Hayward needs a Rental Registry.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How will the city pay for this? Hayward’s Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RRSO) currently charges a fee to landlords to cover the cost of operating Hayward’s rent stabilization program. Landlords can pass half of this cost on to their tenants. The Rental Registry can be paid for by a small increase to this fee (which would fund the database and the additional housing staff needed to operate it). This increase would cost less than $10/mo split between the landlord and tenant, however City Council can direct staff to update the RRSO so that landlords carry the entire cost (like the City of Mountain View does).
  
  

• How do we know this works and landlords will comply? The benefits of rental registries are only realized when landlords comply. Strong penalties and enforcement mechanisms make it costly for landlords to avoid submitting information and have led to higher compliance rates in other cities compared to cities with weaker enforcement mechanisms. For example, Hayward could impose late fees on landlords who do not submit information on time and block rent increases or lease terminations unless their units are properly registered with the city.
  
  

• Do other cities have a rental registry? Yes! As of 2024, there are nearly 50 government agencies with rental registries across America. Many Bay Area cities have already established rental registries, including Alameda, Berkeley, Concord, Mountain View, Oakland, Palo Alto, and San Jose.
  
  

• What about small "mom and pop" landlords? Smaller property owners may not have the experience or administrative staff to support them like larger landlords do. However, data from other jurisdictions (collected by their registry) show that smaller landlords are actually responsible for a "hugely disproportionate number of tenant complaints about issues like illegal eviction notices, excessive rent hikes, and unsafe housing conditions." Size or inexperience is not an excuse for neglecting to protect their renters who, like all of us, deserve safe housing. Renting is a business, and owners have an obligation to provide adequate service to their customers.
  
  

• What does the City Council think? Creating a rental registry for Hayward was first proposed by the only renter on City Council, George Syrop, at the end of 2022 before being sent to the City's Housing and Homelessness Taskforce (which became the Housing Policy and Resource Committee) for review. Since then, some Council Members have expressed support for improved tenant protections (and the idea of a rental registry). Others (who have accepted thousands in campaign contributions from the real estate lobby) question if the benefits justify the cost or have explicitly come out in opposition. That's why we need your support!
  

• What about privacy? Every city with a registry handles data differently. We recommend that identifying information only be visible to city staff to support housing and code enforcement. Renters should have access to information related to their unit to verify their landlords are in compliance with local laws. You can click here to see which information Berkeley makes public in their registry.

  
  

• What information will be collected? The information below represents data points being considered by City Staff for collection and storage in a rental registry. Some of the data would be submitted regularly by landlords, who would be required to notify the city when they increase rent and/or a terminate a tenant's lease. Other data would be collected by City Staff using publicly available information. Other information that may be worth collecting can be found here.