S.F. Admin. Code ch. 37 § 37.9C
Tenants Rights to Relocation for No-Fault Evictions (San Francisco Rent Ordinance)
Operative Text
(a) Definitions. (1) Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice, For purposes of this section 37.9C , a Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice shall mean a notice to quit based upon Section 37.9 (a)(8), (10), (11), or (12). (2) Eligible Tenant, For purposes of this section 37.9C , an Eligible Tenant shall mean any authorized occupant of a rental unit, regardless of age, who has resided in the unit for 12 or more months. (b) Each Eligible Tenant who receives a Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice, in addition to all rights under any other provision of law, shall be entitled to receive relocation expenses from the landlord, in the amounts specified in section 37.9C (e). (c) On or before the date of service of a Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice, the landlord shall notify all occupant(s) in the unit in writing of the right to receive payment under this section 37.9C and the amount of that relocation and shall provide a copy of section 37.9C . Such notification shall include a statement describing the additional relocation expenses available for Eligible Tenants who are senior or disabled and for households with children. The landlord shall file a copy of this notification with the Rent Board within 10 days after service of the notice, together with a copy of the notice to vacate and proof of service upon the tenant. (d) A landlord who pays relocation expenses as required by this Section in conjunction with a notice to quit need not pay relocation expenses with any further notices to quit based upon the same just cause under Section 37.9 (a) for the same unit that are served within 180 days of the notice that included the required relocation payment. The relocation expenses continued herein are separate from any security or other refundable deposits as defined in California Code Section 1950.5. Further, payment or acceptance of relocation expenses shall not operate as a waiver of any rights a tenant may have under law. (e) Relocation expenses shall be: (1) Each Eligible Tenant receiving a Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice shall receive $4,500.00, $2,250.00 of which shall be paid at he time of the service of the notice to quit, and $2,250.00 of which shall be paid when the unit is vacated. In no case, however, shall the landlord be obligated under this section 37.9C (e)(1) to provide more than $13,500.00 in relocation expenses to all Eligible Tenants in the same unit. (2) In addition, each Eligible Tenant who is 60 years of age or older or who is disabled within the meaning of Section 12955.3 of the California Government Code, and each household with at least one Eligible Tenant and at last one child under the age of 18 years, shall be entitled to receive an additional payment of $3,000.00. $1,500.00 of which shall be paid within fifteen (15) calendar days of the landlord's receipt of written notice from the Eligible Tenant of entitlement to the relocation payment along with supporting evidence, and $1,500.00 of which shall be paid when the Eligible tenant vacated the unit. Within 30 days after notification to the landlord of a claim of entitlement to additional relocation expenses because of disability, age, or having children in the household, the landlord shall give written notice to the Rent Board of the Claim for additional relocation assistance and whether or not the landlord disputes the claim. (3) Commencing March 1, 2007, these relocation expenses, including the maximum relocation expenses per unit, shall increase annually, rounded to the nearest dollar, at the rate of increase in the "rent of primary residence" expenditure category of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Region for the preceding calendar year, as that data is made available by the United States Department of Labor and published by the Board.
Section 37.9C of the San Francisco Administrative Code, Chapter 37, establishes a right to relocation payments for tenants who are displaced through certain no-fault evictions — specifically those based on subsections (a)(8), (10), (11), or (12) of Section 37.9. Any authorized occupant who has lived in the unit for at least 12 months qualifies as an 'Eligible Tenant' and is entitled to a base payment of $4,500 (split between the time of notice and the time of vacancy), with a per-unit cap of $13,500. Additional payments of $3,000 are available for eligible tenants who are seniors, disabled, or part of a household with children under 18, and all amounts are adjusted annually using the San Francisco-area Consumer Price Index.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under S.F. Admin. Code § 37.9C, operators serving a Covered No-Fault Eviction Notice are generally expected to provide written notice of relocation rights to all occupants on or before the date the notice is served, and to file a copy of that notification — along with the notice to vacate and proof of service — with the Rent Board within 10 days. Compliant operators typically pay the first installment of $2,250 per Eligible Tenant at the time of service and the second installment upon vacancy, while tracking the per-unit cap of $13,500. When a tenant claims the additional $3,000 supplement for age, disability, or children in the household, operators generally respond in writing to the Rent Board within 30 days of that claim, indicating whether the claim is disputed.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 37.9C of the San Francisco Administrative Code gives Eligible Tenants — those who have lived in a unit for 12 or more months — the right to receive relocation payments when displaced by certain no-fault evictions, and accepting these payments does not waive any other legal rights you may hold. If you are 60 or older, disabled, or live in a household with a child under 18, you may be entitled to an additional $3,000 supplement on top of the base payment, triggered by providing written notice and supporting evidence to your landlord. The San Francisco Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board oversees compliance with § 37.9C, and tenant-rights organizations in San Francisco can help you understand the enforcement paths available if a landlord fails to provide required notices or payments.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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