Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy

The Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy was amended on March 30, 2010.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors created the Single Room Occupancy Hotel Safety and Stabilization Task Force, also known as the “SRO Task Force”, in order to approve a uniform visitor policy for residential hotels. The Policy is available below in downloadable .pdf and is also available at our office in multiple languages.

The Rent Board is authorized to approve Supplemental Visitor Policies that are consistent with the Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy and the goals of Administrative Code Chapter 41D. Landlords who wish to obtain approval of a Supplemental Visitor Policy may file a petition with the Rent Board and receive a written decision from an Administrative Law Judge approving or rejecting the proposed policy.

The Rent Board is also authorized to hear complaints of non-compliance with the provisions of the Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy. A tenant who believes that a hotel has not acted in compliance with the Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy, an approved Supplemental Visitor Policy, or any other provision of Chapter 41D may file a petition with the Rent Board for a reduction in rent. A tenant need not live in a hotel unit for 32 continuous days before he can file a petition; the protections of the Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy are in effect from the inception of the tenancy, except for the right to have overnight visitors.

Please note that hotels that are otherwise exempt from the rent increase and eviction limitations of the Rent Ordinance are subject to the jurisdiction of the Rent Board for adjudication of disputes concerning visitor policies.

June 2019

Tags: Topic 259

Last updated July 28, 2023

Department