EASY BAY EXPRESS "Oakland Looks to Close Owner Move-In and Occupancy Loopholes, Reduce Evictions and Harmful Rent Increases"

An excerpt of the article follows:

"A key committee of the Oakland City Council approved the first step in drafting stronger protections against bogus owner move-in evictions today.

The Community and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously in favor of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan's request to have the city's rent board study the problem and come up with solutions that will better protect renters.

According to tenants and tenant attorneys, there has been an uptick in the number of fraudulent owner move-in evictions in Oakland in the past half year, and some landlords have also pretended to live in small apartment buildings (under three units) to gain exemption from rent control and just cause eviction protections. This allows them to get rid of tenants they don't like and increase rents by any amount.

Councilmember Kaplan said at today's hearing that her office has received numerous complaints of fraudulent owner move-in evictions in recent months.

"I'm thrilled we are able to move forward on this important and growing problem of potentially false over occupancy evictions," said Kaplan after the hearing."

An excerpt of Ms. Kaplan's Resolution, which passed unanimously by the Oakland City Council, follows:

"WHEREAS, Oakland's Just Cause Ordinance (O.M.C. 8.22.300) exempts buildings with two or three units from just-cause protections if a property owner lives in one of the units_ as a, primary residence; and

WHEREAS, this means that renters in buildings with two or three units risk no-fault eviction,
should an owner move into one of the units; and

WHEREAS, this exemption has the benefit of helping mom and pop landlords, who live in
buildings with two or three units, but is susceptible to abuse; and

WHEREAS, false owner-move ins and owner-occupied exemptions are increasing in the City of Oakland as a tactic to push out existing tenants and raise rents; and

WHEREAS, such false owner-move ins and owner-occupied exemptions is exacerbating
Oakland's severe housing supply and affordability crisis, and threatens the public health, safety and/or welfare of our residents; 

RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council requests the Housing Residential Rent and 

Relocation Board to consider regulations to have property owners who [own and occupy] duplexes and triplexes to confirm owner-occupancy status through a certificate of exemption or other administrative process for exemption from the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance. . ."

My thoughts? Kudos to Kaplan for helping to close this loop!