Background
At its November 29, 2021 meeting, City Council moved for staff to prepare a Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) ordinance amendment to extend existing tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions to more properties in Palo Alto, including properties with 10 rental units or more. Staff brought the draft ordinance amendment to the Planning & Transportation Commission on January 26, 2020. Staff then returned to City Council on January 31, 2022 and February 14, 2022 for a first and second reading of the ordinance amendment, respectively. Tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions for properties with 10 rental units or more came into effect immediately on January 31, 2022 through Emergency Ordinance No. 5543(PDF, 529KB). Tenant relocation assistance remains in effect through Ordinance No. 5544(PDF, 533KB) and is codified in PAMC Section 9.68.035.
Current Tenant Relocation Assistance Amounts
The amount of tenant relocation assistance for no fault evictions is adjusted July 1 of each year. Amounts also range by the number of bedrooms in a rental unit. An additional amount is applicable if a rental unit is occupied by a low-income household, someone who is 60 years of age or older, someone who is disabled, and/or someone that is a minor. When established in 2018, the lowest amount of tenant relocation assistance was $7,000 for a 0 bedroom/studio rental unit and the amount for a 3 or more bedroom rental unit was $17,000. The assistance amounts have increased in subsequent years.
The Tenant Relocation Assistance Amounts sheet(PDF, 151KB) contains the current tenant relocation assistance amounts that are applicable before and after July 1, 2022 .