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Monterey City Council Votes Tonight (September 5, 2023) on “Rental Registration” Policy
As the Chamber has reported over the past six months, the Monterey City Council is planning to enact a city ordinance requiring residential property owners who lease their property to register with the city, pay an annual fee, and report information to the city on the terms and conditions of their rental policies. The compiled data will likely be used to justify a future ordinance limiting how much landlords can increase rent each year ("rent stabilization" or "rent control").
The vote is tonight (September 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm). See Agenda Item #15: Ordinance to Establish a Rental Inventory and Requiring Registration of All Residential Rental Properties within the City of Monterey Beginning January 1, 2024. You may contact the Mayor and City Council about this: Email Addresses of the Monterey Mayor and City Council (see left column).
Here’s what the City of Monterey will require property owners to provide annually to the city, along with paying an annual fee:
- The name, address, and phone number of the landlord, including any on-site or off-site property manager or property management company
- The street address and/or Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) of each rental unit for rent or lease
- The year the property was built and the number of rental units on the property
- The number of bedrooms and bathrooms in each rental unit, including square footage, for rent or lease
- The occupancy status of each rental unit (e.g., vacant or occupied) and reason for vacancy, if applicable
- For each occupied rental unit, the current amount and date of the monthly rent received for each rental unit, identifying whether the monthly rent includes utility charges and housing service charges
- For a rental unit in a condominium or other common interest development, the amount of the homeowners’ association fees, regular and/or special assessments, or other similar charges paid to an association
- Whether or not the tenant receives a housing voucher or other rental subsidy
- Any other information deemed necessary by the Community Development Director to implement the ordinance
Here’s the information from landlords that will be available for organizations, businesses, law firms, and individuals to obtain, review, and use for their own purposes:
- The street address and/or Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) of each rental unit for rent or lease
- The year the property was built and the number of rental units on the property
- The number of bedrooms and bathrooms in each rental unit, including square footage, for rent or lease
- The occupancy status of each rental unit (e.g., vacant or occupied)
- For each occupied rental unit, the total current amount of monthly rent received for the rental unit
Your Chamber of Commerce understands that more than two-thirds of City of Monterey residents are renters. Many renters are struggling to pay the bills as inflation reduces purchasing power, while demand for residential units continues to far exceed supply. However, the Chamber would prefer to have the City Council focus on increasing the supply of housing (which includes genuine efforts to increase the supply of water), resuming rental relief programs for residents who fall into difficulty in paying their rent, and cooperative efforts between property management firms and the city to identify and prevent abuses. Rental registry is likely to have unintended negative impacts - including lower supply and immediate substantial rent increases - as government intervention distorts prices in the rental market. In addition, some of this information will be public and has the potential to expose property owners and tenants to harassment by scam artists, unscrupulous lawyers, and hostile individuals.
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