We Are Housing Experts for The People

By Katherine Harr

Disaster Preparedness, Demolitions, Housing Inspections - all important issues to landlords and tenants - require that the Rent Board work with other city departments and leaders.

Our Rent Board must remain a place where all landlords and tenants can find assistance and resolve disputes without need for expensive attorneys. Program staff are trained mediators, and the number of hearings for the department has gone down significantly since mediation has been emphasized. In addition, no one needs an attorney to sit down at the big table and tell their story in plain language to a hearing examiner. Regardless of economic status, everyone is on even ground.

Since Berkeley tenants won the protections of our Rent Ordinance over 30 years ago, new state laws and judicial decisions have taken away some of the rights and protections Berkeley tenants fought so hard to gain: Renters in single-family homes no longer have Rent Control, and when a new tenant moves in, owners can reset the rent at whatever they want, so some landlords are motivated to evict. This is why the Rent Board follows legislation at the state level, and why, as Commissioners, you will find us advocating to keep your Berkeley values our Berkeley laws.

Laws don't exist in a vacumme, and policies set by other departments must work in concert with Rent Board regulations. As elected officials and in our personal capacities as concerned citizens, we will be Community Leaders on Housing Policy: We will address issues that concern landlords and tenants but fall in the realm of other legislative and advisory bodies. For example, the Rent Board met with the Health Commission to draft laws about smoking in multi-unit buildings and the two groups made a joint recommendation to the City Council.