San Francisco Rent Increase Licenses – Don’t Forget to Report!

Recently operative San Francisco Rent Ordinance section 37.15 requires owners to report certain information about their units to the Rent Board in order to obtain a license to impose annual and/or banked rent increases. This requirement applies to increases that are effective on or after July 1, 2022 for buildings with ten or more residential units. For condominium units and buildings with less than ten residential units, the requirement applies to rent increases that are effective on or after March 1, 2023. Under the Rent Board’s Regulations, any annual and/or banked rent increase imposed while the landlord is unlicensed shall render the entire rent increase null and void. If you did not receive a Rent Board Housing Inventory Informational Notice with a PIN number for each Assessor’s Parcel Number, call the 311 Customer Service Center by dialing 3-1-1 or 415-701-2311 (from outside the 415-area code) to get a new PIN. Landlords may also fulfill their reporting requirements and obtain rent increase licenses by visiting the Rent Board Housing Inventory Portal at https://portal.sfrb.org.

What Information Are Landlords Required to Report?

For all units, the owner must report the mailing address of the unit and whether the unit is:

1. Vacant;
2. Occupied exclusively by an owner of the property;
3. Occupied by a “non-owner” (e.g. tenant, family member, guest); or
4. Non-residential (the property is not legally warranted or used for any residential purpose.

Depending on the occupancy type, the owner may also be required to report:

1. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the unit
2. The approximate square footage of the unit
3. The approximate date when the current occupancy or vacancy commenced
4. The amount of “base” rent paid by the tenant (if applicable)
5. The owner’s business contact or person designated by the owner to address repairs in the unit
6. The business registration number for the unit (Does not apply to buildings with less than 4 units)

Notice Requirements

Finally, even with a license issued under Rent Ordinance section 37.15, San Francisco Landlords must continue to give tenants proper notice of rent increases pursuant to California Civil Code section 827. Thirty days’ notice is required if the rent increase is 10% or less and ninety days is required if the rent increase is more than 10% (with an additional five days added for service by mail).

If you would like to learn more about the application of San Francisco Rent Ordinance section 37.15 on your property, you should contact the experienced attorneys of Zacks & Freedman for guidance on rent increase licenses. Contact us at your convenience to request a consultation.

Neither this website nor this post are intended to create an attorney-client relationship.