Concord City Council To Consider Renters' Protection Ordinance

CONCORD, CA — Three and a half years into a community-wide dialogue about protections for local housing renters, the Concord City Council on Tuesday is expected to provide guidance to city staff for moving ahead with a revised rental tenant protection ordinance.

Among the suggested provisions are a maximum 5 percent rent increase each year plus cost of living adjustment, maximum of 10 percent each year, whichever is less; prohibition of more than two rent increases over any 12-month period; and making that rent cap applicable to existing tenants only.

Rent stabilization and other tenant protections have been a topic of discussion in Concord since June 2016, when the City Council and the city's Housing and Economic Development Committee held eight meetings on the issue. They attracted a lot of response, including more than 12 hours of public testimony on the need for action.

The City Council approved its Residential Rent Review Program in June 2017.

In January 2019, the Ad Hoc Committee on Rental Housing was set up to discuss and review state and local requirements regarding tenant/landlord responsibilities and developing rental housing objectives and strategies for consideration by City Council. It met eight times from January until May 2019. The committee released a subsequent report in May.

Tuesday's council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1950 Parkside Drive.

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