MV Rent Stabilization Program

Annual General Adjustment is the percentage by which rent may be increased each year in rent-stabilized apartments in Mountain View; this is part of CSFRA. It is equal to the Consumer Price Index of the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region. For the year beginning Sept 2017 was 3.4%. For the(...)

Banking allows the landlord to give the tenant a larger percentage increase in rent if the landlord has not increased the rent in the year(s) prior. CSFRA spells out what banking is allowed.

Base Rent is the rent upon which rent adjustments will be made under CSFRA. For tenancies beginning before October 19, 2015, the base rent is the rent in effect on Oct. 19, 2015, otherwise the Base Rent is the rent in effect of the lease sign date.

The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA) is the name given to the Charter Amendment (Measure V) passed by Mountain View voters in November 2016. An attempt to modify CSFRA, Measure D, was defeated by the voters in March 2020. Another ballot proposition to amend CSFRA is on the(...)

CPI or Consumer Price Index is data reflecting changes in prices paid for a representative basket of goods and services. CPI Housing only takes into account the changes in prices for housing.

CPI or Consumer Price Index is data reflecting changes in prices paid for a representative basket of goods and services. CPI Housing only takes into account the changes in prices for housing.

The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA) is the name given to the Charter Amendment (Measure V) passed by Mountain View voters in November 2016. An attempt to modify CSFRA, Measure D, was defeated by the voters in March 2020. Another ballot proposition to amend CSFRA is on the(...)

Effective Date of CSFRA is Dec. 23, 2016, the date Measure V was certified as approved by the voters, declared by the RHC on Sept. 11, 2017. Opponents had contended that the effective date was April 5, 2017, the date the court set aside the temporary injunction (sought by landlords/apartment(...)

Eviction is the result of a court decision in an unlawful detainer case. An unlawful detainer case can be filed when there is just cause, or when there is no cause, except as modified by the Tenant Protection Act. In situations with no cause, the landlord needs to give the tenant a 30-day (or(...)

Exempt Units under CSFRA are units in hotels, motels, etc., rental units with government subsidies or tax credits, hospitals and extended care facilities, single-family homes and condominiums, duplexes, and companion units, also called accessory dwelling units, second dwelling units and granny(...)

Fair Rate of Return is a key term in rent-stabilization law as landlords may petition for an upward adjustment to the rent, above the Annual General Adjustment (AGA), if they can show that the AGA does not give them a fair rate of return. CSFRA excludes many factors that can be considered in(...)

Just Cause for eviction means the Landlord has a good reason for terminating a tenancy, generally either failure to pay rent, or breach of the lease by the tenant. Reasons are stated in California Code of Civil Procedure and detailed in Dept. of Fair Employment and Housing definition. Tenants(...)

The concept of Maintenance of Net Operating Income (MNOI) is the concept that the landlord was presumably receiving a fair rate of return in 2015, for example, and that the landlord should be able to maintain this NOI in the following years if they are to have a fair rate of return. This is a(...)

The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA) is the name given to the Charter Amendment (Measure V) passed by Mountain View voters in November 2016. An attempt to modify CSFRA, Measure D, was defeated by the voters in March 2020. Another ballot proposition to amend CSFRA is on the(...)

The concept of Maintenance of Net Operating Income (MNOI) is the concept that the landlord was presumably receiving a fair rate of return in 2015, for example, and that the landlord should be able to maintain this NOI in the following years if they are to have a fair rate of return. This is a(...)

NOI is net operating income. It is calculated by subtracting operating expenses from gross income.

NOI is net operating income. It is calculated by subtracting operating expenses from gross income.

A partially exempt unit under CSFRA is a unit otherwise eligible that was issued a certificate of occupancy after Feb. 1, 1995. Partially exempt units are subject to just cause but not rent stabilization.

The Rental Housing Committee per CSFRA shall consist of 5 Mountain View residents appointed by the City Council; no more than 2 members can own or manage rental property, or be realtors or developers.

Rental Housing Fee is a fee to be charged all landlords governed by CSFRA on an annual basis. The fee may be different for those units that are partially exempt. The fee is set by the RHC and per CSFRA is to cover the costs of implementation of CSFRA.

The Rental Housing Committee per CSFRA shall consist of 5 Mountain View residents appointed by the City Council; no more than 2 members can own or manage rental property, or be realtors or developers.

Rollback date is a CSFRA term referring to the date (Oct. 19, 2015) taken to calculate the Base Rent for current tenancies whose establishment predates the rollback date. It is called a “rollback” date because the CSFRA required upon its effective date that rents could not be higher than the(...)

Vacancy Decontrol refers to the situation that occurs when a tenant voluntarily vacates a unit; the landlord can then charge whatever the market rent is at that time.

Vega Adjustment addresses situations where the base year NOI was unusually low, typically because the rent charged for 1 or more units was unreasonably low. Vega refers to a court case which required such adjustments when using the MNOI methodology for fair rate of return. The RHC adopted a(...)