The city of Anaheim is set to launch its Tenant Protection Intake pilot program next month, according to a presentation from Anaheim City Attorney Robert Fabela at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
First introduced by District 3 Council Member Natalie Rubalcava in February, this “administrative step” is part of a larger program that will examine the role the city can play in enforcing state rent control laws and addressing no-cause evictions.
The intake pilot program will begin next month. The initial launch is intended to collect data on how often violations of the Tenant Protection Act occur in Anaheim, what types of violations are occurring and to see if there are instances of repeated conduct violations from specific landlords or property managers. The intake program will also allow the city attorney’s office to discern when city involvement is warranted.
The pilot program, available only to Anaheim renters, is based on the legal framework of California’s Tenant Protection Act, which was first passed in 2019 and expanded upon in 2024 through Senate Bill 567.
The act limits certain rent increases and provides “just cause” protections against certain evictions or terminations of tenancy for covered rental properties. SB 567 strengthened the Tenant Protection Act by explicitly allowing the city attorney and other public attorneys the right to pursue civil enforcement of the protections.
According to the city attorney’s office’s presentation, rent increases are limited to 5% plus Orange County’s 3.7% area inflation. Only two rent increases may occur per year, and the total maximum yearly rent increase in the county is 8.7%; if an area’s regional inflation exceeds 5%, the limit is raised to 10%. Rentals built in the last 15 years, as well as most single-family homes and condos, are exempt from these limitations.
Eviction protections through the act are limited to no-fault evictions including reasons beyond a tenant’s control, such as remodeling or substantial repairs. Landlords may be required to pay relocation assistance depending on the circumstances of the eviction.
Fabela stated that if a landlord or property manager is suspected of violating the act, legal action will not be an automatic response.
“We may ask a landlord or property manager for additional information,” Fabela said during the presentation. “If we see what appears to be a fairly clear violation, we may contact the landlord, explain the issue and seek voluntary compliance.”
In instances of repeated or ongoing violations, the issue may be brought before the city council for consideration of civil enforcement action. The only action the city could take is to issue an order requiring compliance with the law. Monetary liability would need to be pursued by the tenant via private action.
The city attorney’s action regarding tenant protection is confined to issues of rent-increase limitations and protections for just-cause evictions and terminations under the Tenant Protection Act. The city attorney’s office will not respond to issues regarding general landlord-tenant disputes, legal rent increases or evictions, rental house conditions, security deposits or discrimination.
The city’s Tenant Protection website is being created in conjunction with the Housing and Community Development in the city manager’s office. The webpage will include information on tenant protections, including key exemptions and instructions for the intake form.
The Tenant Protection inquiry form will request information necessary for an intake process, including questions regarding the type of housing being rented, whether it is an eviction or rent increase issue and relevant dates, amounts and documentation.
Fabela stated that inquiries submitted via the intake form will be reviewed by the city attorney’s office to determine whether city involvement is necessary, and that part of the inquiry assessment will include consideration of the availability of appropriate resources.
The intake form’s webpage will also include recommendations for tenants to protect their individual rights, rather than waiting for the city’s involvement in tenant issues.
City staff stated that because this is a city service being offered to its residents, citizenship status is not a factor in the intake process.
“I think our residents just need to be reminded that they should feel comfortable, that nothing we’re doing is to harm them,” Rubalcava said during council comment following the presentation. “It’s really to help their quality of life and the experiences that they’re having with their tenant protections in Anaheim.”
During the city council meeting’s public comment period, representatives from Tenants United Anaheim, a local nonprofit that advocates for tenants’ rights, spoke in support of the pilot program and suggested including code enforcement and data safeguards.
The Tenant Protection Intake pilot program will launch using resources from the city attorney’s office to evaluate trends. Once enough data has been collected regarding how the program is working, the city attorney’s office will report back to the city council with updated data.