Chula Vista’s City’s Residential Tenant Protection Ordinance went into effect on March 1 following action taken by City Council in November of last year.
The purpose of the ordinance is to “require just cause for termination of residential tenancies consistent with Civil Code Section 1946.2, to further limit the reasons for termination of a residential tenancy, to require greater tenant relocation assistance in specified circumstances, and to provide additional tenant protections,” according to a March 7 press release from the city.
The ordinance was created with input from landlord and tenant groups who emphasized that the requirements should protect good tenants by reducing instances of landlords exploiting loopholes in state law.
The ordinance does not prevent lawful evictions or just-cause terminations and primarily strengthens statewide protections already in place, while providing greater tenant protections in certain instances of no-fault terminations of tenancy in the Chula Vista.
Relocation assistance is available to impacted tenants of properties subject to the ordinance, along with increased protection from instances of landlord harassment and retaliation.
Landlords whose properties are subject to CVMC 9.65 were required to provide notice of ordinance protections to existing tenants by March 1, 2023, and to tenants who renew or commence leases on or after March 1, 2023.
The City’s Tenant Landlord webpage (chulavistaca.gov/landlordtenant) provides information and sample notice forms for properties subject to and for properties exempt from the Ordinance. The notices are translated by the City as a courtesy in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean.
Beyond the requirement to provide the updated notice, the following property types are not affected by further action:
• Owned by a single-family owner who lives at the residence and rents two rooms/units or less.
• Duplex in which the owner lives in one of the units and rents the other.
• Single-family home or condo not owned by a real estate investment trust, corporation, LLC or managed by a mobile home park.
Additional action beyond notification is only required if a landlord takes the following actions:
1. Issues a notice for Termination of Tenancy, and
2. Rents or owns three or more residential units, operates real estate investment trusts, or manages commercial apartment/condo complexes.
