Among the new state laws that went into effect at the beginning
of the new year is one that regulates no-fault evictions. It
creates an extension to 60 days for long-term tenants to leave
after receiving a no-fault eviction notice. Despite complaints from
landlords, the change from just 30 days is good legislation.
Among the new state laws that went into effect at the beginning of the new year is one that regulates no-fault evictions. It creates an extension to 60 days for long-term tenants to leave after receiving a no-fault eviction notice. Despite complaints from landlords, the change from just 30 days is good legislation.
The new law, considered since the last housing boom, is an effective homelessness prevention tool, particularly for low-income families, who often suffer disproportionately no-fault evictions when rents rise. A recent report shows that in this past year, average rents in Santa Clara County increased 11.5 percent. While still lower than when they were highest before the dot-com bust, the average rent of $1,492 is nothing to sneeze at. A mere 30 days isn’t enough time for low-wage workers to locate an appropriate dwelling, much less assemble nearly $4,500 required for a first and last month’s rent plus a security deposit for it.
Landlords complain that this new law only provides one more barrier to evicting bad tenants. However, as Phyllis Katz of California Rural Legal Assistance correctly noted, landlords still have several avenues they can use to evict a problem tenant. Those laws pave the way for quicker evictions based on certain evidence.
All indicators point to a growing Silicon Valley economy. Rents are rising, but wages aren’t keeping pace. In the last boom, many landlords would evict tenants so they could raise the rents to benefit from the ever-hotter market. With this law in place now, before the housing market gets crazy again, local service agencies can be saved from being inundated with as many homeless families as they did in the last boom. Fewer homeless families is one measure of a healthy community.
Sixty days to pack up and find a new home is reasonable.
