San Francisco’s commercial eviction moratorium now applies to rent due from March 17, 2020 through November 30, 2020, prohibiting evictions for late rent payments on commercial properties
San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed today authorized a 60-day extension of the City’s commercial eviction moratorium, from September 30 to November 30, 2020. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Order allowing local jurisdictions to continue banning evictions of commercial tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City’s ability to extend the moratorium beyond September 30 depended on the State taking this action. Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors, including Supervisor Aaron Peskin, strongly advocated for the State to extend the moratorium.
“Even as we work to reopen and help our economy recover, we know that businesses are barely hanging on. That’s why we pushed for the ability to extend our local commercial eviction moratorium and why we’re issuing a further extension through the end of November,” said Mayor Breed. “This gives businesses greater certainty and the ability to focus on safely reopening and getting back on their feet. I want to thank Governor Newsom for continuing to give local governments the ability to take these protective actions. We’ll do everything we can to support and protect our small businesses as we make it through this pandemic together.”
“The Mayor’s approach has been remarkably successful for San Francisco at large, and now it’s incumbent upon us to do everything we can to ensure small businesses survive this pandemic,” said Supervisor Peskin. “For me and my colleagues who are fighting to revive our neighborhood commercial corridors, we now have some breathing room to ensure that everyone recovers.”
The Governor’s Executive Order provides localities the ability to continue extending the commercial eviction moratorium as needed until the end of March 2021. Today’s extension by Mayor Breed will provide businesses additional security through Thanksgiving, when a further extension of the moratorium may be implemented as needed. The extension comes as San Francisco is assigned to the State’s Orange tier, and is moving forward on reopening more businesses, including restaurants indoors for the first time since March.
San Francisco’s commercial eviction moratorium now applies to rent due from March 17, 2020 through November 30, 2020, prohibiting evictions for late rent payments. It does not waive the obligation to pay missed rent, and also provides a process for landlords to seek waivers from the moratorium by demonstrating significant financial hardship such as a default on debt or a similar enforceable obligation. The Mayor’s Order also clarifies that no missed rent is due until the expiration of the moratorium. Tenants and landlords are encouraged to work out repayment plans that work for both parties.
The City is helping commercial tenants and landlords understand and comply with the moratorium, including providing legal assistance through City nonprofit partners. For questions about how to access support, or any other questions about the commercial eviction moratorium, tenants and landlords are encouraged to visit OEWD’s COVID-19 website and contact the City’s Small Business Assistance Center by email at: sfosb@sfgov.org, and by phone in English and Spanish at: 415-554-6134, and in Chinese at: 415-554-6407.