This week the Rent Control Board (RCB) will begin discussions to potentially change the way the city calculates rent in controlled units in anticipation of changes at the state level that would radically alter landlords’ ability to increase rents on new tenants.

No action will be taken at the Sept. 13 meeting but the Board will begin initial deliberations regarding the potential repeal of the Costa Hawkins Act, a state law that allows rent control units to be set to market rates when a new tenant moves in. While the RCB has authority over year-to-year increases, it does not have authority to set rents for new tenants that move into a unit when an old tenant leaves. Voters will be asked to repeal Costa Hawkins this November and doing so will create confusion over how to set base rents (the amount first charged when a lease begins) due to the language contained in the City Charter.

Read More: http://www.smdp.com/rent-control-board-to-begin-debate-on-new-rent-limits/169215