Rent Control Article (San Francisco)

[Anthony Gayden]

I have to admit that I was rolling around laughing reading this article. The tenant quoted in this article is paying rent not only far below market levels in San Francisco, but far below market levels even here in Nebraska. She seems absolutely shocked that the landlord would want to pass the cost of their debt service and other costs off to the tenant. She seems to have no concept at all of business.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/SF-landlords-attempts-to-pass-some-charges-on-12422939.php

"she received another notice, this one informing her that her rent, which had risen just $113 — to $543 — since 1998, would rise 31 percent to $714"

Rubio said she feels like she is being forced to effectively help her landlord make its mortgage payments, “like I’m paying someone else’s credit card bill.”

When it comes to the Powell Street building where Rubio lives, Alex Clemens, a Veritas spokesman, pointed to a number of “major improvements” the company has made to the property since purchasing it, including a new roof, renovated common areas, and ongoing upgrades to the building’s electrical and gas systems.

“It’s difficult to understand how these charges can even be justified,” she said. “I feel like this is a moral issue.”