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Home My WebLink About8/20/2024 Item Public Comment, Alber Julia Alber < To:E-mail Council Website Cc:slorentcoalition@gmail.com Subject: Tenant Protections This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond. Dear Honorable Mayor Stewart and Council Members, I am emailing you in support of the SLO Tenants Union’s (SLOTU) request to have housing put on your agenda and to pass more robust tenant protections. I appreciated the City’s recent email and social media post clarifying existing tenants protections. As a former tenant in SLO and someone who has rented in several locations across the U.S., SLO has been the most difficult location for me to find housing. The lack of availability of affordable, safe housing options in SLO is shocking, and it is clear more protections are needed. When I moved here 7 years ago, it took me months to find a place that I could afford. The place that I ended up renting had several issues. For example, the outside balcony was falling apart from termites so much that pieces of wood would fall on my head when I walked under it to get to the front door. After providing notice that I was moving out, my landlord showed my apartment twice a weekend for over a month and on multiple occasions left my door unlocked after showings (i.e., left my apartment unlocked with no one there). They also entered my apartment to fix the balcony without prior notification. These are just some examples of issues that I experienced as a tenant here. I noticed that the City's email sent about existing tenant protection mentioned “Landlord is Responsible for Safe, Clean Units.” I did try to report these issues and received no response or help at the time. While some of the recommendations in the City's Public Memorandum on Renter Protections will be beneficial, there is still a substantial need to pass more comprehensive tenant protections. For example, it does not address landlord retaliation if issues are reported. With such limited housing options availability, reporting issues could make it even harder to find places that will rent to you. I have heard from Cal Poly students who specifically mentioned being worried about their leases not being renewed or being able to find another place to rent if they report issues. This is just one example of an issue that is not clearly addressed in the memorandum released. In summary, as a SLO resident who has witnessed and experienced numerous issues with housing here, I am asking you to consider putting housing on your agenda and to enhance tenant protections. Finally, I want to echo SLOTU in asking you to find strategies in SLO that ensure that no matter where we live or what we look like, who we love or how we vote, we all possess safe, secure, and affordable housing. Thank you, Julia Alber SLO City Resident 1