Board OKs 'Good Samaritan' temporary-occupancy rules in first reading to aid disaster-displaced tenants

The Board of Supervisors passed, on first reading, an ordinance creating temporary Good Samaritan occupancy regulations in the city’s rent-stabilization administrative code.

Supervisor Wiener, the ordinance’s sponsor, described the measure as a “long-overdue” way to ensure tenants displaced by natural or human-made disasters can obtain affordable, temporary housing while their units are repaired and to provide incentives for landlords to offer such temporary rentals.

Key provisions described in the meeting: the ordinance creates a temporary tenancy triggered when a tenant is displaced by a disaster, allows landlords to rent to displaced tenants on a temporary basis for up to one year (with a possible two-year period in some circumstances), and caps the temporary rent at no more than 10 percent above what the tenant was paying before displacement. At the end of the temporary term the tenancy ends and the original tenant can return once their unit is repaired, according to the sponsor’s description.

Supervisor Wiener said the ordinance had broad support from tenant and landlord groups, including the Tenants Union, the Apartment Association and small property owners’ advocates. The measure passed first reading unanimously, 11-0; the clerk recorded 11 ayes and the board reported the ordinance passed the first reading.

Why it matters: The change creates a new, temporary tenancy category aimed at reducing barriers to housing displaced tenants following earthquakes or other disasters and offering a limited incentive to landlords to provide temporary housing in place of charging full market rents.

What’s next: The ordinance passed first reading at this meeting; further readings and administrative steps will follow per the City’s legislative process before final adoption.