Oakland Should Force Landlords To Share Accurate Rent Payment Records
ONN – Oakland Should Force Landlords To Share Accurate Rent Payment Records
The Oakland City Council has focused on making it harder for landlords to price housing rents out of the reach of many of Oakland’s long time tenants. It has also passed a law that prohibits criminal background checks. But one area of focus that Oakland City Councilmembers have not paid attention to is reporting of rent payments.
Right now, there’s no Oakland ordinance that governs the reporting of rental payments. So, a landlord can chose to inform you of over-payments, not be required to do so. And, of course, landlords let you know if you’re behind on paying the rent, but even then it’s only to issue a three-day notice; what if the tenant’s just $50 off – or ahead?
In either case, it should not matter; Oakland renters should get timely reports monthly, and for all tenants. This makes it less likely that a landlord can keep information from a tenant. It should not be on the tenant to be responsible for the landlord’s book work, but today, it is.
In the past, I’ve had landlords hold on to my rent check for as long as eight months. An accurate report would reveal when the landlord actually put the check in the bank. Tenants would have something to use in reviewing their own records.
This should be done – right now. A fair rent reporting ordinance for Oakland.
Stay tuned.
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