Alameda Passes Just Cause Eviction Protections

By DANIEL BORNSTEIN, ESQ.

[apss_share]

The Rent Review Advisory Committee shown here. This five-volunteer body acts as a third-party mediator of rent increase disputes.

Alameda’s City Council recently voted 3-2 to amend the city’s rent stabilization ordinance to include “just cause” protections, a measure aimed to prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a specific reason.

Dissenting voices cite reports that the amendment could prompt some landlords to remove units from the market.

The original rent ordinance was adopted in March 2016 after an emotionally charged debate that pitted property owners and tenants against each other. While the ordinance does not put a cap on rent increases, it does require a landlord to notify the Rent Review Advisory Committee, the body that mediates landlord-tenant disputes, when rent increases are more than five percent.

Watch this ad by the California Apartment Association, which aired to express its concerns over the proposed rent ordinance in 2016.

The council adopted the “just cause” provision as part of an annual review of the successfully enacted ordinance, designed to provide stability to renters that have feared displacement because of the Bay Area’s high housing costs.

Understandably, many property owners expressed their own concerns that they were being treating unfairly and that their rental business faced uncertainty.

This tense climate highlights that now, more than ever, it is vital for property owners to rely on the steady hands of competent Bay real estate attorneys. We provide sobering counsel in uncertain times and always strive to broker a "win-win" solution for landlords and tenants alike.