What You Need to Know as a Landlord

Avoid late fees and being sent to collections!

Paying the Rent Board Fee is something San Francisco landlords have been doing for years. It was simple. Before, the bill was included with the property tax statement and paid along with one’s taxes.  When this was the case, no additional effort was required by the landlord and the city received its money.  

However, the City has sadly decided to make the process more complicated, in turn hurting middle-class property owners.  As a result, owners are now required to pay the fee separately. If a landlord fails to do this, even if unknowingly, they will be subject to fines and sent to collections!

It’s important for landlords to stay aware of this new law and to promptly submit payment when required.   

What is the San Francisco Rent Board Fee?

The San Francisco Rent Board states that “The City collects a per-unit fee for each residential dwelling unit that is subject to the Rent Ordinance. The fee funds the cost of operating the Rent Board.”. For the 2021 – 2022 tax year, the fee is $59 per apartment unit and $29.50 per residential hotel room. View the full fee structure here.

In previous years, the fee was billed by the tax collector’s office and billed directly through the owners’ property tax statement. This year, this will be removed as a line item on the property tax statement, and instead billed directly through the Rent Board.

At ReLISTO, we understand that this may cause confusion and potential difficulties for landlords. We are prepared to help landlords through this transition and aim to be a resource for landlords during this time. We’ve put together a list of resources and quick facts about the Rent Board Fee changes, view that here.

What Do You Need to Know as a Landlord in 2022?

How Will The Fee Be Billed?

Rent Board Fee notices will be sent out through the mail starting early January along with information on how to pay. Landlords need to be looking at for this notice in the mail, as late fees will be charged for delinquent payments. 

How Can Landlords Pay?

Along with the notice, landlords will receive a registration link to the online portal where they are able to make payments. Once set up with the online portal, landlords can pay with an e-check, or through debit or credit with a small fee.

If a paper check is preferred, landlords are able to make the payment this way by either sending the check through mail, or dropping it off at the Rent Board’s San Francisco office location (25 Van Ness Ave #320).

Are Late Fees Assessed?

Fees are due by March 1st. If unpaid, late fees WILL be assessed along with the possibility to be sent to collections.

“The Rent Board will add a 5% penalty to the amount of the fee if the fee has not been paid by March 1, an additional 5% if the fee has not been paid by April 1, and an additional 5% if the fee has not been paid by May 1. If the fee remains outstanding as of June 1, the Rent Board will refer the matter to the Bureau of Delinquent Revenue.” – SFRB

Timely payments and staying out of collections is so important since this can have a direct impact on your credit. Having an account in collections shows as a negative item a credit report that can have a severe impact on your score as well as your ability to apply for loans, open credit accounts, and more.

How Can Landlords Collect the Fee From Tenants?

Landlords are permitted, by Section 37A.6 of the Administrative Code to recover 50% of the Rent Board Fee from tenants.  The fee may be charged directly to the tenant or deduction from the tenants’ security deposit interest.  View our security deposit calculator to calculate the security deposit interest owed to the tenant along with the Rent Board Fee amount.

When billing the tenant, the fee must be billed on a statement that specifically states the fee amount owed by the tenant for each year, as well as any security deposit interest for each year. Tenants must pay within 30 days, however non-payment of the fee by the tenant is NOT just cause for eviction.

ReLISTO is Prepared to Help

We understand that there is a lot of uncertainty and confusion with the new fee structure, so we are available as a contact and resource to our landlords.
Above all, we want to help landlords transition smoothly to this new fee structure and set them up for success.

Quick Links

San Francisco Rent Board: https://sfrb.org/

Rent Board Fee Information: https://sfrb.org/fee

ReLISTO Rent Board Fee Resources: https://www.relisto.com/san-francisco-rent-board-fee/

Online Payment Portal: https://portal.sfrb.org/FrontPortal/Page/RenderPage?tabId=20

Security Deposit Calculator: https://www.relisto.com/calculators/calculator/rent-board-fee

Who Are San Francisco Landlords?  In 2003, San Francisco had one of the largest percentages of individually owned rentals in the country. This is an exception as rentals are typically owned and managed by large professional management companies.  Here is the report conducted by the city with shares some of these details. https://www.relisto.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2003-SFLandlordSurveyReport_ReLISTO.pdf 

ReLISTO focuses on hands-on leasing in San Francisco. We bring the most value out of every property we lease. That’s why when taking on a listing, we do a complete review of the property. This way, we can make recommendations on what a landlord could do to increase their rent or to better attract residents. We focus on low-hanging fruit, but if an owner is willing, we are happy to recommend sophisticated solutions as well.

In this piece, Eric Baird, the co-founder of ReLISTO, was visiting 3 bedroom property in the Marina District in San Francisco. Eric immediately noticed that the screen door was broken, and notified the owner who was not able to attend. With our owner’s permission,  Eric spent the time to perform the physical labor to remove the door and put it into the garage until the owner had a chance to properly fix it.  

Well-qualified tenants viewed the property on the next showing and decided to rent the property. These tenants have since moved in, showing that Eric’s efforts paid off!

Our goal is to highlight the beauty in each and every one of the properties we lease or manage. This is better for the landlord, the property, and makes for very happy residents. 

