27Oct
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life. The economic ramifications have especially affected one of our basic needs—housing. Although the current situation has given some renters more leverage in the Bay Area housing market; that is not the case for those struggling to keep up with rent payments because they've been laid off or furloughed.
Fortunately, there have been numerous laws and special orders passed on the local, state, and national level in response to the coronavirus crisis. Here's an update for San Francisco renters impacted by COVID-19.
Right before the shelter-in-place went into effect in March, Mayor London Breed established emergency tenant protections. This includes the order to temporarily suspend evictions for tenants affected by COVID-19. This order is currently in place until December 31, 2020. Additionally, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that permanently protects COVID-19 affected tenants from evictions for non-payment of rent that was due between March 16, 2020- September 30, 2020.
On October 7, 2020, legislation authorized by San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston was approved that bans "no fault" residential eviction, until March 31, 2021, including:
California Tenant Protections
On August 31, 2020, the governor signed AB-3088 (COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020). This Act provides that (if certain requirements are met) residential tenants who can't pay rent due to the coronavirus can't be evicted presently, or in the future for unpaid rent. This applies to unpaid rent that was due between March 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021. Although eligible tenants can't be evicted, they still owe the rent. The landlord can try to recover the unpaid rent in small claims court starting March 1, 2021.
Under AB-3088, the tenant must:
On September 1, 2020 the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order that prohibits evictions for almost any Covid-related reason. Covered renters must show either that they would be at risk of homelessness or that they are living in overcrowded housing. This is in effect until January 1, 2021.
It's difficult to live your life if you're also worried about having a roof over your head. Luckily, there are ways to help you stay in your place. However, you want to make sure that you understand your rights and the limitations of these tenant protections. You can turn to the experienced tenants rights attorneys at Wolford Wayne for help. Our team of skilled attorneys has been advocating for Bay Area renters' rights for years. Contact us today to get started.
Recovered on behalf of a group of 30 tenants living in an SRO in San Francisco who were living with horrendous conditions in their rent controlled apartments, including rodents, bedbugs, mold, water leaks and harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three families living in a building in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood who were forced to live with substandard conditions for years as a result of their landlord’s negligence, including issues with lack of heat, lack of hot water and cockroach/rat infestations.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a couple living in a rent-controlled home in the outer Sunset neighborhood. Our clients were forced to vacate after the landlord served them with an Owner Move-In Eviction Notice. After the landlords failed to move into the property, our clients filed suit for wrongful eviction.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant in Russian Hill. Tenant was forced to vacate her illegal apartment in retaliation for reporting unlawful rent increases to the San Francisco Rent Board.Read More
Recovered for a single long-term tenant in San Francisco. Our client was forced to move out of his apartment as a result of extreme landlord harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three long-term tenants in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood who were constructively evicted due to noise and nuisance conditions created by their downstairs neighbors, which the owner refused to address.Read More
Recovered on behalf of elderly, disabled tenant who was forced to move out of her rent-controlled San Francisco apartment of 50 years after landlord/owner failed to resolve numerous building code violations that remained outstanding for over a decade.Read More
Recovered on behalf of seven tenants living in a makeshift boarding house in East Palo Alto.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two former San Francisco tenants who were evicted via an Owner Move-In Eviction and owner failed to occupy the unit as her primary place of residence.Read More
Recovered on behalf of an elderly long-term tenant who was forced to vacate her long San Francisco apartment as a result of her landlord’s refusal to address longstanding defective conditions, including lack of heat, mold, rodent infestations, and defective plumbing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant who was forced to vacate his home as a result of ongoing, disruptive construction and the owners’ refusal to provide him with alternative housing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco family that was constructively evicted from their home in the Richmond District as a result of unlawful rent increases, defective conditions and tenant harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a tenant living in an illegal “in-law” unit. In this case, a new owner purchased the building and then demolished our client’s unit without permits while she was displaced for seismic retrofitting.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two long term San Francisco tenants who were fraudulently evicted from their home of over twenty years under the pretext of an owner move-in eviction.Read More
Recovered for tenant who was injured when their stairway railing collapsed at the tenant’s Mission District apartment building.Read More
Recovered in action for a group of tenants forced to vacate their San Francisco apartment house due to severe habitability defects including mold and water leaks.Read More
For more information or to discuss your legal situation, call us today at (415) 649-6203 for a phone consultation or submit an inquiry below. Please note our firm can only assist tenants residing in San Francisco, Oakland & Berkeley.