#oakland-housing

#oakland-housing

Under a state law called the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, landlords can reset the starting rent price at any level once tenants move out of a unit and new residents move in. That's where things got tricky in Woo's situation. According to a lawsuit Woo filed in January, their building's property manager had Woo's partner sign the lease in March 2024. Woo, even though they were the one who'd found the apartment and would be moving in together with their then-partner, was told to sign a separate document instead.