New San Francisco Rent Ordinance Amendment Regulates Tenant Buyouts
The San Francisco Administrative Code (Rent Ordinance) has been amended by adding Section 37.9E to address tenant buyouts. The new section is designed to respond to the housing crisis in San Francisco and provide information to tenants concerning buyouts in their neighborhood, their right to legal counsel, and to require that landlords file buyout agreements with the Rent Board for public disclosure. Pursuant to new Section 37.9E of the San Francisco Rent Ordinance, tenants also have 45 days to rescind buyout agreements entered into, and have the right to file civil suits against landlords who fail to provide the required disclosures about tenant’s rights when negotiating a tenant buyout.
The new law is operative March 7, 2015, but has retroactive effect precluding condo conversion for properties where buyout agreements were entered on or after October 31, 2014 and involved two or more tenants (even in the same unit) or any tenant belonging to a protected class as defined by the Rent Ordinance.
For more information about tenant buyouts and your rights as a tenant, please contact Ryan Vlasak or Michael Bracamontes of BV Law at 415-835-6777.
