San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie approved two rental housing ordinances on October 29, 2026. One changes how much unpaid rent a tenant must owe before a landlord can pursue a nonpayment eviction. The other changes what price a landlord must show in an online rental listing and in the lease. Here’s how each would work in practice.
The eviction threshold depends on the size of the unit
Under Ordinance 220-26, a landlord cannot evict a tenant for nonpayment when the amount of unpaid rent is below one month of HUD’s local fair market rent for an equivalent-sized unit. HUD is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its benchmark varies by unit size and can be higher or lower than what the tenant agreed to pay.
Suppose a tenant pays $1,800 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, and the applicable HUD benchmark is $2,400. These are illustrative figures. If the tenant misses an entire $1,800 payment, the unpaid balance is still $600 below the threshold. If the balance later reaches $2,500, it clears the dollar threshold, but the landlord still has to meet the other requirements for an eviction. The missed rent remains owed even while the balance is below the threshold.
That’s why describing the rule as “one month behind” can be misleading. The city compares the unpaid balance with a dollar benchmark. A landlord needs to know both the tenant’s actual unpaid rent and the HUD figure for that unit size.
The advertised monthly price must include required charges
Under the No Hidden Rent Act, Ordinance 219-26, online listings and lease agreements must clearly disclose the estimated total monthly cost, including base rent and required fees and charges. That gives renters a fuller price to compare before they apply or sign.
Suppose an apartment rents for $2,000 a month and every tenant must pay a $35 trash fee and a $65 amenity fee. The estimated monthly total in this example is $2,100. A renter comparing that apartment with one priced at $2,050 with no required monthly fees can see which one actually costs less.
The disclosure also matters after move-in. The ordinance allows early lease termination without penalty when required charges were inadequately disclosed and restricts landlords from imposing late penalties or pursuing eviction for nonpayment of those inadequately disclosed charges.
I support putting the full required monthly price in the ad. If everyone has to pay the fee, it belongs in the price the renter sees. That’s fair to the renter and to the landlord down the street who already shows the full cost.
The eviction rule concerns me for a different reason. The tenant in our example owes a full month’s rent, and the landlord is still $600 short of the threshold. In the meantime, the mortgage, insurance, and repair bills keep coming. That gap can hit a small landlord especially hard.
These two ordinances apply in San Francisco. For Florida landlords, the pricing example is worth taking home. Look at your listing and your lease side by side. Can an applicant tell from the listing what they’ll be required to pay every month?
