Documents and Resources

Information To Go on the Web

Browse over 80 of our most frequently asked-about topics including:

• Overview of Rent Board Services – What We Do and Don’t Do
• The Rent Board Fee
• Overview of Covered and Exempt Units
• Annual and Banked Rent Increases
• Security Deposits and Interest on Deposits
• Roommates and Subletting
• Evictions
• Landlord Petitions and Passthroughs
• Tenant Petitions
• Reports of Alleged Wrongful Eviction
• The Hearing and Appeal Process
• Mediation at the Rent Board

Forms Center
The Forms Center includes tenant and landlord petitions, as well as rate and fee schedules and popular forms such as:

• Tenant Petition for Rent Reduction due to Decrease in Housing Services
• Tenant Report of Alleged Wrongful Eviction
• Capital Improvement Petition
• Operating and Maintenance Petition
• Utility Passthrough Worksheet and Petition
• Bond Measure Passthrough Worksheet
• Appeal Forms
• Full List of Allowable Rent Increases (1982-present)
• Security Deposit Interest Rates (1983-present)
• Relocation Payment Amounts
• The Rent Board Fee (1999-present)
• Request for Postponement of Hearing
• Proof of Service
• Referral List

Ordinance and Regulations
You can find the San Francisco Rent Ordinance and the Rent Board’s Rules and Regulations, as well as other related laws including:

• Uniform Residential Hotel Visitor Policy
• Security Deposit Interest Ordinance
• Rent Board Fee Ordinance
• Residential Tenant Communications Ordinance
• Residential Water Conservation Ordinance

Rent Board Commission Meetings
Agendas for the Commission meetings are posted on the Web before every meeting and Minutes from the meetings are posted shortly after each meeting. You can also find:

• Accessible Meeting Policy
• List of Rent Board Commissioners

Fact Sheets

We provide online versions of our printed brochures covering many common issues in depth, including:

Fact Sheet 1 - General Information

Fact Sheet 2 - Repair Issues

Fact Sheet 3 - Security Deposits, Interest on Security Deposits, and The Rent Board Fee

Fact Sheet 4 - Eviction Issues

Fact Sheet 5 - Landlord Petitions and Passthroughs

Fact Sheet 6 - Tenant Petitions

Fact Sheet 7 - Annual Allowable Rent Increases and Banked Rent Increases

Fact Sheet 8 - Hearings, Mediations and Appeals

Fact Sheet 9 - Utility Passthroughs

Fact Sheet 10 - Water Revenue Bond Passthroughs

Info-to-Go: 24-hour Recorded Phone Information – 415-252-4600
Call our Info-to-Go phone system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to hear automated information on over 80 topics of interest to tenants and landlords. You can fax yourself a Table of Contents or find the Table of Contents (pdf) on our website.

• After listening to a topic, you have the option to fax yourself a copy of that topic
• Phone instructions, the Info-to-Go Table of Contents and all topics are available in English, Spanish and Chinese.

Receive personal assistance from a Rent Board counselor by calling or visiting our office.

• Phone counseling hours are 9:00 AM – Noon and 1:00-4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Because of demand, calls may be limited to 5 minutes.
• Visit our office during regular business hours, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Our office is located at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Room 320, San Francisco, CA 94102. In person counseling sessions are generally limited to 10 minutes.
  Those issues that cannot be resolved without our time limits will, at the counselor’s discretion, be scheduled for an appointment.
• Please have your questions written down before you speak with a counselor.
• Multiple language assistance available – we have some bilingual staff and we have access to a telephonic language line that provides instantaneous translations in dozens of languages.

Referrals

Referral Listing

Referral Listing (pdf)

Take advantage of over 40 referrals to related government agencies and non-profit organizations.

Other Resources

• Nolo Press Publications: Every Landlord’s Legal Guide; Every Tenant’s Legal Guide. Available at major bookstores, online at www.nolo.com or by phone at 800-728-3555.

• California Department of Consumer Affairs Publications: California Tenants – A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities. Available online at www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook or by phone at 800-952-5210.
• The Official California Legislative Information site maintains all of the State of California laws from 1993 to the present.