§12755 Tenant and Participant Protections

Summary

Owners must give tenants leases that last at least one year unless the tenant and owner agree to a shorter term. An owner cannot end a tenancy or refuse to renew a lease except for serious or repeated lease violations, breaking applicable law, or other good cause. Before ending the tenancy or refusing to renew, the owner must give the tenant a written notice explaining the reasons at least 30 days before the action. The 30-day notice is not required if the tenant poses a direct threat to people’s safety or an imminent, serious threat to the property, and the owner must follow state or local law in such cases. Owners must keep the housing up to all housing quality standards and local building codes. They must have written rules for choosing tenants that aim to house very low‑income and low‑income families, relate to program eligibility and the tenant’s ability to follow the lease, consider any families with an established preference, use a written waiting list in application order when practical, and promptly tell rejected applicants in writing why they were turned down. Those tenant‑selection rules about eligibility, preference, and waiting lists do not apply to small properties (4 or fewer rental units) that meet certain rent, occupancy, voucher, program-rule, and local monitoring conditions.