City of Emeryville Tenant Protections

The information below is provided by Tenants Together, based partially on research conducted by the Urban Displacement Project, and was last updated in October 2018. For complete information on the City's tenant protections, please visit their website here.

Disclaimer: This website is for general information and none of the information provided constitutes legal advice. In addition, please note that ordinances are periodically updated, modified, or interpreted by regulations. We recommend contacting the City for the official version of its law in the event that you intend to rely on this information.

Rent control is effective at keeping people in their homes. Rent control policies limit rent increases and provide greater housing stability for tenants. Rent control ordinances in California allow landlords to set the initial rent in any amount, but limit rent increases after a tenancy begins.

Rent control is often combined with eviction protections, known as "just cause for eviction," to make sure that landlords do not get around the rent increase limits by simply evicting tenants arbitrarily and bringing in new tenants. Just Cause protections provide basic fairness and prevent retaliation, discrimination, and harassment proactively.

Overview

Rating 3
What regulations does the City have? Just Cause
Year Just Cause was Originally Adopted 2017
Year of Most Recent Just Cause Amendment 2017

Just Cause Protections Summary

What causes for eviction are considered just cause - tenant at-fault?
  • Failure to pay rent
  • Illegal activity
  • Breach of rental agreement
  • Failure to give access to landlord
  • Tenant rejects a lease extension the is substantively and materially similar to original agreement
  • Tenant violates occupancy restrictions
  • Tenant violates applicable health and safety code
What causes for eviction are considered just cause - no-fault?
  • Landlord returns from sabbatical
  • Landlord returns from military deployment
  • Landlord converts unit to condo
  • Landlord removes unit from market
  • Owner move-in
  • Unit is unfit for habitation
  • Capital improvements
Key Eligibility and Exemption Summary All non-exempt units are eligible
Is there a minimum tenancy for coverage? No
Do protections apply to new construction? No
What triggers the obligation to pay relocation assistance?
  • Landlord removes unit from market
  • Owner move-in
  • Unit is unfit for habitation
  • Capital improvements/ substantial rennovation
Exemptions: if a natural disaster or some other event out of the landlord's control triggers the above circumstances, and landlords of group residential covered units

Rent Board Summary

Does the City have a Rent Board? N/A
Number of Units Covered by Just Cause Protections Approximately 6,500