More than 10,000 people in San Francisco have been evicted from their homes over the past five years, but hundreds of those residents may have been wrongfully evicted, according to an analysis by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.
Landlords can legally evict their tenants for one of 16 reasons, including failure to pay rent and housing too many roommates. One of the fastest growing evictions, however, allows landlords to kick out their tenants if they, or, in some cases, their relatives, want to move into the home.
Owner move-in evictions have spiked more than 150 percent in just the past five years. The Investigative Unit spent six months interviewing over 100 people all across the city to determine whether landlords or their family members are actually living in the homes they claimed to move into. The investigation revealed widespread abuse that has shocked residents, lawmakers, and even those who investigate wrongful evictions.
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Here's how to save thousands on your rent
Watch the entire series in this NBC Bay Area investigation:
• Part 1: SF Landlords May Have Wrongfully Evicted Hundreds of Tenants
• Part 2: SF Fails to Prosecute Landlords for Certain Wrongful Evictions
• Part 3: San Francisco Considers New Eviction Laws Following I-Unit Series
• Part 4: NBC Bay Area Investigation Leads to Government Hearing
• Part 5: SF Eviction Crackdown Passes After Investigative Unit Series
• Part 6: SF Mayor To Sign Law After NBC Bay Area Investigation
• Part 7: SF Mayor Inks New Law to Combat Wrongful Evictions
• Part 8: Lake of Oversight Puts Oakland Tenants at Risk of Eviction
• Part 9: Oakland Voters May Get Say on When Landlords Can Evict Renters
• Part 10: Expansion of Eviction Protections Heads to Ballot in Oakland
• Part 11: Oakland Couple Uses Hidden Camera to Fight Eviction
• Part 12: Landlords Frequently Ignore Oakland Eviction Laws
• Part 13: Oakland Housing Director Defends Department
• Part 14: Oakland Housing Chief "Fired," Says Source
The Investigative Unit mapped out every owner move-in eviction in San Francisco over the past three years. You can use the interactive map below to find evictions in your neighborhood. If your address is listed and you are not a landlord or a relative of the property owner, someone may have been wrongfully evicted from that unit, which might entitle you to lock in the previous tenant’s cheaper rent.
If your address is listed, let us know about it by emailing us here. You should also submit an official request to the city to have your rent reduced.
Watch the entire series in this NBC Bay Area investigation:
- Part 1: SF Landlords May Have Wrongfully Evicted Hundreds of Tenants
- Part 2: SF Fails to Prosecute Landlords for Certain Wrongful Evictions
- Part 3: San Francisco Considers New Eviction Laws Following I-Unit Series
- Part 4: NBC Bay Area Investigation Leads to Government Hearing
- Part 5: SF Eviction Crackdown Passes After Investigative Unit Series
- Part 6: SF Mayor Will Sign Eviction Law Following NBC Bay Area Investigation
- Part 7: SF Mayor Inks New Law to Combat Wrongful Evictions
- Part 8: Lack of Oversight Puts Oakland Tenants at Risk of Eviction
- Part 9: Oakland Voters May Get Say on When Landlords Can Evict Renters
- Part 10: Expansion of Eviction Protections Heads to Ballot in Oakland
