On October 3, 2017, the Fremont City Council adopted the Rent Review Ordinance, effective January 1, 2018. The ordinance covers all residential rental units in Fremont, including single family homes. The Rent Review Program provides a review and a formal hearing for proposed rent increases in excess of 5% in any 12-month period.
Rent Review Program Fee
On February 18, 2020 the City Council adopted the FY 2019/20 fee of $13 per unit and amended the Rent Review Ordinance so that landlords who own less than 5 rental units in Fremont are exempt from the fee.
City staff is currently working on the administration of the fee. Please check back for more information.
Rent Review Ordinance Amendments
On April 16, 2019 the City Council adopted amendments to the Rent Review Ordinance, which went into effect on Thursday, May 16, 2019. The following sections have been amended:
Sec. 9.60.020 - language added to strengthen the definition and role of the responsible party to require the person negotiating the rent increase to have final legal authority to adjust the rent without limitations.
Sec. 9.60.030 - Notice of Availability of Rent Review shall be provided to any tenant that receives an increase from their base rent, regardless of the length of tenancy.
Sec. 9.60.040 - rent increase notices shall be personally delivered to the tenant or mailed to the tenant.
Sec. 9.60.050 - rental units owned or operated by a government agency or subsidized by a government agency are no longer exempt from the ordinance; shared housing units and junior accessory dwelling units are exempt from the ordinance; *effective July 1, 2019.
Sec. 9.60.070 - landlords prohibited from discriminating against tenant applicant based on source of income, which includes all lawful sources of income or rental assistance program, homeless assistance program, security deposit assistance program, or housing subsidy program.
Sec. 2.20.650 - Rent Review Board member terms are now staggered.
New Rent Increase Notice Requirements
The Rent Review Ordinance has new requirements for all rent increase notices that are provided to tenants. All rent increase notices must:
be in writing
show the contact information of the landlord or responsible party
if the increase is over 5%, provide an explanation of why the increase is needed
include the Rent Review Ordinance language about the availability of rent review in all languages provided by the City of Fremont
Landlords may use the Rent Review Noticing Form in addition to their standard rent increase notice to satisfy the City's rent increase notice requirements.
The annual report provides an update on the status of the Rent Review Ordinance implementation and operation since its inception, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the rent review program.
The mid year report provides an update of the status of the rent review ordinance from January 1, 2018 to June 15, 2018. Click below to view the mid year report.