San Francisco has unveiled a tenant protection plan after rents rose by more than 25 per cent over the past year, prompting Mayor Daniel Lurie to declare a housing affordability emergency and warn that more residents are at risk of eviction.
More than 1,000 eviction notices have been issued across the city so far in 2026, according to the mayor’s office. Rental prices have risen faster than in any other major US city, with the median asking rent increasing by almost 26 per cent year-on-year, according to Apartment List data reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco tenant protection plan
The package, being advanced by Mr Lurie, the Board of Supervisors and the City Attorney’s office, includes six proposed measures aimed at helping people remain in their homes.
They include an additional $3 million for San Francisco’s tenant right-to-counsel programme, which provides legal representation for people facing eviction. The proposals would also offer greater protection to renters who have fallen behind by less than one month’s rent and seek to limit sudden and substantial rent increases.
One measure would increase relocation payments for some tenants evicted under California’s Ellis Act by 25 per cent, or roughly $3,000 per person, according to reports on the package. The city also plans to improve public information about renters’ rights and create clearer channels for residents to report suspected breaches of housing rules.
“We want families, we want individuals to be able to put down roots here in San Francisco,” Mr Lurie said. “We want to be able to prevent unwarranted and unjust evictions.”
The mayor said the city needed to remain open to people from different backgrounds, adding that protecting tenants from unjust evictions was an essential part of that goal.
Housing advocates welcomed the proposals but said tenant safeguards would only address the immediate crisis. Sam Moss, of the Mission Housing Development Corporation, said: “The best way to protect everyone is to make sure that they have a home, hard stop.”
Mr Moss said the city also needed to accelerate the construction of new homes so that supply could eventually bring down rents. “This is an issue that we can build ourselves out of,” he said. “It’s not an issue we can build our way out of immediately.”
Pressure to build more homes
Mr Lurie pointed to development at Candlestick Point, where 7,200 homes are planned, as an example of the scale of construction needed. But he acknowledged that the project was approved 16 years ago and has yet to deliver the promised housing.
“It takes too long to build housing here in San Francisco,” he said, citing the city’s recent family-zoning changes as part of efforts to allow denser development.
San Francisco officials say they will continue working to streamline planning and building procedures. The proposed tenant measures must still pass through the city’s legislative process before they can take effect.
