San Francisco median rents up 26% and eviction notices 44% in a year
The Receipt · Friday, 11 September 2026
Why it matters
The reported rent and eviction increases show a substantial deterioration in housing security for a renter-majority city, directly affecting whether households can remain in their homes. The proposals are relevant mainly as a testable policy response: this item establishes the scale of the problem, not whether the measures will reduce rents or displacement.
What happened
San Francisco median rents rose 26% and eviction notices increased 44% over the past year, according to Mission Local; more than two-thirds of the city's residents rent their homes. Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a rent emergency and announced proposed measures including a 25% increase in Ellis Act relocation payments and $3 million in additional funding for the Tenant Right to Counsel program. Other proposed measures would limit some rent increases and restrict evictions over unpaid rent, but the changes have not yet produced measured outcomes; the Anti-Displacement Coalition called the package incomplete.
Previously
Dec 2025 — San Francisco passed its first upzoning of western and northern neighborhoods since the 1970s.(Mission Local)
2024 — California voters rejected Proposition 33, a measure that would have allowed cities to expand rent control.(Mission Local)
Players & places
- San Francisco
- Tenant Right to Counsel
- Anti-Displacement Coalition
- Daniel Lurie