SF Renters Face Buyout Offers and Evictions as AI Boom Sends Prices Soaring

Airdate: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 9am

Rents are shooting through the roof in San Francisco as the AI boom creates yet another new class of wealthy people. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city is now $4,600, according to Apartment List, up more than 25% from last year. Some landlords are looking to cash in by clearing out tenants from rent-controlled homes, so renters say they’re being offered massive buyouts – some above six figures – to leave their apartments or else face no-fault eviction. We’ll talk about wild times in San Francisco’s rental market and how landlords, renters and those in search for a place to live are adjusting.

Guests:

Kami Rieck, contributing writer, New York TimesTuesday Thornton, staff attorney, Eviction Defense CollaborativeJoshua Howard, executive vice president of local government affairs, California Apartment AssociationJ.K. Dineen, Bay Area housing reporter, San Francisco Chronicle