On March 24, 2020, San Mateo County approved an emergency regulation that established a countywide eviction moratorium. The emergency regulation prevents landlords from evicting tenants for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19 impacts or no-fault terminations. The emergency regulation is applicable to residential tenants, including mobile homeowners, and is in effect through May 31, 2020.
Before taking any action to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent or no-fault terminations, landlords must notify their tenants of the emergency regulation using the San Mateo County Emergency Regulation Form (PDF).
Tenant Obligations
If a tenant cannot pay rent due to COVID-19 impacts, they must notify their landlord within 14 days of receiving the emergency regulation notice.
This emergency regulation does not relieve a tenant from their obligation to pay rent. Tenants are required to pay their landlords the late rent within 90 days following termination of emergency. Tenants may request up to three, 30 day extensions however they must notify their landlord and provide documentation supporting their request. Landlords may not charge or collect a late fee for a delayed rent payment.
For More Information
For additional information, please visit the San Mateo County Department of Housing website, and the San Mateo County COVID-19 Eviction Regulations page.
To review frequently asked questions about or summaries of the eviction moratorium, or to access templates of the letter to be sent to landlords, visit the Legal and Other Tenant/Landlord Resources page.