Bill Would Help San Francisco Tenants Displaced By Disasters
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – A San Francisco supervisor is proposing legislation to make it easier for tenants to find housing when they are displaced by a disaster.
An arsonist has been blamed for four fires in the Castro District over the last week, displacing over a dozen people.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
Now, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the district, is introducing legislation to help those people and others who are victims of an unforeseen disaster.
"It will allow us to have more temporary rental housing for displaced tenants so that they can have a place to stay that's affordable until their apartment is fixed and they can then move back," said Wiener.
Wiener's proposal would allow a landlord to temporarily discount rent to house a displaced person, without being subject to rent control rules that would otherwise make the lower rent the new ceiling.
"I've worked with both the tenant's advocates and the property owner groups and I'm hopeful that we'll have universal support for it," Wiener said.
One of the arson fires in the Castro did major damage and will take between six months and a year to repair.
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