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File Number: 15-655 <br />fair housing and tenant-landlord counseling services for the City. Since FY 2013-14, due to <br />the elimination of redevelopment agencies which necessitated staff reductions, the City has <br />outsourced the Rent Review Program’s administration to ECHO Housing. ECHO Housing <br />staff continue to be instrumental in processing the renters’ rent review request applications, <br />communicating with the landlords to obtain their rent review response forms, facilitating the <br />Rent Review Board hearings, and educating both tenants and landlords about the City’s Rent <br />Review Ordinance. <br />Summary of Facts <br />From July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, ECHO Housing and City staff addressed 75 tenant <br />and 20 landlord inquiries for a total of 95 inquiries relating to the City's policies on rent <br />increases and its Rent Review Program, including 65 renters who applied for Rent Review <br />Board hearings. Of these 65 hearing requests: <br />·5 (or 8%) cases were ineligible for a rent review hearing; <br />·4 (or 6%) cases were scheduled for a hearing (after June 30, 2015); <br />·17 (or 26%) cases were settled without a hearing; <br />·13 (or 20%) cases were settled prior to a schedule hearing; and <br />·26 (or 40%) cases were heard by the Rent Review Board. <br />Of the 26 cases heard by the Rent Review Board: <br />·12 (or 46%) cases were settled mutually; <br />·6 (or 23%) cases were dismissed; <br />·7 (or 27%) cases were settled after the rent review process concluded; and <br />·1 (or 4%) case was not resolved (tenant did not accept the landlord’s negotiated offer) <br />Proposed Changes to the Rent Review Ordinance <br />As part of the Rent Review Program Ordinance, the Board must assess the program’s <br />effectiveness each year. With rents and Rent Review Board applications rising over the last <br />15 months, City Council directed staff to re-assess and update the Ordinance, including <br />clarifying and streamlining the application and hearing process. City Council also instructed <br />staff to publicly outreach to local renters and landlords to gain feedback on the existing <br />Ordinance and proposed changes to it. Some of the proposed changes were also based on <br />administration and implementation experiences of both City and ECHO Housing staff. <br />The Rent Review Board supported the majority of the proposed amendments to the <br />Ordinance, but formally approved specific amendments to the Ordinance that they <br />recommended the City Council adopt. <br />The Board approved the following four recommendations to the proposed Ordinance <br />amendments: <br />1) Revise the definition of "Base Rent" to include renter's insurance and implementation <br />of the Ratio Utility Billing System and revised the "Required Notice" to include <br />habitability as required by law. <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 12/1/2015