Sonoma County tenant rights webinar set for October 17

En español »

Sonoma County will host a webinar on October 17 to update residents about their tenant protection rights including new rights recently adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The online informational session, which will include Spanish interpretation, will feature representatives from Legal Aid of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Counsel’s office.

What: Tenant Rights Webinar
When: October 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: On Zoom, register here

“We want to make sure that tenants understand their rights and responsibilities under this new ordinance,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, who will host the October 17 webinar. “Please join us on Zoom on October 17 and bring your questions. We will have a panel of experts on hand to explain the ordinance and answer your questions.”

The new County ordinance augment the California Tenant Protection Act, a 2019 state law that limits rent increases and requires landlords of many types of rental units to have a just cause to evict a tenant who has lived in a property longer than one year. Just-cause evictions are allowed for such things as nonpayment of rent, lease violations or criminal activity.

The state law preserves the right of local jurisdictions to enact increased tenant protections. Under the new rules approved by the Board of Supervisors in September, tenants in unincorporated areas of the County are protected by just-cause requirements as soon as they begin renting, and state law exemptions for subsidized housing from just-cause protections no longer apply.

The changes also protect a tenant from eviction for nonpayment unless more than one month of rent is overdue. A tenant is allowed to use this protection only up to two times per year. They also prohibit evictions in most cases during a declared emergency and require dissemination of tenant rights information in English and Spanish when tenants are asked to vacate a property or when eviction proceedings begin.

For more information about the new tenant protections for unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, click here.

Residents can participate in the webinar by registering and logging on to Zoom. The webinar will also be streamed live on the County’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Recordings of the webinars will also be posted on Facebook and YouTube.

###
Media Contact:
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403