Opinion: Struggling to rent in Palo Alto

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As the executive director of a nonprofit and a resident of Palo Alto, I’ve traversed the intricate web of housing affordability and tenant rights issues firsthand. Relocating here during the pandemic, my family was drawn by the promise of top-tier schools and a safe community. However, our hopeful beginnings quickly unveiled the harsh realities confronting numerous families in the Bay Area.

My ordeal began with a grueling daily commute to San Francisco, which consumed over two hours daily. I have an increased appreciation for people who face super-commutes every day to get to cities like Palo Alto with a severe jobs-to-homes imbalance.

The challenges escalated with our rental property, where a broken hot water tank received a sluggish response from the management company in Los Gatos, and advice to “boil water to bathe the kids.” Fortunately, I received assistance from then-Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou and County Supervisor Joe Simitian. Still, our tight rental market and inadequate renter-protection laws often place tenant welfare secondary to property management interests.

Our plight escalated when seeking permission to install an electric vehicle charging station (EVSE). Instead of cooperating, we faced disrespect from our landlord, culminating in an abrupt non-renewal notice to prep the property for sale. The landlord’s demand for an exorbitant $5,000 for an EVSE installation when it should have cost $1,000, left us reeling. Despite our reasonable requests for lease extensions and termination options, our efforts at compromise were met with rejection.

This thrust us into a fiercely competitive housing market mid-school year, resulting in an additional $2,250 monthly rent burden and a school change for our 10-year-old. The Palo Alto Unified School District does over 300 address changes yearly, often due to the housing instability of too many students’ families. My family quickly signed a new lease because we wanted to avoid the risk of waiting another month with potentially fewer options available. I requested mediation from the City of Palo Alto, but my landlord and property manager have ignored all attempts.

As if our ordeal wasn’t enough, the property management company further exacerbated our situation. With a history of disciplinary action from the California Department of Real Estate, including mishandling funds leading to a license suspension, they levied inflated move-out costs. From $150 for a single light bulb replacement to an outrageous $650 charge for a new lawn (when they have been responsible for paying the gardener), their billing practices were nothing short of predatory. Adding insult to injury, they billed $365 for hauling and cleaning – to haul away items that came with the house. They also demanded $1,500 to refinish the dining room for a minor scratch.

Unfortunately, this is the norm for many Palo Alto renters. There are too few properties available and too many renters, resulting in an imbalance of power that creates even more obstacles to a healthy housing market.

The Bay Area’s housing market is notoriously challenging, with Palo Alto exemplifying this crisis. Rents are sky-high, and affordable options are scarce, including for middle-class families like mine, which are dependent on nonprofit sector salaries. This situation isn’t isolated but reflects a broader, systemic regional issue. And this is not getting better anytime soon unless we change our housing policies. California’s stringent zoning regulations and complex permitting processes have significantly contributed to a housing shortage that costs the state between $143 billion to $233 billion in lost economic output, exacerbating the crisis of affordability and accessibility.

To confront these challenges, I propose the following reforms:

1. Tenant Empowerment: Enable tenants to manage essential repairs, such as hot water tank failures, with the option to deduct these costs from rent.

2. Eviction Protections for School-Age Children: Implement specific eviction protections for families with school-age children within the Palo Alto Unified School District or any California school district. This will prevent families from switching schools mid-school year and avoid learning loss and educational disruption.

3. Priority Affordable Housing: Prioritize affordable housing for essential community members, including educators, city workers, first responders and nonprofit employees.

4. City-Funded Tenant Services: Establish city-funded tenant services to offer effective support and recourse for tenants.

5. Absence of Hidden Landlords: Ensure landlords provide direct contact information for emergencies and escalations, preventing them from hiding behind property managers.

6. Security Deposit Protections: Better regulations and accountability for landlords’ spending of renters’ security deposits are needed.

These measures aim to enhance tenant experiences and preserve our community’s diversity and vitality. The current situation in Palo Alto and across the Bay Area is unsustainable, pushing families to the brink. Policymakers and community leaders must recognize the urgency of this crisis and act decisively.

But most importantly, we also need to build more housing locally. Tenant protections are essential, but building more housing of all types is the only real way to solve the availability and affordability issues families and individuals face in our community.

Cally Wong a third-generation Bay Area native. She currently serves as the executive director for the Asian & Pacific Islander Council of San Francisco and is a Palo Alto resident. Cally can be reached at callybsim@gmail.com.