Guide to Oakland Rental Housing Laws

Need Rental Assistance?

Check out Alameda Housing Secure:

www.ac-housingsecure.org

Need Eviction Defense Services?

Bay Area Legal Aid: 800-551-5554

Centro Legal de la Raza: 510-437-1554

East Bay Community Law Center: 510-548-4040, ext. 201

Eviction Defense Center: 510-452-4541

Legal Assistance for Seniors: 510-832-3040

Learn more about the Residential Rental Property Laws in Oakland. The Rent Adjustment Program has released packets of information for both tenants and property owners. These packets contain specific information about the Rent Adjustment Ordinance, local housing laws and other useful information.

Tenant

• Tenant Information Packet (English)
   
• Información Para Inquilinos/Tenant Information Packet (Spanish)
   
• 租戶資料袋/Tenant Information Packet (Chinese)
   

Property Owner 
 

• Property Owner Information Packet (English)
   
• Información Para Propietarios/Property Owner Information Packet (Spanish) 
   
• 物業業主資料袋/Property Owner Information Packet (Chinese)
   

Below you will find general information sheets covering covering specific topics regarding local and state rules and regulations. To learn more, please also visit the Housing Laws and Regulations section found under Topics.

• Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions Information Sheet
   
• Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions Frequently Asked Questions
   
• Housing Resources for Tenants and Property Owners during COVID-19
   

• Oakland Eviction Moratorium Phase-Out Postcard
   
• Single-Family-Home Exemption Certificates Information Sheet 
   
• Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions Information Sheet
   
• Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions FAQ
   
• Just Cause and Rent Control Coverage Information Sheet
   
• Exemptions from the Rent Adjustment Program Fee
   
• Allowable Annual Rent Increase Information Sheet
   
• Rent Levels and Rent Regulation Information Sheet
   
• Security Deposits Information Sheet
   
• Notice of Tenant Protection Ordinance Information Sheet
   
• Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance Information Sheet
   
• Checklist for New Renters
   
• Property Owners and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities
   
• Tenant Move-Out Agreement Ordinance Information Sheet
   
• Tenant Repayment Negotiation Information Sheet
   
• Property Owner's Right to Enter and Tenant's Right to Privacy
   
• Just Cause for Eviction Information Sheet
   
• Measure Y Information Sheet
   
• Local Resources for Property Owners and Tenants
   
• Housing Resources for Tenants and Property Owners during COVID-19 Information Sheet 
   

• Eliminación Gradual de la Moratoria de Desalojos de Oakland/Oakland Eviction Moratorium Phase-Out (Spanish)
   
• Certificados De Exención Para Viviendas Unifamiliares/Single-Family-Home Exemption Certificates Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Moratoria de Emergencia sobre los Incrementos del Alquiler y los Desalojos/Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Moratoria de emergencia sobre los aumentos de alquiler y los desalojos Preguntas frecuentes/Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions FAQ (Spanish)
   
• ¿Mi Unidad Tiene Control Del Alquiler Y Protecciones Contra El Desalojo?/Just Cause and Rent Control Coverage Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Exenciones del Programa de Ajustes en el Alquiler/ Rent Adjustment Program Exemptions (Spanish)
   
• Incremento de Renta Permitido Anualmente/Allowable Annual Rent Increase Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Niveles de alquiler y regulación del alquiler/Rent Levels and Rent Regulation Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Depósitos de seguridad/Security Deposits Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Aviso de Ordenanza sobre la Protección de Inquilinos/ Notice of Tenant Protection Ordinance Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Lista de verificación para nuevos inquilinos/Checklist for New Renters (Spanish)
   
• Derechos y responsabilidades del arrendador/Property Owners and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities (Spanish)
   
• Ordenanza sobre Acuerdo de Mudanza del Inquilino/Tenant Move-Out Agreement Ordinance Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Aviso A Los Inquilinos Con Respecto A Las Negociaciones De Pago/Tenant Repayment Negotiation Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• El derecho del arrendador a entrar y el derecho del inquilino a la privacidad/Property Owner's Right to Enter and Tenant's Right to Privacy (Spanish)
   
• Se requiere una causa justa para el desalojo/Just Cause for Eviction Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Recursos locales para propietarios e inquilinos/Local Resources for Property Owners and Tenants (Spanish)
   
• Ordenanza de Reubicación Uniforme de Inquilinos Residenciales/Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance Information Sheet (Spanish)
   
• Recursos de Vivienda para Inquilinos y Propietarios durante COVID-19/Housing Resources for Tenants and Property Owners during COVID-19 Information Sheet (Spanish)
   

• 屋崙市暫停驅逐令即將結束/Oakland Eviction Moratorium Phase-Out (Chinese)
   
• 獨立式住宅豁免證明/Single-Family-Home Exemption Certificates Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 房租漲價與驅離的緊急暫停法令/Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 緊急暫停實施租金調漲和迫遷 常見問題/Emergency Moratorium on Rent Increases and Evictions FAQ (Chinese)
   
