Rent, eviction relief for Bay Area tenants

Counties join growing list of cities enacting such moratoriums

Struggling Bay Area tenants are getting more protections from eviction and leniency on paying rent as state and local lawmakers worry the coronavirus pandemic will overwhelm out-of-work and sick renters.

Layoffs and work slowdowns have left many tenants in a cash crunch, but Santa Clara, Alameda

and San Mateo counties this week joined several Bay Area cities passing eviction moratoriums. The county measures add another layer of protection for renters facing medical bills for coronavirus treatment and loss of income and unemployment as the state mandates workers stay home.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week granted cities and counties the power to temporarily suspend evictions for tenants facing hardships from the pandemic. Renter advocates urged the governor to extend a statewide moratorium, but the governor has stopped short of a sweeping edict.

On Wednesday, Newsom said the state reserved the right to impose a California-wide ban, adding that such a measure was complicated. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, also said he plans to introduce a bill with Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, to enhance renter protections.

The local and state measures come as the the number of coronavirus cases increases and rent payments come due for the first time in the middle of the statewide shelter-in-place emergency order.

As the pandemic has deepened, several Bay Area cities have passed emergency restrictions on evictions, including San

Jose, Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Union City. County ordinances in San Mateo and Santa Clara will be enforced unless cities pass more strict guidelines protecting tenants.

Elected leaders and property owners stress the programs are designed for hardship cases and healthy, employed renters should make their monthly payments. The ordinances allow for rent deferrals, not cancellation, for those effected by the pandemic. Tenants also must provide proof that they have been harmed.

In Santa Clara County, the moratorium covers every residential and small-business tenant, including those within city borders. Tenants will have 120 days to pay back rent amid the emergency. Tenants must be able to provide proof to landlords of lost income or personal, medical expenses related to the coronavirus emergency. The order went into effect immediately after approval by county supervisors Tuesday, and it will last until May 31.

San Mateo County supervisors passed a similar order this week, allowing struggling renters up to six months to pay back rent.

The Alameda County regulations, passed unanimously by county supervisors Tuesday, cover

residents in rental homes and apartments in the unincorporated sections of the city.

Michael Trujillo, staff attorney at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, said tenant hotlines have been getting 100 calls an hour this week. The nonprofit is hosting an online seminar

in English, Spanish and Vietnamese on Friday with housing advocates at SV@Home to answer questions on the moratoriums and other tenant issues. “There’s a tremendous need right now,” Trujillo said.

Landlords and property managers say they’re also making arrangements with tenants on a case-bycase basis. Large corporate landlords, including Irvine Co., Essex Property Trust and Equity Residential,

have offered to work with cash-crunched tenants on extended payment schedules, said Tom Bannon, CEO of the California Apartment Association.

Some landlords report tenants simply dropping off keys and saying they no longer will be able to afford their apartments, Bannon said. “I don’t know where they’re going,” he said.

Association members generally dislike eviction moratoriums but can accept

short-term bans during the crisis, he said. Landlords also would benefit if they were given extensions to make mortgage payments. “The industry is uneasy, but we need certainty,” Bannon said. “There’s no certainty right now.”

Smaller landlords also have been encouraging struggling tenants to speak up. They also urge renters who have remained financially healthy to pay rent — and give landlords more resources to extend payment plans to struggling neighbors.

“We’re all in this together,” said Sid Lakireddy, president of the California Rental Housing Association, which represents smaller landlords. “Everybody has to do their part.”