Santa Clara County is expanding the types of renters covered under its eviction protection laws — and the amount landlords will pay to help displaced tenants relocate.
The Board of Supervisors on June 2 voted 4-1 — with District 5 Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga voting no — to revise the county’s 1993 tenant protection law, which sets out procedures for landlords seeking to displace renters in unincorporated areas. The revised policy goes beyond state law to cover tenants who have lived in their homes for any amount of time, even less than a few days, and renters living in single-family homes or duplexes. It also applies to housing built in the last 15 years, which state law exempts.
The revised policy aims to protect tenants from eviction for allowing immediate family members to live with them, provided the home isn’t overcrowded. And while state law authorizes evictions for any type of “criminal activity,” the county’s revisions limit this to conduct that impacts the peace, quiet, comfort or safety of other tenants at the property or threatens the safety of the owner…