Board advances tenant hardship reforms as mandatory seismic retrofits move forward

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday advanced two related ordinances on first reading that address tenant financial hardship claims tied to mandatory seismic retrofits for certain soft‑story wood-frame buildings.

Supervisor David Chiu (President Hsu in transcript) and co-sponsors presented the ordinances to shorten the rent-board hardship application timeline and to add technical amendments to the city’s mandatory seismic retrofit program. The board took the items together and passed them on first reading.

Why it matters

Under the existing process, the rent-board hardship exemption procedure can take up to five months from application to decision — about three months for a hearing to be scheduled and two months for a decision, according to supervisors’ remarks during the hearing. The amendments direct the Rent Board to provide an administrative decision (rather than a hearing) on hardship applications if tenants meet specified criteria, speeding relief for low‑income households facing rent pass‑throughs required to pay for seismic upgrades.

Key provisions

The ordinance streamlines the hardship review by giving the Rent Board authority to grant exemptions administratively where tenants demonstrate eligibility under set criteria, including: - Receipt of means‑tested public assistance; or - Household income below 80 percent of the area median income and paying no more than one‑third of household income toward rent; or - Exceptional financial circumstances such as significant medical costs.

The ordinances also require the rent increase tied to capital improvements to be stayed from the date of filing of a hardship application until a decision is made. The legislation requires the Rent Board to notify tenants of proposed increases and their right to apply for the hardship exemption.

What supervisors said

Supervisor Hsu (sponsor) framed the change as protecting vulnerable tenants while the city pursues earthquake safety. Supervisor Malia Cohen (Marr in transcript) and others emphasized the urgency for renters on fixed incomes facing monthly pass‑throughs they said could range from $38 to $83 per month in affected buildings.

Supervisor Kim thanked staff and tenant advocates and said the administrative process would reduce intrusive hearings and long waits for tenants who qualify.

Procedure and next steps

Supervisors moved and adopted the two ordinances on first reading by unanimous voice vote ("same house, same call"). A technical amendment was adopted on the record clarifying that payment of passed-through rent increases is stayed “from the date of filing until a decision is made on the tenant financial hardship application.” The items were continued through the standard ordinance process for final readings.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified by their titles as recorded in the meeting transcript.