Renter Protection Policy Development
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To support, protect and help stabilize tenants in Palo Alto, staff have been researching policies and programs to propose to the City Council. In 2017, a
Colleagues’ Memorandum highlighted the importance of protecting renters and continuing to create renter protection policies that help keep people housed. The subsequent eviction of many tenants when a downtown building converted to a hotel further heightened the need for renter protections and led to Council action. Subsequent discussions and
Colleagues' Memorandum followed in 2018, emphasizing Council’s desire to work on the issues of housing affordability through renter protections.
To support the pursuit of renter protection policies and respond to the memoranda, the City applied for and was awarded a “Challenge Grant” from the Partnership for the Bay’s Future. Through the Challenge Grant, the City was able to create a profile of Palo Alto renters and research renter protection policies that would benefit Palo Altans.
Palo Alto had significant renter protection policy discussions in 2020 and 2021. City staff is currently working on the implementation of the renter protection policies moved and approved by City Council on November 29, 2021. These policies would be additional to those that were already in the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) for many years, such as the rental housing stabilization policies in PAMC Section 9.68 and the mandatory landlord/tenant dispute requirements in PAMC Section 9.72.
Upcoming Renter Protection Related Public Meetings and Events
Check back often as more events are announced.
Past Renter Protection Related Public Meetings and Events
City Council Agendas and Minutes
| Date |
Agenda and Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
February 14, 2022
Consent Calendar Item: Adoption of Regular Ordinance Amending Tenant Relocation Assistance for No-Fault Evictions by Reducing the Threshold for Applicability from 50 Units to 10 Units or a Lower Threshold (Council Action-2nd Reading) |
Agenda Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
January 31, 2022
Action Item: Adoption of Emergency Ordinance and Regular Ordinance Amending Tenant Relocation Assistance for No-Fault Evictions by Reducing the Threshold for Applicability from 50 Units to 10 Units or a Lower Threshold (Council Discussion and Action) |
Agenda Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
November 29, 2021
Action Item: Review and Recommend Renter Protection Policies for Development and Implementation (Council Discussion and Action)
|
Agenda Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
November 15, 2021
Review and Recommend Renter Protection Policies for Development and Implementation (Council Discussion and Item Continued to November 29, 2021)
|
Agenda Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
|
November 8, 2021
Action Item: Review and Recommend Renter Protection Policies for Development and Implementation (Council Discussion and Item Continued to November 15, 2021)
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Revised Agenda Packet |
Minutes |
Video |
Planning and Transportation Commission Agendas and Minutes
Tenant Relocation Assistance Municipal Code Update
Background
At its November 29, 2021 meeting, City Council moved for staff to prepare a Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) ordinance amendment to extend existing tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions to more properties in Palo Alto, including properties with 10 rental units or more. Staff brought the draft ordinance amendment to the Planning & Transportation Commission on January 26, 2020. Staff then returned to City Council on January 31, 2022 and February 14, 2022 for a first and second reading of the ordinance amendment, respectively. Tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions for properties with 10 rental units or more came into effect immediately on January 31, 2022 through Emergency Ordinance No. 5543(PDF, 529KB). Tenant relocation assistance remains in effect through Ordinance No. 5544(PDF, 533KB) and is codified in PAMC Section 9.68.035.
Current Tenant Relocation Assistance Amounts
The amount of tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions is adjusted July 1 of each year. Amounts also range by the number of bedrooms in a rental unit. An additional amount is applicable if a rental unit is occupied by a low-income household, someone who is 60 years of age or older, someone who is disabled, and/or someone that is a minor. When established in 2018, the lowest amount of tenant relocation assistance was $7,000 for a 0 bedroom/studio rental unit and the amount for a 3 or more bedroom rental unit was $17,000. The assistance amounts have increased in subsequent years.
The Tenant Relocation Assistance Calculations sheet(PDF, 151KB) contains the current tenant relocation assistance amounts that are applicable before and after July 1, 2022 .
FAQs
Who are Palo Alto Renters?
- 46% of Palo Alto's housing stock is occupied by renters. That's a big percentage of Palo Alto!
What are Renter Protections?
- "Renter protections" refers to renters being protected from losing their homes due to eviction. To read more about them, check out this interesting guide that the state of California produced entitled Tenant Protection Guidelines.
What resources currently exist for renters?
Why is protecting renters important?
- Renters occupy half of the housing in Palo Alto! Also, evictions are one of the leading causes of poverty and homelessness. If we create rules for when a household can be evicted, we help vulnerable people.