With unexpected fees for everything from utilities to pest control to “garbage concierge,” the dirty little secret of renting an apartment in San Francisco is tenants often don’t know how much their pad is going to cost until they move in.
The city wants to change that.
The proposed legislation would require that property owners advertise the“total estimated cost” in the “same font and placement” as the base rent. It would require that the same information be disclosed on the first page of the lease. Each fee would have to be itemized with a “clear explanation of their purpose and amount.” The rental listings would also include “application fees and screening fees.”…