Property Owners Get Their Own Resource Center

Alameda County’s independent landlords and to some degree their tenants have a relatively new resource to help them navigate the sometimes choppy waters of rental housing in the unincorporated areas including Castro Valley.

The Alameda County Housing Provider Resource Center (ACHPRC) opened as a pilot program last November and will be evaluated for possible expansion countywide in October of this year. It runs as part of the county Community Development Agency but is administered by the East Bay Rental Housing Association, a property owners’ group.

It runs a telephone hotline to advise on landlord and tenant rights, resolve problems that can be fixed outside of the courts, encourage compliance with existing laws, advise on best property management practices and advise on changes in the law. It also runs classes and provides information on its website.

One big goal is to stabilize the housing market, so it works for both tenants and landlords, said ACHPRC Outreach Coordinator Haldun Morgan.

“Small, independent landlords play a critical role in maintaining existing housing stock and preventing displacement, particularly in historically underserved areas,” Morgan wrote in an email.

By giving these property owners the tools they need to comply with laws and engage in ethical management practices, he said, ACHPRC is working toward long-term housing stability for both renters and owners.

Corporations have increasingly shifted into rental properties, sometimes with big rent increases when a property is acquired, said ACHPRC marketing and communications director Chris Tipton. Yet many of the landlords and property owners operate on a small scale, renting out often older dwellings at well below what larger owners might charge.

Often, he said, this results in affordable housing at rents less than one would pay for newly constructed official “affordable housing,” due to high construction costs in the area.

Those small landlords, Tipton said, often rely on their rental income for financial stability, yet struggle to navigate shifting regulations, tenant protections, and compliance requirements, all while trying to keep their properties habitable and sustainable.

Tipton said this results in a hidden reservoir of below-market-rate housing that can sit vacant or underutilized when people are having trouble finding a house.

ACHPRC can help small landlords—or tenants—answer their questions, Tipton said.

For more information, call the Alameda County Housing Provider Resource Center hotline at (510) 868-0070, see their website at https://achprc.org, or email them at support@achprc.org.