BOS Upgrades Covid-19 Renter Protections

On April 28, the Marin County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted unanimously to extend and expand renter protections related to the COVID-19 crisis under Resolution 2020-27. These amendments include: the addition of a 90-day rent repayment period after the expiration of the resolution (currently set for May 31 and coinciding with the current shelter-in-place order); a prohibition against landlords harassing or intimidating tenants from exercising their rights under this resolution; and a requirement that landlords provide tenants with a copy of the resolution if they want to take any action or change any terms of the lease. These provisions apply to both commercial and residential tenants in incorporated and unincorporated Marin.

The Marin Organizing Committee (MOC), of which MEHC is a member, presented stories from Spanish-speaking tenants who lack the necessary technology to comment personally online.

One tenant said, “I cannot even tell you my name for fear losing my apartment. I live in a low-income apartment and I lost my job a month ago. Today I don’t have money for the May rent and I had to bring my mother to live with me …. If they evict us, I won’t be able to pay for somewhere else where the rent is even higher.” 

A mobile home owner who rents the space where it is located commented “A three-month hiatus … is not nearly enough time to recover for folks like me who have lost 25 to 30% of our annual income, and that is being optimistic. There is absolutely no way that I can pay months of back rent after crawling out of the months-long financial drain. I urge the Board of Supervisors to make the [payback] timeframe at least one year…otherwise we will be faced with an entire group of Marin County families that will never recover financially and probably need government assistance for years to come…”  

MEHC and MOC thanked the BOS and asked that they extend the repayment period to at least 180 days. While sympathetic, the Board was cautious, citing concerns about being sued. This matter is likely to be reconsidered in the coming months. Find out more>>