Tenant Troubles: Can My New Landlord “Bank” My Rent Increases From Before She Owned My Home?

Tenant Troubles: Can My New Landlord “Bank” My Rent Increases From Before She Owned My Home?

I live in a house in San Francisco with three apartments, built before 1979. I’ve lived in my apartment for 10 years, I am 44 and…

Tenant Troubles: Why Is My Landlord Demanding A $150 Late Fee?

Tenant Troubles: Why Is My Landlord Demanding A $150 Late Fee?

I am a 25 year old woman who has been living in a rent-controlled apartment in a six unit building for about 1.5 years.  My…

Endangered Tenants Rally In Favor Of Changes To Ellis Act Outside City Hall, Then Landlords Argue Against It Inside

Endangered Tenants Rally In Favor Of Changes To Ellis Act Outside City Hall, Then Landlords Argue Against It Inside

Tenants facing eviction rallied with San Francisco city supervisors on the steps of City Hall today in support of legislation introduced by Supervisor David Campos…

Tenant Troubles: If I Need To Break My Lease, Am I Responsible For Finding A New Tenant?

Tenant Troubles: If I Need To Break My Lease, Am I Responsible For Finding A New Tenant?

I had a chaotic experience the first time moving into an apartment. We were first told by the onsite manager that we got the apartment,…

Tenant Troubles: I Think I Was Overcharged For My Security Deposit, Can I Get That Money Back?

Tenant Troubles: I Think I Was Overcharged For My Security Deposit, Can I Get That Money Back?

I recently moved into a rent controlled building in SF.  During the application process, an erroneous community judgement appeared on my credit report, and despite…

Housing Rights Activists Call On DA To Prosecute Landlords That Ellis Act Elderly Tenants

Housing Rights Activists Call On DA To Prosecute Landlords That Ellis Act Elderly Tenants

A group of housing rights advocates held a protest outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice today to call on District Attorney George Gascon to file…

Landlord And Realtor Groups File Lawsuits To Block Laws Intended To Protect Tenants

Landlord And Realtor Groups File Lawsuits To Block Laws Intended To Protect Tenants

Several landlord and realtor groups filed two separate lawsuits against the city of San Francisco in Superior Court today to challenge two new laws intended…

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Wants Me To Add My Boyfriend To My Lease. Do I Have To?

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Wants Me To Add My Boyfriend To My Lease. Do I Have To?

I moved into the apartment I’m renting about six months ago. The building was constructed in the 1950’s and there are two apartment units in…

Tenant Troubles: How Can I Avoid Getting Screwed By Landlords Pulling Application Fee Scams?

Tenant Troubles: How Can I Avoid Getting Screwed By Landlords Pulling Application Fee Scams?

I have been looking for my own apartment in Oakland for several months, but I think my question would apply for San Francisco as well…

Tenant Troubles: A “Just Cause” Eviction Does Not Mean “Just ‘Cause Your Landlord Said So”

Tenant Troubles: A “Just Cause” Eviction Does Not Mean “Just ‘Cause Your Landlord Said So”

I am 26 years old and living in a four-unit three-story building in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco. Two other roommates and I…

Board Of Supes OKs Legislation To Fight Landlords Who Harass Tenants

Board Of Supes OKs Legislation To Fight Landlords Who Harass Tenants

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation today that gives tenants the opportunity to speak out against alleged harassment by their landlords. Tenants…

Tenant Troubles: My Roommate’s Moving Out, Now My Landlord Wants To Increase The Rent By 50%

Tenant Troubles: My Roommate’s Moving Out, Now My Landlord Wants To Increase The Rent By 50%

I live in Noe Valley SF in a rent controlled apartment. I have been at this apartment for four years. The lease is in my…

Under New Legislation, SF’s Illegal In-Law Apartments Might Get Less Illegal

Under New Legislation, SF’s Illegal In-Law Apartments Might Get Less Illegal

A San Francisco supervisor introduced legislation Tuesday that seeks to legalize what he said is a “shadow economy” of in-law units on residential properties in…

Tenant Troubles: Can My Landlord Give A 24-Hour Notice For Entry That Lasts All Week?

Tenant Troubles: Can My Landlord Give A 24-Hour Notice For Entry That Lasts All Week?

Can a landlord state a whole week 9:00am – 5:00pm to enter under California Civil Code Section 1954, 24-hour notice? For the first four days,…

Displaced Tenants Call For Change At City Hall Hearing On Ellis Act Evictions

Displaced Tenants Call For Change At City Hall Hearing On Ellis Act Evictions

Tenants being evicted or displaced from rental units in San Francisco came to City Hall today to tell their stories at a committee hearing of…

Tenant Troubles: Is My Landlord Lying To Tenants And Claiming They Don’t Have Rent Control?

Tenant Troubles: Is My Landlord Lying To Tenants And Claiming They Don’t Have Rent Control?

My wife and I (both in our 60s) rent a one bedroom apartment in a 12-unit building in lower Russian Hill, built in the 20’s. …

Tenant Troubles: We’re Basically Paying Our Master Tenant’s Rent. That’s Wrong, Right?

