City of Oakland
The following is a brief overview of the tenant protections available in this city. For more details please refer to the ordinance itself and any other resourced linked below.
Overview
What tenant protections does the city have?
Rent Control
Just Cause for Evictions
Who enforces the tenant protections?
Rent Board
“By Phone
Phone: (510) 238-3721
The Rent Adjustment Program’s Housing Counselors are available by phone Monday through Thursday, 9:30am to 4:30pm to answer any RAP or housing-related questions you might have. Topics can be, but are not limited to, tenant and property owner issues and concerns, Oakland rental housing laws, or how to file petitions or responses with RAP. Calls are generally limited to 10 minutes per person.
By Email
If you would prefer an email response, you can email us. RAP strives to return all emails within a forty-eight-hour timeframe.
Contact a RAP Housing Counselor: [email protected]. Please include in your email: your full name, your telephone number, and your address.
Hearings Unit: If you have issues or questions relating to your pending case, you must contact your Case Analyst directly. If you do not know who your Case Analyst is, you can email [email protected] to find that information, or you can look up your case information here.
When were these protections adopted and most recently updated?
Adopted: 1983
Updated: 2022
Rent Stabilization
Exemptions
SFH and condos per Costa Hawkins Act. Anything built after 1983. Buildings in which rents are controlled, regulated, subsidized by gov’t, short term rentals, nonprofit coops, per local law.
How much can rent be increased and how often?
60% of CPI or 3% whichever is lower, once in a 12 month period
Is banking allowed?
Yes, but max amount is 3*CPI or 10%
Are passthroughs or additional costs allowed (pets, utilities, parking, etc)?
Landlord can petition for increase based on fair return, capital improvements/repairs, increased housing services. If a new tenant is added to lease, landlord can petition to raise rent by 5%.
Eviction Protections
Exemptions
Buildings built from ground up in the last 10 years.
Under what circumstances is the landlord obligated to pay relocation assistance to tenant?
Relocation assistance for temporary or permanent moves due to code noncompliance: Code Compliance Relocation Program
No fault evictions yield CPI-adjusted relocation payments, based on unit size: Uniform Relocation Ordinance