Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act: permanent disabilities: comparable or smaller units.

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act authorizes an owner of residential real property to establish the initial and subsequent rental rates for a dwelling or unit with respect to which certain criteria are met, including that the dwelling or unit is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit or is a subdivided interest in a subdivision, as specified. The act exempts certain tenancies and dwelling units from these provisions, including a unit where the previous tenancy been terminated by the owner pursuant to specified law. This bill would authorize a jurisdiction to require the owner of a residential real property that is subject to an ordinance or charter provision that controls the rental rate to permit a tenant who is not subject to eviction for nonpayment and who has a permanent physical disability related to mobility to move to an available comparable or smaller unit, as defined, located on an accessible floor of the property if certain conditions are met. The bill would require an owner who grants a request pursuant to these provisions to allow the tenant to retain their lease at the same rental rate and terms of the existing lease if certain conditions are met, including, among others, the move is determined to be necessary to accommodate the tenant's disability related to mobility and the new dwelling or unit is in the same building or on the same parcel with at least 4 other units.