Landlord Tenant Ordinance Overhaul

At a glance

What: Two overlapping rewrites of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (Chapter 5-12 of the Municipal Code) reached the floor on September 23, 2026 and both were deferred and published. Neither has passed.
Housing Committee version: Mayor Mayor Johnson's substitute ordinance SO2026-0026554, reported by the Committee on Housing and Real Estate (chair Sigcho-Lopez).
Zoning Committee version: substitute ordinance SO2026-0027202, "empowering the Department of Buildings to strengthen standards and enforcement mechanisms for residential buildings," reported by the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards (chair Villegas) after its September 17 meeting.
Next: Both stay on Council's calendar; the journals show no re-referral. Ervin proposed sending the two to a joint committee.

Sigcho-Lopez and Quezada asked to defer and publish the Housing version. Ervin said it resembled the Zoning ordinance due later in the meeting and suggested a joint committee if both chairs agreed. Quezada withdrew his request to allow that, but Waguespack pointed out that only the Housing ordinance was before Council and could not be re-referred jointly with one not yet reported. Mayor Johnson agreed, and Sigcho-Lopez and Ervin then asked that the Housing ordinance be deferred and published.
The Zoning version was deferred and published at the request of Villegas and Cardona.

Adds a Tenant Bill of Rights (Section 5-12-035) and a Bureau of Rental Housing Services in Chapter 2-44.
Fees: besides rent, a tenant may be charged only a security deposit, up to one month of prepaid rent and listed fees. Application fee capped at the lesser of actual cost or $20, and none if the tenant brings a reusable screening report. Pet fee either one-time or monthly, not both. Utility pass-throughs at cost with no markup. Itemized written description required. Fines of 1.5 times an illegal fee.
Security deposits capped at one month's rent; a landlord who fails to return a deposit owes two times the deposit.
Takes effect January 1, 2027.

Creates an Office of Rental Housing in the Department of Buildings (with a housing-supply role and mediation of complaints), a residential rental registry and landlord disclosures (including disclosure of dynamic-pricing or non-public rent-data software).
Fees: application fee up to $50 (documented excess third-party costs allowed under state law), none with a reusable screening report from the prior 30 days; fees must be on page one of the lease; unpaid late, pet or utility fees cannot be converted into rent; move-in fee allowed if reasonably related to cost.
Building Commissioner must submit implementation plans within 180 days; most provisions take effect July 1, 2027.

Both versions deferred and published. No vote on the merits.