Description
Less space, natural light and, sometimes, no bathroom — many Bay Area renters are seeing fewer homes within their budget. But legal experts say there are some compromises you shouldn’t have to make, even if you're desperate to secure a spot.
Fueled in part by the AI boom, rents in San Francisco have risen this year faster than anywhere else in the country — bringing with them a new breed of scams — and the rest of the Bay Area is also feeling the heat. The few remaining options on the market, however, are forcing many renters to scale down their expectations even more to find a home in the region.
Other renters are looking into homes where tenants are already jostling for limited amenities.
Think you could hypothetically live in a rented room with no natural lighting — and where the bathroom is located in a different building? The law says something different, said Ora Prochovnick, director of litigation for the San Francisco renters’ rights group, Eviction Defense Collaborative. “You do have rights and protections as a tenant,” she stressed.
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This story is part of How We Get By, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California.