4b1 iG Colnmen%
C(
hS' Z' ' Z' cll. QtS.(>
157 MURRAY ST. CHULA VISTA, CA 91910
I onorable Mayor and Citv Council09 12/ 06/ 23
Contained is a brief outline of the catastrophic effects the Tenant Landlord Protection Act"" will have on Chula ' Vista renters. Two areas in wnicti this ordinance ad. N7ersely effects renters are . 4
1) Forces Landlords to drastically raise rents to offset costs me-urred- with tie implementation of this ordinance.
Because of some draconian clauses, many Mom & Pop
Landlords will pull property off the rental market
reducing the supply of rentals in our communitNt., OF
OutIined Italics herein are just a few of the clauses
within this Act which renders this ordinance fatally flawed, Clause 9. 65. 080 C 3 & 4 states---: Civil penalties for violations of this chap. ter ntkv be as-sess- ed at a rate, not to exceed, $ 5, 000 per vt6lation per day..... it Is- not required that a warning or notice to cure must first be given bef-6re an a. dnu*n- istraiiv; citationr o civil penaity malt be issued Owner, shall be- guilty of a misdemeanor punishable. Ity ... irsvnment for a Period of not more than six months, or iry both aftne and inWn. sonmenl. ingThreatening Landlords, who may unk- now* 41y vi olate some obscure clause of this ordinance, with a six month prison 1 sentence or the confiscation of their entire life' s savings does nothing io relieve the pressure placed on tenants its secure affordable housing. Such a draconian measures places extreme pressure on " Mom. & Pop" Ldlords to remove their properties from the rental market. Reducing the supply of rental units invariably results in. rent increases. The few " Mom & Pop Landlords remaining will be forced to raise rents to offset projected expense * increases,
iia Warning naiveReiiardin2 notnotice to cure,.,
Landlords they are in violation of some obscure clause of an ordinance does not prohibit city staff from seeking enforcement of the veiT few egregious offenders. If Chula Vista City, stan. s real intent was to aid tenants, they would have replaced ibis clause with.- " Upon notification, landlords have 3tI days to cure any violation tQ this ordinance. The fact that staft' took the time to insert a clause: " it S- not required that a, warning or notice tri cure nwst first die given" leads many to believe staff places a higher priority on increasingcity revenue as opposed to actually assisting tenants.
Clause 9. 65. 06t} E States if a tenant terminates his lease and moves away, " Olwners and Tenants shall provirhe City with information regarding termination of Tenancies at such
time(` s) and with such detailsshalldie required byl city v in the
aftendantAdndnis- itration Regulations.. "
2 T ne vast majonft of Mary' s andmy tenants are long
term residents. In my 51 years as a Landlord. I do not remember EVER having evicted a tenant. However, if the tenant
terminates the lease, moves ax-vay and does not follow prop er procedure of informing City Staff about their move., owner is subject to the previously mentionec * t tine and imprisonment. It it doubtful many tenants are even aware of their legal responsibly to report their lease termination. I don' t know how to ensure. past tenants have followed proper procedure in informing city staff they have terminated their lease.
0 0
Another dis-creiDancv in .-- the -- oTdinance: The definition of the term Substantial Remodel" is deepl)
rr
flaxved. A landlord is0
m violation of the lavv and sukject to a $ 5, 000. 00 fine and six months imprisonment if a remodel does not adl- iere every Point of the definition belo- vN-T-.
Substantial Remodel means i proveme). iis io a Residential UnitRentalRentalii meet ng all of thefollowing criteria:
1. Any s-ttwetural,, electtical, plumbing or mech- anical system isbeingreplaced or subs-tantia- Ity
2. The cost of the improvements ( excluding insurance prQceeds, land costs-, and arch itecturatlengineering fees) is equal to or greater than $ 40 per square foot of the Residential Rental Unit; and
I A pernit is required from a governmental agency or the abatement of part, lead- based
K
mold, or asbestos- is- required in accordance with applicable federal, State, County, or City laws and cannot die reasonably accomplished in a safe manner with the -Tenant in Place; andK 4* It * is necessary for the Residential Rental Unit to be - vacant for more than siy( 60} d ys. in
Cosmetic itrWxovements along,, including, but not limited to, painting, decorating, flooring replacement, counter
replacement, and minor repairs-, or other work that can be performed seely without having the Residential Rental Unit vacated, do not constitute a Substantial Remodel.
The Italic text above should be simply replaced with ' Any improvement which cannot Ise safely completed without tenant vacating the prenises.
threM & I have recentl substantially remodeledY
condominiums in Chula Vista. We transfon- ned these 1960 s outdated units into beautiful modem homes. I am ' proud to saN!; upon completion, the units were rented at $ 600. 00 below - identical units in the sa- me complex.. If this ordinance had 1 - 2
passed before we completed these prQj*ects, we woulct tiave been0 0 prohibited b -Y law from improving these properties because the work we performed did not com- Plv with the definition of Substantial Remodel".
I A
Many- properties on the NNTestSide of Chula ia. alc MU
and in much need of repairs. Discouraging propertyA
improvements in this area of our C I INIT
not only degrades our
community but also encourages the establishment of slums. 91d
Mary & I have always taken pride in holding the line of rents. In October, before the adoption of this ordinance, we informed our tenants of the 2023 rent structure. Most rents remained unchanged, a few had minor increases and one tenant actually had their rent decreased,
I am devastated to inform them that, upon the advice of real- estate professionals, we are adjusting rents the maximum amount allowed by law- to finance the implementation of this ordinance. However, even this huge increase in rents won' t be sufficient to pay the $ 5, 000. 00 daily fines which are sure tQ follow. The added costs to our tenants will be barely be enough to pay the legal fees io challenge the fines and avoid jail, In closing,, as you can see, this ordinance has a devastating effect on renters. Hopefully a sufficient number council members will institute procedures necessatT to amend this ordinance in a way which would truly help the citizens of Chula Vista. Being a landlord, who has had wonderful relationships with individual tenants for 10., 201, and even. 30 years, I am absolutely positive this ordinance,, as written., hurts many more people than it helps. Please feel free to contact me if you feel I am wrong with my conclusions. I have done my research, Ido not expect your call.
Respectfully.
os*/ t 9 % u n
0