This article was provided to us by the San Francisco Rent Board.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – There is an important development in San Francisco’s housing landscape with the implementation of a comprehensive housing inventory implemented by the San Francisco Rent Board. The purpose of the housing inventory is to maintain an accurate record of San Francisco’s residential housing stock. A more accurate record would enhance the Rent Board’s ability to generate reports and surveys, to investigate and analyze rents and vacancies, and to monitor compliance with the Rent Ordinance.
All residential property owners -including condos and single-family homes- needed to report information about their units into San Francisco’s Housing Inventory. Property owners who report that a unit is tenant-occupied will receive a rent increase “license” that allows them to impose annual allowable and banked rent increases. Landlords who have not fulfilled their reporting requirements will not receive a license and will not be permitted to impose annual allowable and banked rent increases on a tenant until reporting is completed. Thus far, the San Francisco Rent Board has issued 88,700 licenses to permit owners to impose rent increases for the next year. Property owners of buildings with 10 or more units were required to report their units into the Inventory for the first time in 2022. All property owners must update their information and obtain new licenses to continue to impose rent increases on March 1, 2023, and every March 1 thereafter.
“Property owners will find that reporting on their units in the Rent Board’s Portal is quick and straightforward, but if any owner encounters challenges, assistance is available,” said Rent Board Executive Director Christina Varner.
Tenants of residential properties in San Francisco can also report certain information about their units into the San Francisco’s Housing Inventory, although they are not required to do so. Additionally, tenants will be able to check if the landlord has obtained a Rent Increase License. Tenants covered by rent control may file a Tenant Summary Petition with the Rent Board if they have received a rent increase notice that goes into effect while the landlord is unlicensed. Lastly, tenants will also be able to find the current business contact to address any repair concerns.
Residential property owners and tenants can report into the Housing Inventory at https://portal.sfrb.org. The San Francisco Rent Board supports tenants and landlords in San Francisco by providing information and resources on the Rent Ordinance, which protects tenants from excessive rent increases and unjust evictions while assuring landlords fair and adequate rents. For more information, visit https://sf.gov/rentboard. Owners or tenants who want help submitting into the Housing Inventory are urged to call the SF 311 Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 or (415) 701-2311 (from outside San Francisco) (TTY 7-1-1).