S.F. Admin. Code ch. 37 § 37.10B

(a) No landlord, and no agent, contractor, subcontractor or employee of the landlord

shall do any of the following in bad faith:

                (1) Interrupt, terminate or fail to provide housing services required by contract or

by State, County or local housing, health or safety laws;

                (2) Fail to perform repairs and maintenance required by contract or by State,

County or local housing, health or safety laws;

                (3) Fail to exercise due diligence in completing repairs and maintenance once

undertaken or fail to follow appropriate industry repair, containment or remediation protocols

designed to minimize exposure to noise, dust, lead, paint, mold, asbestos, or other building

materials with potentially harmful health impacts;

                (4) Abuse the landlord’s right of access into a rental housing unit as that right is

provided by law;

                (5) Influence or attempt to influence a tenant to vacate a rental housing unit

through fraud, intimidation or coercion; for example and without limitation, by endeavoring to

recover possession of a rental unit that is exempt from rent increase limitations under Section

37.3(d) or Section 37.3(g) by means of a rent increase that is imposed with an intent to defraud,

intimidate, or coerce the tenant into vacating the rental unit in circumvention of Section 37.9(a),

37.9A, 37.9B, or 37.9C, in which case evidence of bad faith may include but is not limited to the

following: (1) the rent increase was substantially in excess of market rates for comparable units;

(2) the rent increase was within six months after an attempt to recover possession of the unit;

and (3) such other factors as a court or the Rent Board may deem relevant;

                (6) Attempt to coerce the tenant to vacate with offer(s) of payments to vacate

which are accompanied with threats or intimidation;

(7) Continue to offer payments to vacate after tenant has notified the landlord in

writing that they no longer wish to receive further offers of payments to vacate;

                (8) Threaten the tenant, by word or gesture, with physical harm;

                (9) Violate any law which prohibits discrimination based on actual or perceived

race, gender, sexual preference, sexual orientation, ethnic background, nationality, place of

birth, immigration or citizenship status, religion, age, parenthood, marriage, pregnancy, disability,

AIDS or occupancy by a minor child;

                (10) Interfere with a tenant’s right to quiet use and enjoyment of a rental housing

unit as that right is defined by California law;

                (11) Refuse to accept or acknowledge receipt of a tenant’s lawful rent payment;

                (12) Refuse to cash a rent check for over 30 days;

                (13) Interfere with a tenant’s right to privacy;

                (14) Request information that violates a tenant’s right to privacy, including but not

limited to residence or citizenship status or social security number;

                (15) Other repeated acts or omissions of such significance as to substantially

interfere with or disturb the comfort, repose, peace or quiet of any person lawfully entitled to

occupancy of such dwelling unit and that cause, are likely to cause, or are intended to cause any

person lawfully entitled to occupancy of a dwelling unit to vacate such dwelling unit or to

surrender or waive any rights in relation to such occupancy.

     (b) Nothing in this Section 37.10B shall be construed as to prevent the lawful eviction of

a tenant by appropriate legal means.

     (c) Enforcement and penalties.

                (1) Rent Board. Violation of Sections 37.10B(a)(1) – (3) is a substantial and

significant decrease in services as defined in Section 37.2(g) and tenants may file a petition with

the Rent Board for a reduction in rent.

                (2) Criminal Penalty. Any person who is convicted of violating this Section shall

be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not greater than

one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by

both such fine and imprisonment.

                (3) Civil Action. Any person, including the City, may enforce the provisions of this

Section by means of a civil action. The burden of proof in such cases shall be preponderance of

the evidence. A violation of this Chapter may be asserted as an affirmative defense in an

unlawful detainer action.

                (4) Injunction. Any person who commits an act, proposes to commit an act, or

engages in any pattern and practice which violates this Section 37.10B may be enjoined

therefrom by any court of competent jurisdiction. An action for injunction under this subsection

may be brought by an aggrieved person, by the City Attorney, or by any person or entity who will

fairly and adequately represent the interest of the protected class.

                (5) Penalties and Other Monetary Awards. Any person who violates or aids or

incites another person to violate the provisions of this Section is liable for each and every such

offense for money damages of not less than three times actual damages suffered by an

aggrieved party (including damages for mental or emotional distress), or for statutory damages

in the sum of one thousand dollars, whichever is greater, and whatever other relief the court

deems appropriate. In the case of an award of damages for mental or emotional distress, said

award shall only be trebled if the trier of fact finds that the landlord acted in knowing violation of

or in reckless disregard of Section 37.9, 37.10A, or 37.10B herein. In addition, a prevailing

plaintiff shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs pursuant to order of the court.

The trier of fact may also award punitive damages to any plaintiff, including the City, in a proper

case as defined by Civil Code Section 3294. The remedies available under this Section shall be

in addition to any other existing remedies which may be available to the tenant or the City.

                (6) Defending Eviction Lawsuits. In any action to recover possession of a rental

unit subject to the Chapter, unless the sole basis of the notice to quit is Section 37.9(b), the court

shall award the tenant reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in defending the action upon

a finding that the tenant is the prevailing party under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1032(a)(4).

     (d) Severability. If any provision or clause of this Section 37.10B, or Section 37.2(g), or

the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional or to be

otherwise invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect other

provisions of this Section 37.10B or Section 37.2(g) and all clauses of these Sections are

declared to be severable.

[Sec. 37.11: amended by Ord. No. 339-80, effective August 2, 1980; Ord. No. 362-80,
effective September 6, 1980; repealed by Ord. No. 20-84, effective February 18, 1984]