City Council approves freeze on rent increases

Published on April 23, 2020

The City Council adopted an urgency ordinance this week that freezes rent increases for residential rent controlled units in Alameda (generally, multi-family units built before 1995). For all rental units in Alameda, the ordinance also expands eviction protections to prohibit no fault evictions based on an owner move-in or capital improvement project.  These protections are in addition to prohibiting evictions for failing to pay rent due to circumstances arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new urgency ordinance, passed April 21, 2020, is part of a series of protections for Alameda residents and businesses who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through income loss, child care needs, and medical expenses. Landlords of rent controlled residential units are now prohibited from increasing rents until January 1, 2021. By State law, some rental units, such as most single family homes and multi-family units built after 2005, are exempt from local rent control measures, including the temporary rent increase freeze.  However, all rental units are subject to the City’s “just cause” for eviction measures, including the current moratorium on evictions.

The City’s rent stabilization ordinance allows rents in rent controlled units to be increased only by an Annual General Adjustment (AGA), tied to 70% of the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Currently the AGA is 2.8%. With this new ordinance, rent cannot be increased in rent controlled units until January 1, 2021. After that, rents may be increased again only as provided in the City’s rent ordinance.

For details about these new protections, please review the ordinance and implementing regulations at www.alamedaca.gov/tenantresources.

For additional information on the rent increase freeze or expanded eviction protections, please contact the Alameda City Attorney’s Office (kswafford@alamedacityattorney.org; 510-747-4772).