A unit for rent in San Diego. (File photo)
It’s no secret that San Diego’s rent has been crushingly high for decades. But now it’s spiking – right as the cost of everything else is going up, too.
According to census data, at least a third of county residents spend more than half their paychecks on housing. Now, city and county officials say they’re committed to bringing down the price of living for San Diegans by eliminating what they call “junk fees.”
San Diego County Supervisors Monica Montgomery-Steppe and San Diego City Council member Sean Elo-Rivera announced Wednesday a joint ordinance intended to address excessive rental fees. It would also deal with “hidden” costs – such as banning certain add-on charges – eliminate pet fees, and require landlords to clearly disclose other charges.
Additionally, it would cap rental fees beyond monthly rent at no more than 5% of rent, ban fees for basic services such as pest control, and eliminate excessive or duplicate screening fees.
“Housing is one of the largest budget items for most San Diego County families,” a San Diego County data page says. “A higher percentage of females, people without reported disability, and immigrants were living in extremely cost-burdened households compared to the county overall.
“Living in a cost burdened household can compress personal budgets and limit a person’s ability to pay for other needs, save for retirement, grow their families, make other financial decisions,” the page added.
San Diego ranks at least 13th highest among the 100 biggest cities in the nation for its overall median rent, according to ApartmentList.com, which added that the median rent is 65.9% higher than the national average.
Further, the average monthly rent throughout San Diego County rose more than 50% between 2018 and April 2025.
Montgomery Steppe and co-author Paloma Aguirre will introduce the proposal at the County Board of Supervisor’s meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4.
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