HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/24/2026 Item 4a, Pinard
Peg Pinard <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Fwd: Programs Have Costs: Rental Registry and Rising Rents
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Peg Pinard <
Date: Sat, Feb 21, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Subject: Programs Have Costs: Rental Registry and Rising Rents
To: <ecouncil@slocity.org>
Cc: Sandra Rowley < , Adian Lenz < , Cathy Owen
< , <staff@slocaor.org>
City of San Luis Obispo
City Council and Housing Staff
Re: Rental Housing Registry Proposal
The City states that a rental housing registry is intended to improve affordability, safety, and stability. Yet
this proposal is being considered without acknowledging the full cost structure that already drives rent in
San Luis Obispo.
Every new fee, program, or compliance requirement imposed on rental housing becomes an operating
cost. Those costs are passed directly to tenants. That is how rental housing works. Describing something
as a “program” rather than a fee does not change its financial impact. Implementation, compliance,
administration, and reporting all carry real costs. Adding new requirements while expressing concern
about rising rents is a contradiction.
Property owners are already paying City-controlled costs including garbage service, sewer and water
rates, licensing, taxes, and regulatory fees. These are expenses the City directly sets or influences. Each
increase raises the baseline cost of providing housing.
Most rental housing in this community is not owned by large institutional operators but by small “mom-
and-pop” providers with limited financial reserves. These owners cannot absorb continual cost
increases. Their only option is to raise rents in order to remain financially viable.
Beyond these City-controlled charges, insurance and maintenance costs have also risen sharply. While
not set by the City, they add to the same financial reality that determines rent. Many property owners
have received insurance notices showing premiums doubling, in some cases increasing by 100 percent
in a single year.
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The City also already collects rental-related information through existing business tax and licensing
requirements. Creating an additional registry is therefore not simply data collection. It is another layer of
cost and administration placed specifically on rental housing.
At the same time, the highest rents often cited in public discussions are heavily influenced by large
corporate student housing complexes and the rapid expansion of short-term vacation rentals. These
sectors operate under very different economic structures than traditional long-term neighborhood
rentals, yet their pricing is frequently treated as representative of the entire market.
This proposal reflects a growing disconnect between policy decisions made at City Hall and the real-
world economics of providing housing. Programs are evaluated individually, but their costs accumulate.
Duplicate administrative structures are created without meaningful consideration of their combined
financial impact.
Every additional charge placed on rental housing becomes part of the rent tenants pay. That is the
practical outcome of this proposal, regardless of its stated intentions.
Sincerely,
Peg PInard
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