• 我居住的單位有租金管制和迫遷保護嗎?/ Just Cause and Rent Control Coverage Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 租金調整計劃豁免項目/Rent Adjustment Program Exemptions (Chinese)
   
• 年度租金調漲限制/Allowable Annual Rent Increase Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 租金水平和租金規範/Rent Levels and Rent Regulation (Chinese)
   
• 保證金/Security Deposits Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 租戶保護條例通知/Notice of Tenant Protection Ordinance Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 新租戶核對清單/Checklist for New Renters (Chinese)
   
• 房東和租戶的權利和責任/Property Owners and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities (Chinese)
   
• 租戶遷出協議條例/Tenant Move-Out Agreement Ordinance Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 租戶還款談判通知/Tenant Repayment Negotiation Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 房東進入權利和租戶隱私權利/Property Owner's Right to Enter and Tenant's Right to Privacy (Chinese)
   
• 迫遷需要有正當理由/Just Cause for Eviction Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 房東和租戶可用的本地資源/Local Resources for Property Owners and Tenants (Chinese)
   
• 統一住宅租戶搬遷條例/Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance Information Sheet (Chinese)
   
• 在 COVID-19 期間 為租戶和物業業主提供住房資源/Housing Resources for Tenants and Property Owners during COVID-19 Information Sheet (Chinese)
   

ABOUT THE RENT ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM

The Oakland City Council adopted the Rent Adjustment Program Ordinance (OMC Chapter 8.22) in 1980. This ordinance sets the maximum annual rent increase based on the annual CPI increase and handles rent adjustments for claims of decreases in housing services and handles other rent-related matters. The purpose of this program is to foster fair housing for a diverse population of renters and enforce the Rent Adjustment Ordinance set out by the City of Oakland.

Contact Us

Since March 2020, we have moved our services from in-person to online. Please read the information below carefully to find the best way to contact us. 
 

By Phone

Phone: (510) 238-3721, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Select Option 1 to speak to a Housing Counselor for any RAP or housing-related questions you might have. Topics can be, but are not limited to, tenant and property owner issues and concerns, Oakland rental housing laws, or how to file petitions or responses with RAP. Calls are generally limited to 10 minutes per person. 

Select Option 2 to speak to a Rent Registration Unit staff member for any registration-related questions that you may have. Note: The Rent Registration Unit does not provide any housing counseling. 

Per City policy, please allow us 72 hours to respond to your inquiry.

By Email 

If you would prefer an email response, you can email us. The RAP strives to return all emails within a seventy-two-hour timeframe.

Contact a RAP Housing Counselor at RAP@oaklandca.gov. Please include in your email your full name, your telephone number, your rental unit address, and a brief description of the issue regarding which you are calling. Housing Counselors answer non-registration-related inquiries only. 

Rent Registration Unit: If you have questions about the registration process, please contact the Rent Registration Unit staff at RentRegistry@oaklandca.gov. Note: Live Counseling Sessions [link to announcement w/ scheduled dates/times] on how to register your units on the rent registry portal are offered via Zoom. Rent Registration Unit staff only answers registration-related inquiries. Note: The Rent Registration Unit staff does not provide housing counseling. 

Hearings Unit: If you have issues or questions relating to your pending case, you must contact your Case Analyst directly. If you do not know who your Case Analyst is, you can email HearingsUnit@oaklandca.gov to find that information, or you can look up your case information here.

Petition and Response Review/Filing: You have the option to schedule an appointment for review of your petition or response before filing. To schedule an appointment for review, email RAP@oaklandca.gov. If you do not want your petition or response reviewed and are ready to file, please submit your petition or response to HearingsUnit@oaklandca.gov.

Eviction Notices: To file eviction notices online, click here. Eviction notices may also be scanned and submitted via email to EvictionNotices@oaklandca.gov. If you like a stamped copy of your eviction notice, you must mail us two copies of the eviction notice and included a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We do not provide confirmation of receipt for online or email submissions of eviction notices. 

By Mail

Address: 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 5313, Oakland, CA 94612

Due to the Shelter-in-Place Order, we are no longer accepting in-person petition and related materials. All new petitions and petition-related documents can be submitted by mail to the address above. 

Ellis Act Cases

All documents for Ellis Act cases must be mailed to 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 5313, Oakland, CA 94612. For more information on Ellis Act cases, click here.

Online Petition Filing

We also offer an online portal where you can fill out and submit your petitions and all petition-related forms online. Click here to access the portal.

Request a Form

General forms can be found on our website. For property owner forms, click here. For tenant forms, click here. If you cannot find the RAP form that you are looking for, you can email the Rent Adjustment Program at RAP@oaklandca.gov to obtain it.

Request a Document/Public Records Request (PRR)

To request documents related to a case, you can make a Public Records Request (PRR) here. Please note that all PRRs are public information. You can look up certain information related to cases through the RAP database.

Join the Email List

If you would like to receive emails about upcoming events or updates from the Rent Adjustment Program, please sign up! Please use the link below to add your name and email to our list for future updates.

Join the RAP email list!