COMPARISON OF RENT MEASURES

Here is a comparison of the two rent-control measures that will be on the Nov. 6 ballot in Santa Monica.

Landlord-Sponsored Initiative

This measure would allow landlords to set the rent at any level they choose whenever a tenant vacates an apartment voluntarily. After the initial increase, rent control would be reimposed and annual increases would be limited to whatever is determined by the Rent Control Board.

Based on recent newspaper listings for Santa Monica and surrounding neighborhoods of Los Angeles, that means one-bedroom apartments would probably rent for between $800 and $1,000 and two-bedroom units for $1,100 to $1,500.

The current citywide average for all apartments is about $500.

Council-Approved Measure

This measure would set specific maximum rents on voluntarily vacated units that are below the prevailing free-market rate for the Westside, but which would represent significant increases for the average Santa Monica apartment. Rents would be allowed to rise to the following levels based on the number of bedrooms:

Single: $477

1 bedroom: $511

2 bedrooms: $613

3 bedrooms: $723

4 bedrooms: $766

If an apartment voluntarily vacated has a rent already above these levels, landlords would still be allowed an increase of at least 10% if certain minimum maintenance standards are achieved, including: new paint, new or cleaned carpets, new floor and window coverings and all appliances in working order.

Analysis

Although strict rent control has been in force for more than a decade in a city where about 80% of residents are renters, landlords are hoping to persuade current tenants that the program is in danger of collapse. By supporting the landlords’ initiative, the apartment owners will argue, tenants will be able to preserve their own low rents as long as they stay put.

The landlords say that if their “vacancy decontrol” initiative is rejected, a steadily increasing number of owners will choose to evict their tenants, quit the rental business and eventually use the property for other purposes--even if it means keeping the land vacant for several years.

The City Council, controlled by tenant activists, has sensed that some renters will find the landlords’ case persuasive. Its countermeasure is intended as a compromise.

If rent controls are removed whenever units are voluntarily vacated, the council majority contends, the city’s stock of affordable housing units will steadily erode in the coming years.