Legislation:Additional Occupancy of Family Members
Ordinance No. 282-04, which became effective January 2, 2005, amends Rent Ordinance Section 37.9(a)(2) to allow specified family members and/or domestic partners of a tenant to occupy the rental unit notwithstanding a lease provision limiting the number of occupants, if the landlord has unreasonably denied the tenant’s request to add such occupant. The Ordinance instructs the Rent Board to adopt consent procedures for these additional family members, and the Rent Board will discuss such an implementing Regulation 6.15D at its January 4, 2005 Board meeting.
Uniform Hotel Visitor Policy Amended December 2004
UNIFORM HOTEL VISITOR POLICY
As amended December 8, 2004
1. No owner or operator of a single room occupancy hotel (SRO) shall deny a guest or occupant of the hotel the right as to:
A. Day Time Visitors
- To receive visitors between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. daily. A maximum of two (2) day time visitors at a time per room may be imposed by management. There is no limit on the total number of visitors a tenant may have per day, week or month.
- Children 13 years old and under shall not be counted towards the visitor limitation rule. However, a maximum of two (2) children per room at a time can be imposed by management.
B. Overnight Guests
1. To have eight (8) overnight guests per month, limited to one visitor per tenant per night. Only tenants who have resided in their unit for thirty-two (32) continuous days or more shall be entitled to have overnight guests. Court-ordered custodial rights, which end at age seventeen (17), shall be honored for purposes of consecutive overnight stays but any such visits shall be counted toward the limitation on the number of overnight visitors.
2. For tenancies of two (2) persons per room, each tenant is permitted to have eight (8) overnight visitors per calendar month, but those tenants will have to reach agreement as to who will have the one (1) visitor per night if there is a dispute.
3. Tenants are entitled to have a visitor stay eight (8) days consecutively in a calendar month. Any visitor staying consecutive nights shall not be required to check in and out during the course of a consecutive stay.
4. Requests for overnight guests shall be made no later than 9:00 p.m. on the same day.
C. Caregivers of disabled tenants shall be exempt from visitor limitations. The owner or operator of the hotel may request medical verification or a caregiver I.D. card.
2. Owners and operators of SROs shall have the right to adopt reasonable rules and regulations to ensure that the visitor rights set forth above do not infringe on the health and safety of the building and/or otherwise interfere with the tenants’ right of quiet enjoyment.
A. Owners or operators are entitled to request that visitors provide identification as follows:
1. Only ONE of the following types of I.D. need be provided: a valid and current passport, a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued I.D., a Mexican Consular Registration Card or Resident Alien Card, merchant seaman I.D., a Day Labor Program I.D., Veteran’s Administration I.D. or any valid California or out-of-state current government agency issued picture I.D.
2. Owners/managers can require that an I.D. be left with management during the visitor’s stay, but they must provide a receipt if they do so.
3. A log must be maintained by management and the visitor must sign in and sign out when the I.D. is surrendered and when it is returned.
4. If the I.D. is lost or misplaced and not returned within 12 hours of the visitor’s request to have it returned, the owner/manager shall pay the visitor $75.00 in cash immediately upon demand by the visitor as compensation for the loss and inconvenience of replacing the lost I.D.
B. Owners and operators shall have the specific right to restrict visitors on two (2) of the three (3) actual check days of each month. Providers are required to post those blackout dates at least five (5) days prior to the first blackout date on a minimum size of 8-1/2” x 11”, to be posted prominently by the entrance or in the lobby. Blackout dates shall not apply to children thirteen (13) years of age and under, custodial children or consecutive visitors.
C. Owners and operators may deny visitor rights for 30 days to tenants who are repeat violators of hotel visiting rules. No penalty may be imposed until the second violation. All notices of violation of the policy, including the first notice, must be in writing with a copy provided to the tenant.
D. Tenants who disagree with the imposition of a penalty may either:
1. appeal to the operator or tenant representative (if one is present); or, in the alternative,
2. the tenant may go directly to the Rent Board for adjudication of their complaint.
