Today we are talking about San Francisco’s tenant relocation fee. If you own a property in San Francisco, whether it’s a single family home, an apartment building or a condominium, and you move a tenant out of that unit, you will most likely have to pay a relocation fee of about $5,100 per person. That amount changes every year, but right now the fee is $5,103 per person.  There is however a maximum of $15,304 per unit, in most cases.  If you have someone in your property that has a disability or is a senior citizen, you may end up paying more.

The most common situation where this fee is required is when you do an owner move in eviction.  If the owner wants to move a tenant out of their property so that they can move in, chances are the relocation fee will kick in. There are other circumstances where an owner may be required to pay this fee as well. For example, if you are doing renovations to a unit or undertaking repairs that make the unit uninhabitable even for one night, you will be subject to the fee.  But you won’t have to pay the whole fee if the relocation is for a short period of time.   In those cases, the tenants are entitled to a daily relocation fee of $275 per day (this is the total amount for everyone in the unit).  The daily fee is for short term displacements while you are making repairs or getting work done.  Once you reach 20 days you are looking at the full relocation fee.

If you find yourself in this situation, I would definitely recommend that you talk to an attorney who is knowledgeable about this subject matter. You will need to make sure your specific situation calls for all or part of the relocation fee before you pay your tenants.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at Gordon Property Management if you have any questions about the current relocation fee for owner move in evictions, or if you would like to discuss any other issues pertaining to residential property management.