Sunnyvale held off on requiring landlords to compensate tenants an extra month’s rent in the event of a no-fault eviction.
A 2019 state law requires landlords to pay renters a month’s rent to relocate if the landlord evicts them because of reasons beyond the renter’s control. State law requires that landlords pay tenants a month’s rent to cover relocation expenses if they’ve lived in the apartment for at least a year.
Such circumstances include building demolition or the landlord moving a family member into the unit. Delinquent rent evictions are not covered.
The Sunnyvale City Council previously went beyond the state law, requiring two months’ rent instead of one. At the council’s most recent meeting, May 5, the council considered upping the requirement to three months.
But many raised concerns about how the proposal would affect housing costs.
One public commenter, Janet M., said state law doesn’t recognize “nice guy” landlords. She and her husband rent three apartments in a 57-year-old four-plex. They didn’t raise rents during the pandemic, but state law prevents them from inspecting the apartments for signs of structural decay unless the apartment is unsafe for 30 consecutive days.
“If my tenants, who all have been there for longer than two years, choose to stay, I can’t address structural decay until I’ve got a $100,000 problem,” she said.
Ryan Dyson, the city’s housing specialist, told the council that city employees conducted more comprehensive public outreach. He called the incidence of no-fault, just-cause evictions “fairly specific” and “fairly infrequent.”
A survey of 212 landlords and owners revealed that 75% felt it would create an undue financial burden on them, and 43% said they would likely raise rents to offset the additional cost.
Three cities in the Bay Area — Mountain View, San Jose and Palo Alto — have also enacted the two-month requirement. No other city has instituted a three-month requirement.
The council supported city employees exploring how to provide additional consideration for elderly residents and putting in place a no-fault, just-cause eviction clauses on leases from day one.
Some organizations supported raising the requirement to three months.
Marie Bernard, with Sunnyvale Community Services, said relocating can be “devastating financially” to poor families and can create a “spiral of homelessness.”
Emily Ann Ramos, with Silicon Valley At Home, said the proposal better reflects the costs of securing a new place to live.
But not everybody agreed.
Anil Babbar, with the California Apartment Association, called the three-month proposal an “example of an unaffordable housing policy,” one designed to serve a small number of people where the cost will be absorbed into all rents. He added that the city hasn’t demonstrated why the current plan is broken.
“Housing policy should be grounded in evidence and focused on expanding affordability, not negatively impacting it,” he said. “When you increase the cost of providing housing, the price of housing goes up.”
Several council members were concerned that tenants were unaware of their rights and wanted city employees to work harder to get compliance from landlords on noticing. The motion to direct city employees to conduct additional public outreach and explore additional options for day-one clauses and additional options for the elderly passed unanimously.
Because Vice Mayor Richard Mehlinger and Council Members Eileen Le and Alysa Cisneros were absent, the council also deferred a decision on banning smoke shops, as it requires six votes to pass.
Sunnyvale City Council Consent Calendar Spending
The council approved the following spending via the consent calendar:
- A $140,000 extension to a contract with MFR Designs for consulting. The contract total is now $372,850 and goes through 2027.
- A $95,000 amendment to a contract with Unarmed Security Patrol Services. The amendment extends the contract to May 15, 2027.
- A $32.5 million increase to a contract with Walsh Construction Company for the Sunnyvale Clean Water Program.
The council meets again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. in Sunnyvale.
To submit public comments ahead of the meeting, visit http://Sunnyvale.ca.gov/PublicComments; Meeting online link: https://sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540; meeting call-in telephone number: 833-548-0276, meeting ID: 961 1158 0540
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
Previous Sunnyvale City Council Meetings:
Sunnyvale Safe Parking Continues to Languish, Council’s Patience Wears Thin
Sunnyvale Creates Stronger Safeguards to Police Surveillance
Sunnyvale Establishes ICE-free Zones
