Mountain View Rent Ordinance (CSFRA)

The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA) is the Mountain View rent control and tenant protection law. It is designed to stabilize rents, provide strong eviction protections, and ensure landlords earn a fair rate of return.

Who is Covered by the CSFRA?

Coverage in Mountain View depends on the age of your building and has two levels of protection: Fully Covered and Partially Covered.

  • Fully Covered: Multi-unit buildings (3+ units) built before February 1, 1995 > Rent Stabilization (Rent Caps) & Just Cause Eviction

  • Partially Covered: Multi-unit buildings (3+ units) built between Feb 1, 1995, and Dec 23, 2016.> Only Just Cause Eviction (No Rent Caps)

Key Exemptions (Not Covered by Rent Caps or Eviction Protections)

  • Rental units in a single building with fewer than three residential units.

  • Single-family homes and condominiums.

  • Government-owned, operated, or subsidized units where the program specifically exempts it from rent control.

  • Companion units (ADUs) on the same grounds as a single-family home.

  • Short-term rentals (fewer than 30 consecutive days).

RENT STABILIZATION (RENT CAPS)

For Fully Covered units (3+ units built before 1995), your rent increases are strictly limited by the Annual General Adjustment (AGA).

The Annual General Adjustment (AGA)

  • Limit: Rent may only be increased once per year by the Annual General Adjustment (AGA), which is set by the Mountain View Rental Housing Committee.

  • Rate: The AGA is equal to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Bay Area.

  • Notice: The landlord must provide a 30-day advanced written notice of the increase.

  • "Banking" Past Rent Increases: Landlords are allowed to "bank" (save) past AGAs that they didn't use and impose them at a later date.

  • 10% Cap: If the overall rent increase in a 12-month period (including banked amounts) exceeds 10%, the landlord must petition the Housing Committee for approval.

Petitions for Above-Limit Increases or Decreases

Both landlords and tenants have the right to file petitions with the Housing Committee:

  • Landlord Petition (Fair Rate of Return): A landlord can petition for a rent increase above the AGA if they can demonstrate it's necessary to receive a fair rate of return. They may cite factors like increased property taxes, maintenance expenses, or capital improvements.

  • Tenant Petition (Rent Decrease): Tenants can petition to reduce their rent due to:

    • Decreased Housing Services (e.g., loss of a parking space or laundry facility).

    • The landlord's failure to maintain a habitable unit or comply with housing codes.

    • An unlawful rent increase or an undue hardship from a large banked rent increase.

JUST CAUSE EVICTION PROTECTIONS

For all covered units (fully and partially protected), your landlord must have one of nine permissible reasons (Just Causes) to evict you.

At-Fault (Tenant Action): Failure to pay rent, breach of the lease, nuisance, ongoing criminal activity, or failure to give the landlord lawful access to the unit.

No-Fault (Landlord Intent): Owner Move-In (OMI), Ellis Act Eviction (withdrawing the entire building from the market), Demolition, or Temporary Eviction for Substantial Repairs.

Requirements for Owner Move-In (OMI) Evictions

OMI evictions allow the owner or a close relative (spouse, child, parent, or grandparent) to occupy the unit. Strict rules apply:

  • Owner Status: The landlord must be a natural person with at least a 50% recorded ownership interest.

  • No Vacant Units: There must be no other vacant units in the property that the owner or relative could move into.

  • Duration: The owner/relative must move in within 60 days and reside in the unit as their principal residence for 36 consecutive months (3 years).

  • Tenant Protections: You are protected from OMI eviction if you have lived in the unit for at least five years and are either 62 years or older, disabled, or terminally ill (unless the owner/relative moving in is also 62+, disabled, or terminally ill, and all units in the building are occupied by protected tenants).

Notice Periods

  • General: 30-day notice for tenancies under one year; 60-day notice for tenancies of one year or more.

  • Ellis Act: 120-day notice.

  • Vulnerable Tenants (Ellis Act): Households with a tenant who is 62 or older, or disabled, and who has resided in the unit for more than one year, are entitled to a one-year notice.

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND BUYOUTS

Mandatory Relocation Assistance

Tenants evicted for No-Fault reasons (OMI, Ellis Act, Demolition, Substantial Repairs) are eligible for relocation assistance if their household income does not exceed 120% of the median household income for Santa Clara County plus $5,000.

Relocation assistance is provided per rental unit and includes:

  • A refund of the security deposit (less any tenant damages).

  • Access subscription to a rental agency.

  • The cash equivalent of three months' rent (based on the average rent for a similarly-sized unit in Mountain View).

  • Vulnerable Tenant Bonus: An additional $8,000 per unit for households with a tenant who is 62 or older, disabled, or has a legal dependent under 19.

Temporary Eviction for Substantial Repairs

If temporarily evicted for substantial repairs, you have the right to reoccupy the unit upon completion at the same rent you were paying before the relocation. If the landlord offers a comparable vacant unit at the same rent, you are not eligible for the cash relocation assistance.

Right of Return

If a unit is removed from the market (Ellis Act) and then rented again:

  • Within 2 years: The displaced tenant has the right to reoccupy at the original rental rate (plus allowed adjustments) and may seek actual and punitive damages.

  • Within 5 years: The tenant has the right to reoccupy at the original rental rate (plus allowed adjustments) and may seek punitive damages if the landlord fails to notify them the unit is back on the market.

  • Within 10 years: The tenant has the right to renew the tenancy at market rate.


Peregrine Legal Group, PC represents tenants across Mountain View. Contact us to schedule a consultation.


Mountain view website: https://www.mountainview.gov/our-city/departments/housing/rent-stabilization

Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge only and is not legal advice. For specific legal issues, you should consult with a qualified attorney or contact the Pasadena Rent Stabilization Department