Concord City Council To Consider Anti-harassment Protection

CONCORD, CA — The Concord City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to adopt a residential tenant anti-harassment protection ordinance.

The city has been working on the ordinance since June 2021, getting input from the public and the city's housing and economic development committee.

Among the options staff will present to the council for the ordinance include prohibiting various forms of harassment of tenants by landlords, doing renovations to a unit without notice or permission of the tenant, renovating for the purpose of getting the tenant to vacate, and forcing an existing tenant to agree to a new term of tenancy unless the changes are allowed by state law.

Other options include rules regarding landlords' entry rights, removing services and misrepresenting conditions to force a tenant to move, giving tenants the right to receive rental receipts and pay through various means, defining what a landlord must accept as a form of identification from prospective renters, and defining how landlords must communicate with tenants.

There are also sections covering landlord retaliation and allowing tenants to collect punitive damages in court. The ordinance would also cover what defines a lawful eviction and would require violators to pay fines.

The Concord City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in the council chamber at city hall, 1950 Parkside Drive in Concord. To view the meeting remotely, go to https://bit.ly/3xlH8Bg (webinar ID 863 9105 4431, passcode 449614. For Spanish translation, go to https://bit.ly/3xLRtrr.

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