Sup. David Chiu’s proposed legislation would be a great step forward for San Francisco tenants in illegal units. The measure would allow a building owner to legalize an existing unit without having to meet certain requirements for open space, rear yards and density.
Once a unit is legalized, the landlord would not be able to manufacture a just cause for eviction by reporting the unit to DBI and claiming that DBI is “forcing” the landlord to evict the tenant and demolish the unit.
Note that this is different than Sup. Weiner’s proposed legislation that would allow a building owner to build a new in-law unit.
UPDATE: Sup. Chiu’s legislation has emerged from the Planning Commission and is on its way to the Land Use Committee.