The Ellis Act Defined

Ellis Act evictions generally are used to “change the use” of the building. Most Ellis evictions are used to convert rental units to condominiums using loopholes in the condo law.

BEWARE OF ELLIS THREATS

Filing an Ellis Act with the Rent Board means that the re-rental restrictions will be recorded on the deed of tivated to issue Ellis “warnings” and “advisories” to the tenants. These are not legal eviction notices but nonetheless are perceived as eviction notices by tenants—don’t move based on a bluff!

FIGHT THE ELLIS

Defenses may be limited, but tenants who fight the Ellis eviction win surprisingly often. Tenants who don’t win often drag out the eviction for well over a year and get into a position where they can settle on their terms.

SB 464 is a bill before the California State Senate that would limit use of the Ellis Act. The bill would require three years of ownership before Ellis Act evictions, limiting the ability for speculative realtors to buy up rent controlled housing and evict people for a profit–sadly a huge business in the Bay Area.

From the SFTU website.