Confusion Leads California AG to Request Housing Authorities Deny Rent Increases
With housing authorities interpreting the state’s rent control laws differently, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued letters (pdf) to the agencies June 29 clarifying the statutes and demanding protection for all tenants.
“As California grapples with an unprecedented housing crisis, it’s critical that we work together to protect those most at risk of losing their homes,” Mr. Bonta said in the press release July 5.
At issue are residents involved in the state’s Section 8 Housing Voucher Program—a federally funded program administered by local housing agencies and designed to provide financial assistance to very low-income families.
Some housing authorities mistakenly allowed, on multiple occasions over the past year, rent increases greater than the thresholds mandated by rent control laws enacted with the state Tenant Protection Act—5 percent plus inflation or 10 percent annually, whichever amount is lower—believing that such individuals were not protected by the statute because their rent was subsidized by the voucher program….