Tenant Troubles: We’re Basically Paying Our Master Tenant’s Rent. That’s Wrong, Right?

I am a 26-year-old female and have been living in an old Victorian apartment in a six unit building in Nob Hill for the past…

Tenant Troubles: Can My Landlord Refuse To Add My Domestic Partner To My Lease?

Tenant Troubles: Can My Landlord Refuse To Add My Domestic Partner To My Lease?

I have been the only tenant (master tenant) of my rent controlled studio apartment in San Francisco. I moved in alone in July 2009. The…

Tenant Troubles: I Only Have An Oral Lease, May I Sublet A Room In My Apartment?

Tenant Troubles: I Only Have An Oral Lease, May I Sublet A Room In My Apartment?

I live in a rent-controlled flat, where I have no written lease prohibiting subletting (I’ve lived here for 22 years). I don’t get along with the…

Vicious Cycle: How Long Can SF’s Renters Continue To Live Beyond Their Means?

Vicious Cycle: How Long Can SF’s Renters Continue To Live Beyond Their Means?

Nearly half of San Francisco’s renter population is living beyond their means, trying to stay afloat in an increasingly hostile rental market that shows only…

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Is Selling The House I Live In, Do I Have To Move Out?

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Is Selling The House I Live In, Do I Have To Move Out?

My husband and I live in a two-bedroom single-family home in San Francisco, a cottage built in 1922 (no in-law unit, no garage, just a…

Tenant Troubles: Why Won’t My Landlords Take A Rent Check From My Husband-To-Be?

Tenant Troubles: Why Won’t My Landlords Take A Rent Check From My Husband-To-Be?

I moved into my apartment in February 1, 1995 with my partner. At the time the building was co-owned by two families, The Os and…

Tenant Troubles: My Neighborhood’s Too Dangerous, Can I Break My Lease?

Tenant Troubles: My Neighborhood’s Too Dangerous, Can I Break My Lease?

In July, my wife and I moved out of a great roommate situation in San Francisco into our first apartment as a couple in Oakland’s…

Tenant Troubles: Do I Have To Keep Using The Crappy Furniture That Came With My Apartment?

Tenant Troubles: Do I Have To Keep Using The Crappy Furniture That Came With My Apartment?

I am a tenant in lower Nob Hill. My building is more than 50 years old. I live in a studio apartment that I signed…

Tenant Troubles: Do I Have To Move Out If The Condo I’m Renting Goes On The Market?

Tenant Troubles: Do I Have To Move Out If The Condo I’m Renting Goes On The Market?

I have lived in a 1905 era condo (that is, non rent controlled, but eviction controlled) for three years. My lease is up in October…

Tenant Troubles: Is There A “What Lies Can We Get Away With This Month?” Group For Landlords?

Tenant Troubles: Is There A “What Lies Can We Get Away With This Month?” Group For Landlords?

As we’re getting ready to move out of our house, the landlady is telling us that she doesn’t have a deposit to return to us…

Tenant Troubles: Does My Unusual Lease Mean My Landlord Can Hang Out In My Apartment?

Tenant Troubles: Does My Unusual Lease Mean My Landlord Can Hang Out In My Apartment?

I have an interesting one for you. I recently moved into a classic Victorian house with 4 other roommates in SF. We all have separate…

Tenant Troubles: Why Won’t My Landlord Discuss My New Lease With Me?

Tenant Troubles: Why Won’t My Landlord Discuss My New Lease With Me?

My roommate (master tenant) is moving out of our apartment on July 31st. She’s had rent control since 2007 and we are paying far under…

Tenant Troubles: My Living Room Is Covered In Lead Paint Dust

Tenant Troubles: My Living Room Is Covered In Lead Paint Dust

I live with two roommates in a flat in a late-1800’s Victorian in the Haight, 3 units total. The flat below us has been under…

Tenant Troubles: How Do I Get My Former Landlord’s Dead Hand Off Me?

Tenant Troubles: How Do I Get My Former Landlord’s Dead Hand Off Me?

My sister and I are original tenants for an apartment in a San Francisco 13-unit building built in the 1920’s. Our lease is now month…

Tenant Troubles: Can Someone Be A Subtenant If They Aren’t Paying Rent?

Tenant Troubles: Can Someone Be A Subtenant If They Aren’t Paying Rent?

Dear Dave, I like your column, you appear to be on the slightly radical side of liberal. 🙂 Last August you wrote: “Many tenants are…

Tenant Troubles: My Erratic Landlord Is Asking For An Illegal Rent Increase

Tenant Troubles: My Erratic Landlord Is Asking For An Illegal Rent Increase

I have a question about rent increases. My girlfriend and I live in a rent controlled 12-unit building in Nob Hill (built in 1907). We…

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Died, Am I About To Lose My Apartment?

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Died, Am I About To Lose My Apartment?

I live in a unicorn of an amazing SF apartment. We pay well below market rate for Pacific Heights for a flat that is part…

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Said I Could Add Roommates, Then Changed His Mind

Tenant Troubles: My Landlord Said I Could Add Roommates, Then Changed His Mind

I live in a rent-controlled apartment and the landlord lives in the same building. My lease states that I’m the only allowed occupant and I…