Council preserves remaining rent-controlled housing
The City Council enacted an 18-month emergency ordinance on May 29 to preserve Hayward’s remaining rent-controlled housing, suspending a process through which landlords can move to have residential rental units permanently exempted from local rent control.
A provision of the city’s Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance allows landlords to apply to have a rental unit permanently “decontrolled” once voluntarily vacated by a tenant and after making a certain dollar-value of improvements to the dwelling, ranging from $1,500 to $3,100 depending on unit size.
Of approximately 46,700 total housing units in Hayward, about 22,200 are rentals. Of those, approximately 14,900 are covered by the city’s Residential Rate Stabilization Ordinance (RRSO), which regulates units held by landlords who own at least five residential rental units in the city.
Of 14,900 rentals covered by the RRSO, only about 9,500 have been subject to ordinance’s rent-increase limitations, because approximately 5,400 are single-family homes exempted from rent-control under state law. To date, the city has received about 7,900 applications for decontrol of rent-controlled units, leaving an estimated range of 1,000 to 1,600 remaining under rent control in all of Hayward.
During the 18-month moratorium, city staff will evaluate the administrative process of decontrolling units under the RRSO, as well as the appropriate dollar threshold for unit improvements to qualify.
