Petitions

Decrease Petition (Petition for Rent Decrease)

Tenants whose rental units need repair or maintenance, or whose housing services or amenities have been reduced, may petition to have their monthly rent decreased. A rent decrease stays in effect until the necessary repairs have been made or amenities restored.

A decrease petition may also be filed by a property owner who wishes to remove a service or amenity in exchange for a decrease in rent.

• Decrease Petition (entire packet)
• Decrease Petition (individual documents)
• Information Sheet  
• Notice to Landlord  
• Proof of Service  
• Petition
• Request for Compliance & Addendum

Increase Petition (Landlord Petition for Individual Rent Adjustment)

Property owners may petition to increase rent levels at a property. Increase petitions are generally filed for all units on a property at the same time. Petitions are often based on unusually high operating expenses not covered by the general adjustment, including completed or planned capital improvements.

Property owners must demonstrate they are not receiving a fair return to obtain an individual rent increase.

Excess Rent (Complaint for Non-Registration and/or Excess Rent Receipt & Retention)  

If a tenant has paid more than the maximum lawful rent (or other forms of excess rent as defined in Chapter 8), he or she may file a complaint to recover the amounts determined to have been overcharged.

A complaint may also be filed by a tenant if the property owner has failed to properly register the property. Please read the General Information and Instructions regarding filing the Excess Rent Complaint.

Tenant Not In Occupancy (Petition for Determination of Tenant(s) Not in Occupancy and New Maximum Allowable Rent)  

A property owner who believes that a rental unit is not being used as the tenant’s principal place of residence may file this petition to seek a determination that the tenant is "not in occupancy." If approved, a one-time increase in the rent level will be authorized by the Rent Control Board.

Base Amenities Petition

This petition may be filed by a property owner or a tenant (under limited circumstances) to establish or correct the base rent and/or base amenities for a unit. Please contact the Rent Control Board for more information, including eligibility requirements.