San Francisco Moves to Ban Rent Hikes

Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, led by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, passed an emergency memorandum canceling rent increases across the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Supervisors finds it is essential not just to suspend evictions for non-payment but also to impose a temporary moratorium on rent increases. A moratorium on rent increases will lower the risk of displacement, which is essential for public health. It will keep tenants from falling even further behind during the emergency and help them remain in good standing after the eviction moratorium is lifted; and will help ameliorate the broader economic effects of the emergency. 

Has this been officially approved yet? It’s hard to tell. From our reading of the measure, although it was approved by the board of supervisors, it appears it only gets enacted after the Mayor signs it (or doesn’t act on it within 10 days), and as of April 28, 2020 we don’t see any indication that the Mayor has actually signed it yet.

Enactment occurs when the Mayor signs the ordinance, the Mayor returns the ordinance unsigned or does not sign the ordinance within ten days of receiving it, or the Board of Supervisors overrides the Mayor’s veto of the ordinance.

After enactment, the measure will apply retroactively starting April 7 and declare that “any rent increase that would otherwise be authorized” is suspended until the moratorium ends. Curbed reports that the rent-hike ban currently has no set end date, but the text of the memorandum mentions “This ordinance shall expire on the 61st day following enactment.” 

h/t Curbed