Rent board receives Bay Area tenant survey: awareness high but enforcement, outreach gaps persist

The Richmond Rent Board on July 16 received a staff report on the 2024 tenant survey conducted in partnership with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute and CSU Fullerton's Social Science Research Center. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, yielded 800 completed surveys across three cities, including 400 respondents from Richmond (200 from rent-stabilized tenancies and 200 from partially covered or non-stabilized tenancies).

Executive Director Nicholas Traylor told the board the study was conducted under Richmond Municipal Code section 11.10.06(e) to assess the effects of rent stabilization. Traylor summarized the methodology: the program provided a list of over 20,000 rental addresses, a stratified sample of about 16,800 households was selected, and the program achieved the target of 400 completed Richmond surveys. Staff said participation was voluntary, incentivized with $10 gift cards, and the survey was bilingual (English and Spanish).

Key findings presented to the board included: high awareness of the city's rent ordinance (about 82% of respondents) and 60% awareness of the rent program; lower awareness among younger tenants and tenants identifying as Black or Latinx; rent-stabilized tenants were more likely to be younger, immigrant, and occupy smaller units; while rent-stabilized tenants paid lower rent on average they reported higher financial stress, greater concern about eviction, and more housing issues than non-stabilized tenants.

The survey flagged several enforcement and outreach concerns. Many tenants reported fear of retaliation when requesting repairs and described landlords telling them they would have to pay for repairs (which staff said is not allowed). The staff presentation highlighted that perceptions of landlords' responses—whether accurate or not—undermine tenants' willingness to assert their rights. Traylor said those findings point to a need for more targeted outreach and education, particularly for younger tenants and tenants who are Black, Latinx or immigrants, and for stronger collaboration with the city's Community Development Department on rental inspection and habitability enforcement.

Board members asked questions about the low Spanish-language response rate; Traylor said the mailings and postcards were bilingual but suggested concerns about government surveys within immigrant or undocumented communities might have reduced Spanish responses.

The board received the report (no formal action required). Staff said the findings will inform outreach planning, education for tenants and landlords, possible budget priorities for outreach and mediation workshops, and revisions to the rental inspection program to avoid checklist items that in practice assign blame to tenants for maintenance issues.

Ending: The survey results will be used to guide targeted outreach, to refine enforcement and inspection coordination with the city, and to inform future program priorities and potential budget requests.