REPORT

Notice of Owner Noncompliance with Housing Inventory

Have you received this notice?

If you have received this notice then you may live in a unit that does not have a Rent Increase License from the San Francisco Rent Board. If your tenancy is rent-controlled and you received a rent increase that went into effect when no license was on record, you may be entitled to a rent refund.

What to know

  • All owners of residential property are required to report annually into the Housing Inventory. When property owners who have tenants report, they will receive a Rent Increase License for the unit.
  • A rent increase notice that goes into effect while the unit is unlicensed may be null and void (this may apply for multiple years)
    • Owners of buildings with 10 residential units or more have been required to report since July 1, 2022 with updates due every following March
    • Owners of condominiums and buildings with less than 10 residential units have been required to report since March 1, 2023, with updates due every following March
  • A license is required to increase a Rent Controlled Unit's rent by the allowable annual or banked rent increase amount
The Rent Increase License rules apply ONLY to units under San Francisco Rent Control.
Click here to learn more about Rent Control.
A current Rent Increase License must be on file with the San Francisco Rent Board before any annual or banked rent increase goes into effect.
Click here to learn more about rent increases.

What to do

Tenants

  1. Are you a tenant in a Rent Controlled Unit? If yes, then continue
  2. Did you receive a Rent Increase Notice that went into effect on or after July 1, 2022 (or March 1, 2023 for buildings with less than 10 units)? If yes, then continue
  3. What type of rent increase did you receive? If you received an annual rent increase or banked rent increase then continue
    1. The Rent Increase License is not required in some situations where the original occupant(s) no longer live in the unit, or for passthroughs allowed under the Rent Ordinance
  4. Check the Rent Board Portal to learn if there was a license on the effective date of your rent increase
  5. If there was no Rent Increase License then fill out a Tenant Petition for Unlawful Rent Increase to challenge the Rent Increase Notice
  6. If the rent increase has not yet gone into effect fill out a Tenant Summary Petition

Owners

  1. Are you an owner occupying the unit? If yes then continue
  2. Go to the Rent Board Portal and create an account
  3. Once your property has been added to your dashboard you will be able to register the unit as owner occupied
  4. If you cannot access the Rent Board Portal, you may be able to submit paper filings. Please note that processing paper applications may be slower than an application filed through the Rent Board Portal
    1. Paper filings can be emailed to rentboard.inventory@sfgov.org or dropped off at the Rent Board office between 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
If you are facing a rental issue in San Francisco, and the above scenarios do not appear to apply to you, you may contact the Rent Board for help at 415-252-4600.

How to check Rent Increase License status

  • Go to the Rent Board Portal
  • Type the address or Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) into the search bar
Search Bar on Rent Board Portal
  • View the property
  • Check the status of the Rent Increase License
    • You may need to check multiple years for all relevant dates
  • If there is a Rent Increase License you will be able to check its status and when the Rent Increase License will expire
  • If there is no Rent Increase License then no records will be available
No Record Found for Rent Increase License
  • A document icon will appear for units that were reported as occupied by non-owners. Click on the document to view the Rent Increase License details

Housing Inventory Submission - Previous Years
  • You can also view Rent Increase Licenses from previous years

What happens next

If you filed an Unlawful Rent Increase Petition, the Rent Board may schedule your petition for a hearing and decision by an Administrative Law Judge.

If you filed a Tenant Summary Petition, a Rent Board staff person will send a letter to the landlord that explains they must obtain a Rent Increase License before the rent increase goes into effect.

Contact us

If you have additional questions you may contact us. Our office is open to the public for drop-in services Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, not including legal holidays.  

Phone counseling is available at 415-252-4600 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm.