Oakland’s City Council voted this week to phase out the city’s pandemic-related moratorium on evictions and rent increases over the next 15 months.
After more than four hours of discussion at its meeting Tuesday night, the council voted to wind down its restrictions on evictions and late fees for renters on July 15, 2023.
The council also voted to end the city’s moratorium on rent increases above the consumer price index on July 1, 2024.
The council adopted its restrictions on eviction in March 2020 in an effort to prevent homelessness, ensure residents could comply with the shelter-in-place orders in effect at that time and avoid punishing residents who lost income due to the pandemic.
While some cities and counties in the Bay Area tied their phase outs of pandemic-related eviction protections to the end of the state’s COVID-19 state of emergency, the policy as proposed by Council members Nikki Fortunato Bas and Dan Kalb will allow the city to help tenants and property owners transition out from under the moratoria.
“During the unprecedented global pandemic, our eviction moratorium met its goal of keeping people housed and preventing homelessness for many Oaklanders,” said Fortunato Bas, the council’s president. “I’m proud to have led the Council’s work to end the moratorium responsibly, with time to inform and support tenants and property owners before the end date of July 15.”
The council also voted to add new tenant protections to the city’s “just cause” ordinance, preventing evictions if a tenant owes less than one month of “fair market rent,” as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The council also approved tenant defense protections for those who have accrued unpaid rent between March 9, 2020, and July 14, 2023, due solely because of financial hardship from the pandemic.
Property owners and landlords must also prove that a tenant breached a term of their lease that they accepted in writing to evict a tenant.
“For so many, the pandemic has left an indelible financial and emotional impact,” Kalb said in a statement. “With this phase out, the Oakland Council and our Rent Adjustment Program staff stand prepared to assist both property owners and tenants navigate this next step.”
Information about Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Program can be found at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/rent-adjustment-program.
Property owners are encouraged to visit the California Mortgage Relief Program at https://camortgagerelief.org to determine if they qualify.