Rent Relief

Here to Stay
by Zeph Fishlyn for SFADC 2021
Are you behind on rent? You don’t have to move! There is help available.
Updated July 31, 2023
NOTE: Our remaining local COVID eviction protections expire August 29, 2023, but you still have rights! Eviction is always a legal process. There are free tenant rights clinics across the city here to help, and all San Francisco tenants facing an eviction are entitled to free legal representation.
If you receive any eviction papers (documents that contain words like “summons” or “complaint” or “unlawful detainer”), please contact legal@evictiondefense.org or 415-659-9184 as soon as possible, or visit the Eviction Defense Collaborative in-person at 972 Mission Street , 1st floor. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10-11:30 am and 1-2:30 pm.
For help paying back rent, visit sferap.com. Learn more about eligibility requirements by visiting sf.gov/renthelp or read our Frequently Asked Questions below.
To prepare for the end of temporary pandemic tenant protections on August 29th, SF tenants struggling to pay rent should note the following changes in the eviction process:
For rent that came due before August 29th:
- Landlords cannot impose late fees for non-payment due to pandemic-related hardship.
- Tenants served with eviction papers for non-payment can use pandemic-related financial hardship as a defense against an Unlawful Detainer in court.
- In court, tenants must show that the debt is due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing documentation such as:
- bank statements
- employment termination notices
- medical bills
- unemployment insurance filings
- childcare or eldercare bills –
- roommate move-out notices
For rent that comes due after August 29th:
- Landlords may resume imposing late fees for non-payment, if this is part of the lease agreement.
- Tenants will no longer be able to use pandemic-related hardship as a legal defense against eviction for non-payment.