Renter Protections & the Affordability Crisis — New Rules, Unresolved Pressures
active• sanmateo
San Mateo is one of the most expensive rental markets in the country, and the City Council took a significant step in December 2025 to protect existing tenants. The Council adopted a new Residential Tenant Protection Program, which requires landlords to provide written notice to tenants by February 1, 2026 and include protective language in all leases and rental agreements — a meaningful but limited step in a market where median one-bedroom rents regularly exceed $2,800 per month. The policy landscape is evolving rapidly: state law changes, office-to-residential conversions, SB 79 upzoning, and the city's RHNA obligation of more than 7,000 units by 2031 are all reshaping who can afford to live in San Mateo and who cannot. The city's Zoning Code Update — with a residential zoning study session scheduled for June 9, 2026 — will be a key moment for the public to shape how the new rules of housing development in San Mateo are written.
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Related cause: Housing Affordability
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