E. Owners and operators shall also have the right to limit the number of nights any single visitor can make to the property to eight (8) per calendar month.
F. Tenants shall not be required to escort their visitors to the bathroom or other common areas of the building. However, the tenant is responsible for the conduct of their unaccompanied visitor.
3. Nothing in this section shall interfere with the rights of owners and operators of SROs to exclude specific visitors who willfully or wantonly:
A. disturb the peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants and neighbors;
B. destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove any part of the structure or dwelling unit, or the facilities or equipment used in common; or,
C. have committed repeated violations of the visitor policy which can be construed as creating a nuisance on the property; or constituting substantial interference with the comfort, safety or enjoyment of the landlord or tenants, which can be a just cause for eviction under the Rent Ordinance, as determined by the courts.
4. SRO owners or operators shall make available to their tenants a copy of any written Supplemental Visitor Policy that complies with this policy. SRO owners or operators are required to prominently post the Uniform Visitor Policy and any Supplemental Visitor Policy on a minimum size of 11” x 17” by the entrance or in the lobby.
5. Other than as a settlement of an unlawful detainer action, a tenant cannot waive the rights as outlined in this legislation. Any agreement between the SRO owner or operator and the tenant that reduces or limits the rights set forth in this legislation shall be deemed void and unenforceable.
6. Tenants are accorded certain and specific rights as a result of this legislation. If the SRO owner or operator violates this provision, a tenant will have legal recourse and will be encouraged to visit the San Francisco Rent Stabilization Board or the Police, as appropriate.
7. SRO owners or operators seeking a modification of the rights set forth above may file a petition with the San Francisco Rent Stabilization Board and receive a hearing on said petition. Notice of the time and date of said hearing shall be prominently posted by the SRO owner or operator above the front desk of the hotel, in the lobby and at least five (5) copies shall be posted on each floor of the building.
8. The Rent Board shall translate the Uniform Visitor Policy into the predominant languages of the community and make them available as needed.
Utility Passthrough Regulations Amended (11/1/04)
The following sections of the Rent Board's Rules and Regulations have been amended and have an effective date of November 1, 2004:
Rules and Regulations Sections 1.19, 4.11, 6.16, 10.12, and 10.13 were added or amended.
The new Utility Passthrough Petition can be found in the Forms Center, it is document number 026.
You can obtain a copy of the amended law as stated above in our Ordinance and Rules section.
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Bond Measure Passthrough 04-05 Available
The Bond Measure Passthrough Worksheet for 2004-2005 is available (document 056) in the Forms Center.
10/04
Key Ord.: Requires keys for every adult occupant
File Number: 031879
Effective: April 18, 2004
Ordinance amending Administrative Code Chapter 37 ("Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Ordinance") by renumbering existing Section 37.13 as 37.14 and renumbering existing Section 37.14 as 37.15, and by adding new Section 37.13 to provide that: each adult occupant is entitled to a minimum of one key/key-set for the rental unit without charge; upon written request for extra keys/key-sets stating the reason(s) (e.g. for the convenicence of the occupant, such as admitting a service provider or a delivery person or a houseguest) a landlord shall provide the requested extra keys/key-sets unless within 14 days the landlord denies the request in writing as unreasonable (e.g., due to unlawful occupancy or a pattern of lease violation); a request for an extra key/key-set may only be denied for good reason; unreasonable denial of an extra key/key-set constitutes a decrease in housing services; and, a tenant may file a petition for hearing on a disputed request for an extra key/key-set, which shall be decided by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), with the ALJ decision appealable to the Rent Board.
37.8 of the Ordinance Amended
The Board of Supervisors amended this section, effective February 15, 2004. This
section limits the Operating and Maintenance Expense passthroughs to a maximum of 7% per owner in a 5 year period. This applies to only those properties with 6 or more residential units. See Ord. Section 37.8(b)(1)(A) for the new language.
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