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File Number: 16-016 <br />hearing prior to referring a rent review case to the City Manager (see below) to provide <br />more time for the tenant and landlord to negotiate a mutually satisfactory resolution to <br />their rent dispute. <br />·Refer unresolved cases to the City Manager instead of the City Council. The <br />intent of the Ordinance has always been for a mutual resolution of a proposed rent <br />increase between tenant and landlord. The Ordinance clearly states that the City is not <br />“a party to such an agreement nor shall the City or the Board assume any responsibility <br />for enforcement” of any agreement because the Board is a negotiation assistance body <br />that makes non-binding recommendations on cases. The City Manager is a more <br />appropriate authority for additional review of cases because he or she has more <br />flexibility to assist in the negotiation of unresolved cases. <br />On December 7, 2015, the City Council accepted all of the amendments to the Ordinance as <br />proposed and described above, and also approved, after considerable discussion and debate, <br />the following additional amendments: <br />1)The eligibility thresholds for a rent review hearing are 1) an increase in rent of <br />greater than 8%, or 2) greater than $75, or 3) more than two rent increases within <br />a twelve month period; <br />2)The definition of residential property is expanded to include all housing units <br />(including duplexes and single family houses) for rent within the City; <br />3)A tenant shall have thirty days to request a rent review hearing from the date of <br />notice of a rent increase; and <br />4)Landlords are required to provide tenants notice of availability of rent review in <br />the predominant three languages (English, Spanish and Chinese) spoken within <br />the City. <br />On December 21, 2015, the City Council reviewed the Ordinance again at its second reading. <br />After discussion and debate, the City Council voted to table the second reading of the <br />proposed Ordinance amendments. The City Council’s action removed the proposed <br />amendments from further consideration, and keeps the Rent Review Ordinance and program <br />status quo. The City Council also directed that amendments be brought back to the City <br />Council in early 2016, accounting for the additional debate and discussion at the December <br />21, 2015 City Council meeting. <br />Analysis <br />Staff prepared a Rent Review Board Frequently Asked Questions memo dated February 1, <br />2016 (Attachment A) which provides additional background information and <br />responses/clarifications to questions and issues related to the Rent Review Program. <br />Based upon this information as well as input received at multiple public meetings, the Rent <br />Review Board’s recommendation, and the City Council discussions on December 7 and 21, <br />staff recommends the following revisions to the Rent Review Ordinance. <br />Page 3 City of San Leandro Printed on 1/26/2016