This is in reference to “San Mateo rents costly and rising” in the May 6 edition of the Daily Journal. RentHop, RentCafe, Zumper, Zilpy. The article cites those rental data sources. Quality data is needed for good journalism and policymaking. San Mateo on Sept. 4, 2018, split 2:2 on a rental registry. Councilmembers expressed concerns over goals, accuracy, enforceability, costs and privacy. Councilman Rick Bonilla made clear that good data is important and achievable. When local control skirts responsibility, California steps in.
AB724 (Wicks) would provide some data to support future policy decision-making. On April 16, 2018, San Francisco published a report on a SF rental registry: they have a more complex and thus expensive system than considered in San Mateo. Estimated cost? Only $55 per unit per year (https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/BLA.RentalRegistry.041619.pdf).
Having to rely on public .com postings is not enough to build policy. California has many business registration requirements from CSLB to DIR to CDTFA. It is not too much to ask landlords and property managers to provide accurate data. S-Corp (mom and pop) landlords can own businesses holding millions of dollars in assets (homes) with hundreds of thousands in revenue (rent). What other business of that size goes unmonitored in California? Databases are central to our local economy. If we can “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” we can organize a few rentals and lease terms. I am happy to have my landlord raise my $1-2M single family home’s rent by $55 per year to pay our part. Achieving good data will help create good journalism and good policy.
Good journalism? You want better numbers, break out your wallet and do it yourself. The audacity of the author to think society should have to pay for journalistic pursuits is foolish. This is the problem we have today, people think that if they have a problem, other people should fix it. Keep government and social housing advocates out of the housing market, they have no business intruding into a private market. Good journalism? I thought that is what good journalists did for a living.
We do need solid numbers. Someone from the San Mateo landlords' association (not sure what it's called---SAMCAR?) keeps saying the average rent in San Mateo is around $1,000 according to the U.S. Census. Yet the census has not been conducted in 10 years and that number would not have been true even 10 years ago. We need better info if property owners are going to cite statistics that seem unfounded.
You need better information for what purpose? What points are you looking to make with this information? I can view Craigslist to get all the information I need in regards to current market realities in the rental market. Since when is it the US Census' purpose to give us up to date info on housing?
Should the same registry also include the income of all adults living in the rental unit? We often hear about the percentage of income that renters pay for rent but I have never seen the source for these statements.
San Jose Tenants are suing the City of San Jose over the rent registry, which is a gross invasion of privacy. Imagine the name, address and unit number of every tenant being made a public record for all the World to search. The case is working its way through Federal District court. https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2018cv06800/334545
"Since when is it the US Census' purpose to give us up to date info on housing?"
The US Census started the American Community Survey (ACS) in 2005. So ... 14 years.
But, if you really want to go back you can see the basis for the ACS in the 1960's when the Federal Government started realizing the disparate treatment of many groups of people by mortgage brokers / lenders, developers, and most importantly government.
The U.S. Census Bureau stays busy tracking data on all sort of matters, including housing. They report: Median gross rents 2012-2017 City of San Mateo $ 2,014 Median gross rents 2012-2017 County of San Mateo $1,973 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanmateocitycalifornia,sanmateocountycalifornia,US/PST045218
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(7) comments
Good journalism? You want better numbers, break out your wallet and do it yourself. The audacity of the author to think society should have to pay for journalistic pursuits is foolish. This is the problem we have today, people think that if they have a problem, other people should fix it. Keep government and social housing advocates out of the housing market, they have no business intruding into a private market. Good journalism? I thought that is what good journalists did for a living.
We do need solid numbers. Someone from the San Mateo landlords' association (not sure what it's called---SAMCAR?) keeps saying the average rent in San Mateo is around $1,000 according to the U.S. Census. Yet the census has not been conducted in 10 years and that number would not have been true even 10 years ago. We need better info if property owners are going to cite statistics that seem unfounded.
You need better information for what purpose? What points are you looking to make with this information? I can view Craigslist to get all the information I need in regards to current market realities in the rental market. Since when is it the US Census' purpose to give us up to date info on housing?
Should the same registry also include the income of all adults living in the rental unit? We often hear about the percentage of income that renters pay for rent but I have never seen the source for these statements.
San Jose Tenants are suing the City of San Jose over the rent registry, which is a gross invasion of privacy. Imagine the name, address and unit number of every tenant being made a public record for all the World to search. The case is working its way through Federal District court. https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2018cv06800/334545
"Since when is it the US Census' purpose to give us up to date info on housing?"
The US Census started the American Community Survey (ACS) in 2005. So ... 14 years.
But, if you really want to go back you can see the basis for the ACS in the 1960's when the Federal Government started realizing the disparate treatment of many groups of people by mortgage brokers / lenders, developers, and most importantly government.
The U.S. Census Bureau stays busy tracking data on all sort of matters, including housing. They report:
Median gross rents 2012-2017 City of San Mateo $ 2,014
Median gross rents 2012-2017 County of San Mateo $1,973
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanmateocitycalifornia,sanmateocountycalifornia,US/PST045218
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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