News and Updates
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Rental Registry Update
What is the Rental Registry?
Under the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (“Ordinance”), the City must create a Rental Registry and all landlords with rental units in the City of Santa Ana must complete and submit Registration Forms for each rental unit. The Rental Registry is an online portal where landlords must register their rental units, update rental unit information, update tenancy information, submit notices, and pay the City’s Rental Registry fee, if applicable. The City’s Rental Registry allows the City to securely compile key data on rent-stabilized units, track allowable rent increases, monitor compliance with the City’s Ordinance, and communicate rental unit data on a regular basis to both landlords and tenants.
What is the purpose of the information being collected?
The City’s Rental Registry gathers key data on rent-stabilized units through the submission of a Registration Form. Some of the information required in the Registration Form is detailed in Section 8-3160(g) of the Ordinance. However, the Ordinance also provides that the Program Administrator, at his/her/their discretion, may require additional information to be collected and recorded in the Registration Form in furtherance of the objectives of the Ordinance. It is important to note that lease agreements, Social Security Numbers, Employer Identification Numbers or any other confidential information unrelated to compliance with the Ordinance is not collected in the Rental Registry. The City has determined that the information collected in the Registration Form, which is all directly related to Rental Units, is necessary to collect in furtherance of the objectives of the Ordinance.
Why is tenant contact information required?
Obtaining accurate contact information in the Rental Registry allows the City to communicate effectively with both landlords and tenants as needed. The Registration Form requests the name, contact information and preferred language for only the Head of Household or Co-Head of Household such that staff can assist the tenant in their respective language, if it is known by the landlord. If a landlord does not know the preferred language of the tenant, they have the option to select “Unknown”. It is important to note that the City is not asking for the names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information for every tenant or occupant in the rental unit, rather only the Head of Household or Co-Head of Household. Information about the tenant’s race, ethnicity or nationality is also not requested in the City’s Rental Registry.
Is the Rental Registry secure?
The City’s Rental Registry is maintained by the City’s software provider, 3Di Systems (“3Di”). 3Di’s platform is Service Organization Control Type 2 compliant, ensuring security, confidentiality, and privacy of all information submitted. The cloud-based SaaS platform is supported by Amazon Web Services, which offers the ability to encrypt data at rest and in transit, furthering the reliability, security, and technical capabilities of the system. Information entered in the Rental Registry is restricted to authorized users with role-based permissions and is not publicly accessible. 3Di has over 20 years of experience in creating similar platforms for government and community organizations. 3Di manages the rental registries for multiple cities throughout California, including the cities of Oakland and Los Angeles, and there has never been a breach of their data.
Who can I contact for questions about the Rental Registry?
If you have any questions about the Rental Registry, a dedicated e-mail address and Rent Stabilization Helpline are available with staff standing by to assist you. Please e-mail us at rso@santa-ana.org or call (714) 667-2209 to speak with one of our representatives. The City of Santa Ana has also created a comprehensive webpage with information about the Rental Registry including helpful resources such as a User Guide, FAQs, recorded demonstrations, and a PowerPoint presentation. Click the link below to visit the Rental Registry webpage. Staff and computers are also available by appointment at our WORK Center at 801 W Civic Center Drive, Suite 200, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
Rental Housing Board
The Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (“Ordinance”) provides for the administration and enforcement of renter protections for Santa Ana renters by establishing a Rental Housing Board.
Under Section 8-3180 of the Ordinance, the Rental Housing Board (“Board”) shall consist of seven (7) Board Members. Each City Councilmember shall appoint one (1) Board Member, to be approved by the City Council, in an equitable order based upon a random lottery process. The Board shall be comprised of:
- Three (3) Tenants, including at least one (1) Mobilehome Tenant;
- Two (2) Landlords; and
- Two (2) at-large Members with no financial interest in and no ownership of income-generating rental housing. (For example, an owner of a single-family dwelling that lives in that dwelling.)
Applications are currently being accepted and are located on the City Clerk’s Office website at www.santa-ana.org/rental-housing-board. If you or someone you know may be interested in serving on the Rental Housing Board, we encourage you to apply.
Serving our Residents
City staff serves the public on a daily basis by responding to telephone and email inquiries about the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance and general landlord/tenant issues. Persons contacting the City include landlords, tenants, real estate brokers, prospective tenants and prospective property owners. The most common topics of concern are evictions, allowable rent increases, and the City’s Rental Registry.
Know Your Rights
If you believe the owner or property manager for your rental unit or mobilehome may not be in compliance with the Ordinance, or you need assistance interpreting the Ordinance, please reach out to one of the City’s community partners:
Fair Housing Council of Orange County
2021 E. 4th Street, Suite 122
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714-569-0823 Option 4
Public Law Center
601 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: 714-541-1010 x 303
Community Legal Aid SoCal
2101 North Tustin Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714-571-5200
Latino Health Access
450 W 4th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: 714-542-7792
Please be advised, the City does not recommend or endorse any particular law firm or agency, but leaves it up to tenants to determine their best course of action and chosen representation, if necessary.
Contact Us:
20 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92702
Email: rso@santa-ana.org
Tel: (714) 667-2209
Fax: (714) 547-5411
Quick Links:
If you have any difficulty connecting with the links in this Newsletter, enter the following website address into an internet browser to explore the City’s website – www.santa-ana.org/renter-protections