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Page 1 of 11 <br /> <br />Annual Rent Review Program Evaluation Report (July 2014 – June 2015) <br /> <br />From July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, ECHO Housing and City staff addressed 75 tenant and <br />20 landlord inquiries for a total of 95 inquiries relating to the City's policies on rent increases and <br />its Rent Review Program, including 65 renters who applied for Rent Review Board hearings. Of <br />these 65 hearing requests (see attached “Monthly Status Report of Rent Review Activities” for <br />case details): <br /> <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 /> <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 /> <br />Table 1: Rent Review Board (RRB) Case Summary (since 2006) <br /> <br />Period (June – May) Cases <br />2006-2007 1 <br />2007-2008 6 <br />2008-2009 4 <br />2009-2010 0 <br />2010-2011 0 <br />2011-2012 0 <br />2012-2013 3 <br />2013-2014 2 <br />2014-2015 26 <br /> <br /> <br />ECHO Housing, a full service and nonprofit housing counseling organization that already <br />provides fair housing and tenant-landlord counseling services for the City, continued to assist in <br />the administration of the City’s Rent Review Program in fiscal year 2014-2015. ECHO Housing <br />staff was instrumental in processing the rent review hearing request applications, communicating <br />with the landlords to obtain their rent review response forms, facilitating the rent review board <br />hearings, and educating both tenants and landlords about the City’s Rent Review Ordinance. <br />The City began contracting with ECHO Housing for the administration of the Rent Review <br />Program in fiscal year 2013-2014 as a result of staff reductions due to the State’s elimination of <br />Redevelopment Agencies.