San Francisco Evictions Decline for First Time Since 2010

The number of eviction notices served to San Francisco residents last year dropped 21 percent compared to the year before, according to city records.

The recent drop-off in evictions marks the first time since 2009-2010 that resident removals actually declined, according to city records.

A total of 1,881 eviction notices were issued between March 1, 2016 and Feb. 28, 2017, according to the city. That number was 2,376 the year before.

The top three reasons for evictions this past year were breach of rental agreement, owner/relative move-ins and committing a nuisance, according to the city.

Evictions triggered by rental agreement rifts actually dropped 29 percent since last year, according to records. On the other hand, evictions prompted by nuisance reports jumped by seven percent.

Additionally, San Francisco landlords are legally allowed to carry out evictions if they decide to move into the home. If landlords already live in their own building, they can also evict other tenants to make room for their relatives. The practice, known as owner/relative move-in evictions, declined by five percent since last year, but such evictions still represent a more than 200 percent spike compared to five years ago.

Owner move-in evictions were the subject of a series of NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit reports that exposed, what appeared to be, widespread abuse by landlords kicking out rent-controlled tenants in order to charge new tenants higher rent. Of the thousands of people living in San Francisco who have been evicted from their homes in recent years, hundreds of those residents may have been wrongfully evicted, according to a recent analysis by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. Those reports have since prompted city leaders to consider new laws to fine and prosecute landlords who wrongfully evict rent-controlled tenants.