Mountain View Eviction Moratorium

The City of Mountain View, California, halted all residential evictions until at least May 31, 2020. If you are a landlord or a tenant, what does this mean for you?

The eviction moratorium applies to all residential rental units in Mountain View, including single-family homes, condos/townhomes, duplexes, apartments, mobile homes and mobile home spaces and other types of residential rental units (such as rooms) with leases and/or subleases.

Tenants experiencing significant financial loss due to the pandemic must notify their landlord in writing (via text, email and/or letter) within 7 days after rent is due and provide documentation of financial loss to their landlord within 14 days after rent is due.

A fillable form for the tenant’s use in giving this notice is available on the City of Mountain View website: https://www.mountainview.gov/depts/comdev/preservation/rentstabilization/evictionmoratorium/default.asp

Qualifying tenants must pay the past due rent 120 days after then end of the moratorium.

To qualify for relief under the moratorium, the tenant must experience a significant decrease in income due to impacts related to the pandemic, such as:

• Job loss or layoff
• Business, store or restaurant closure
• Reduction in hours worked
• Substantial decrease in business hours or demand
• Need to care for homebound children or sick family members
• Other Federal, State or local actions that prevent a tenant from working

-or-

• Have substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses due to the pandemic.

Tenants must notify their landlord in writing within seven (7) days after rent is due, and provide documentation within fourteen (14) days after rent is due. The documentation may include but is not limited to:

• Letter(s) from employers
• Pay check stubs documenting income before and after impact
• Bank statements documenting income before and after impact
• Letter(s) or notification(s) from school(s)

After the moratorium ends, the tenant must pay back the past due rent within 120 days, subject to agreement between the landlord and tenant on a repayment plan.

The Jellins Group APLC provides advice and counsel to landlords and tenants during these unsettled times. Contact us at (650) 329-1300.