 3% cap with no pass throughs or banking. needs these 5 sites to thrive so the city can recover. That proposal would have ended the moratorium in phases but did not have majority support from council members. Gives you an eviction notice during the State of Emergency.