HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/24/2026 Item 4a, Francis
Cathy Francis <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Rental Registry Study Sessions
Dear Mayor Stewart and City Council,
My husband and I have lead frugal lives, spending less than we make and investing in residential real
estate so that we would have a retirement income. Currently we own five rental units, a fourplex and a
condo all in the City of San Luis Obispo. We have worked hard to provide safe and pleasant rental units
in order to attract quality tenants as well as to do the “right thing”. We understand the market influences
of housing and care about fairness for all parties. We have put a lifetime of e?ort into maintaining proper
rental homes, places that the tenants can be proud to live. We have done this when it would have been
far easier to just invest in the stock market, where our return on investment is not questioned.
The majority of landlords and property management companies are already operating under strict
management standards, existing health and safety laws, and state regulations, and they are not an
identified source of systemic problems. The bad actors are in the minority and THOSE are the
people/institutions that should be targeted with enforcement. California already has strong statewide
tenant protections in place. State law limits annual
rent increases for most rental housing and includes just cause eviction requirements, creating a
comprehensive framework that applies across our community.
Many local rental homes are owned by small, local housing providers like us who have invested their
savings and retirement into these properties. When new layers of regulation, fees, and administrative
requirements are introduced, some owners will decide it is no longer worth remaining in the rental
market. Others may delay maintenance or reinvestment due to rising costs and uncertainty. Fewer rental
homes and reduced reinvestment ultimately lead to higher rents and less housing availability. City
policies should focus on encouraging investment, maintenance, and streamlining the creation of more
housing, while using existing tools to address bad actors and safety concerns.
Before moving forward, I urge the City to do the following:
Clearly identify the specific problems that a registry is intended to solve and how success would be
measured.
Evaluate whether existing enforcement tools, education, and outreach could address concerns without
creating new regulatory layers.
Fully assess long term administrative costs and sta?ing needs.
We all share the goal of safe, stable housing. Please take a careful, balanced, and data driven approach
as you consider whether a rental registry is truly the right solution to the issue.
Steve and Cathy Francis
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Cathy Francis
805-801-0895
Broker Associate, California Coastal RE CAL DRE #01359364
“Hard Work and a Keen Sense of Humor on California’s Central Coast”
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