What is the TPO?
The City of San Jose’s Tenant Protection Ordinance, also known as Just Cause, became effective on May 9, 2017. This ordinance protects tenants who live in the following types of dwellings from being issued termination notices:
Apartment with three or more residential units
Unpermitted cottage or converted garage
Guest rooms within a permitted boarding house
Three or more condos or townhomes within the same complex
What protections do you have as an owner?
It does NOT protect tenants from rent increases if they are not in an ARO covered property, and it does NOT protect them from breaking the rules. They still need to pay the rent, and they still need to follow the rules of the rental agreements.
Are there any exceptions to the rules?
The only exception to this rule is Section 8 tenants. They are bound to their subsidized government contract and not to the rules of the city’s ordinances.
That doesn’t sound like a big deal. Can I do it myself?
In order to ensure that you are doing it correctly and avoiding any costly mistakes in the long run or risking the need to prepare and serve a new set of notices, we recommend that you hire a team of professionals that specializes in the TPO. Contact Us for more information.
“I have had multiple previous conversations with both the City of San Jose and Project Sentinel (a free legal service). Both of them were helpful as well but they both independently referred me to Anne-Michelle and this practice. I am very glad they did. The laws around rent control in San Jose are new and complicated and vague. She seems to be the one person who fully understands them.”