Learn more about how ReLISTO leasing can help you secure your next tenants!

Landlords Choose ReLISTO Agents Because We Do It Right

Prospective tenants in the San Francisco Bay Area market overwhelmingly use computers or mobile devices to find their next rental property.  This has been the case for many years and it’s a trend that is unlikely to change.  What has changed, in part due to the pandemic,  is the desire for increased information and how this translates into properties renting more quickly.   Prospective renters want a clear understanding of the property, its features and how its rooms are configured, and the general layout. If they can confidently achieve this during their online search, they will focus near exclusively on these properties, which benefits the owner.

At ReLISTO we have appreciated this phenomenon for a while. In fact, our youtube channel has over 1000 videos!   We do this because we represent landlords, and one of the best ways to rent our landlords’ properties quickly and at the best price is in part by having a video walk-through.

Key Ingredients

Whether the property tour video is for tenants who are moving to San Francisco from elsewhere or because they are limiting their exposure to others due to the pandemic, there are a few key ingredients to a good property tour video.   

1. 1. Accuracy. It’s important for the video to be true to the property and accurately communicate its layout. Starting at the street and walking completely through the property is important to provide a solid understanding for the prospect.
   2. Under 3 min. Keep each video between 1-3 min long.  Anything longer and you start losing interest. This is enough time to get through most apartments and rental homes.
   3. Focus on Tour.  Jump right into the tour. Prospects are looking at a lot of properties, and want to see the property. Save any narration which does not include walking/viewing till the end.
   4. Narration. We will narrate certain videos, but do it on a case-by-case basis. The advantage is you can build up the apartment and call out certain features which may not be obvious, such as double pane windows. The disadvantage is videos are longer and you may lose viewer interest.
   5. Editing. We strongly believe videos should be true to the property. This being said, video equipment may not capture the full light of a room or it will capture a pile of debris from the prior tenant which may need to still be removed. In these cases, editing is called for.
   6. Neighborhood. Adding scenes of the neighborhood to the end of the video can also be advantageous for the owner as it further communicates an understanding of the property.

Our Video Services

Close to every one of our property listings features a virtual tour on the property.  As we represent some of the nicest properties in San Francisco, there is a lot of reasons why prospects are endeared to each one when viewing our videos. This in turn translates to securing qualified tenants for our landlord clients at solid market rates.    

Learn more about how we attract tenants, and the video services we offer to our landlords. Virtual tours are one of the many ways that we stay proactive, engaged, and prepared for our landlord clients. Contact an agent today to discuss how we can make your home stand out online and maximize your return.

Landlords Choose ReLISTO Agents Because We Do It Right

In today’s digital world, a property manager or owner has 3 seconds to grab a potential tenant’s attention. If successful, your potential renter will swipe right, if not you have lost that lead. Only then will they take the time to review the features, amenities, and narrative. We appreciate this new world and work very hard to make sure that each of our properties are swipe right properties. 

At ReLISTO, we are committed to do things right for our landlord clients.  When it comes to attracting qualified tenants, nothing is more important  than great photos and multimedia. As such, we are laser focused on bringing out the beautiful in each and everyone of the properties which we represent for our landlord clients.

Backed by Data

It is critical when trying to lease a property to know whether or not you are attracting interest. When listing with ReLISTO, landlords can be assured we are managing the leasing process methodically, using data to ensure properties are successfully leased. As such, we know how many people are looking at each apartment in our portfolio, how long they are spending on it and if the property is being shared.  Great photos result in more interest, and this fact is further reinforced by these statics: 

• Listings with videos receive 403% more inquiries than those that don’t
• Viewers are 85% more likely to purchase when they’ve watched a product video
• According to Forbes, 59% of executives would rather watch video than read text

ReLISTO’s Focus

Our focus is highlighting the key features that prospective residents are seeking in their next rental home. Today’s tenants are looking for  spacious living spaces,  specific features, outdoor areas, and great neighborhoods.  

SPACIOUS SPACES. Tenants want to see the full room when reviewing photos. ½ room shots only serve to make the room look small and attractive.  We shoot the full room to ensure prospects understand the space and its size. 

PROPER LIGHTING. Most tenants want well lit apartments, the exception may be those who work night shifts like nurses/doctors. It’s critical for lights to be turned on, windows open and natural light to shine in!

FEATURES.  Every property is special and it’s the job of the leasing agent/property manager to ensure what is special about your property is highlighted and featured. It could be the quartz kitchen island, large closets, big windows, tall ceilings, kitchen appliances, air conditioning.  Whatever it is, it needs to be beautifully captured and shared with prospects. 

WINDOW SHOTS. Windows are not only to allow light in but for folks to enjoy the views. So many of our properties have lovely views and we make it a point to share this with each prospective tenant

NEIGHBORHOODS. We attract a lot of tenants from outside the city who may be moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. As such, visually communicating the neighborhood, its features and why it’s a place someone would want to live near. 

At ReLISTO, we want to do things right for our clients. We take professional grade photos of our landlord’s rental properties because we know it attracts great tenants. Contact us today to see how our team can help your property lease fast to quality tenants.