Editorial News Alert: Burbank Moves Forward with Rent Caps and Other Damaging Policies
Editorial News Alert
Burbank Moves Forward with Rent Caps and Other Damaging Policies
By Janet M. Gagnon
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer & SVP, Government Relations
On October 28th, the Burbank City Council voted 3-to-1 with Council Member Zizette Mullins as the sole opposing vote and Chris Rizzotti abstaining to direct staff to bring back an ordinance with a 4% annual rent increase cap that, if exceeded, would trigger a requirement to pay relocation fees (referred to as a “soft cap”). Under the proposed ordinance, renters would be given the option to either (i) agree to pay the increased rent above the 4% cap or (ii) receive relocation fees from the rental housing provider in the amount of 3 months’ rent based upon the NEW increased rental amount.
The proposed ordinance, if passed, would apply to multifamily owners with properties that received certificates of occupancy prior to February 2, 1995. While Glendale has a similar ordinance, the relocation fee requirement is only triggered when rent is increased by more than 7%.
The new rent soft caps would also apply to ALL rental properties, including newer multifamily properties, single-family properties, accessory dwelling units, condominiums, and townhouses. However, relocation fees would only be triggered if rent is increased above the statewide rent stabilization limits equal to the lesser of 10% or the Consumer Price Index plus 5% (currently 8.0% for Los Angeles County). The relocation fees payable to tenants for such newer multifamily properties, single-family properties, accessory dwelling units, condominiums, and townhouses would be in the same amount as pre-February 2, 1995, properties, namely 3 months’ worth of rent at the NEW increased rental amount.
Currently, rental housing providers are required to provide 3 months’ existing rent as relocation fees for any No-Fault evictions, excluding owner move-in that would be required to pay one month’s exiting rent (per state law).
In addition, staff was directed to bring back an ordinances addressing: 1) increasing relocation fees for No-Fault evictions based on various characteristics of individual renters (e.g., age, disability, etc.), 2) further restricting substantial remodels (defined under existing state law as major system repairs or removal of hazardous materials and strictly prohibiting only cosmetic improvements), and 3) extending Just Cause limitations to all rental housing.
Finally, staff were directed to bring back additional information on a rental registry despite the enormous costs in creating such a bureaucracy and the fact the City is already projecting a deficit of $3 million to $4 million.
Despite having large numbers of rental housing providers (more than 60) that turned out to speak against these destructive policies (as well as AAGLA), the City Council refused to follow concrete facts over feelings. The Burbank Tenants Union had around 70 speakers who repeatedly stated their unfounded fears that rents would be severely increased despite CoStar data for the past 5 years showing the exact opposite is true, including the previous 2 year history when rents have remained flat. It is clear by the vote at the meeting that both Mayor Nikki Perez and Vice Mayor Tamala Takahashi care more about appeasing BTU members than following the facts and preserving Burbank’s limited affordable housing supply.
We strongly urge all rental housing providers in Burbank to continue to make their voices heard by sending emails to the full City Council and attending the City Council meeting in person to speak against these draft ordinances when they are brought forward. AAGLA will be sure to send out another Red Alert when these draft ordinances are listed on the City Council’s agenda for consideration.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE AAGLA CANDIDATES PAC
If you are sick and tired of these extremist policies being adopted in Burbank, please give generously to the AAGLA Candidates PAC. Both Mayor Perez and Council Member Takahashi are up for re-election in 2026, and we need to get them out, if we want Council Members that act according to facts and not fearmongering by the Burbank Tenants Union. Please visit https://aagla.org/candidatespac/
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific leasing issues and the requirements of any legal changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.