Termination of Tenancy

EMERGENCY ORDER PROHIBITING EVICTIONS: What Richmond Tenants and Landlords Need to Know

The Director of Emergency Services issued an Order, effective March 17, 2020, which provides that during the period of local emergency declared in response to COVID-19, no landlord shall take action to evict a tenant for certain reasons, including nonpayment of rent due to the financial impact of COVID-19, and other no-fault evictions (Owner Move-In, Withdrawal from the Rental Market (Ellis Act), Substantial Repairs, Temporary Tenancy) unless necessary for the health and safety of tenants, neighbors, or the landlord.

For more information about evictions during the period of local emergency, as well as resources to address food, shelter, health and other emergency needs, please access the COVID-19 and Evictions Fact Sheet (English and Spanish).

Rent Program staff are available by phone at (510) 234-RENT [7368] or email (rent@ci.richmond.ca.us) to address any questions from community members.

Written Warning Notice

If the Landlord is terminating tenancy due to the Tenant’s breach of the lease, if the Tenant is causing a nuisance, or is failing to give access to the Rental Unit, the Landlord MUST provide the tenant with a Written Warning Notice BEFORE they can proceed to terminate tenancy. The Written Warning Notice must give the Tenant the opportunity to fix the issue(s) described in the Warning Notice, and the Landlord must provide a reasonable amount of time for the Tenant to comply (RMC 11.100.050(d)).

Landlords are encouraged to refer to the document below, which contains an instruction sheet and Written Warning Notice Template. Landlords are welcome to use their own notice; however, the Template provided below meets all of the requirements of the Richmond Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction, and Homeowner Protection Ordinance.

Written Warning Notice (Spanish/English Version)

Written Warning Notice (English Version Only)

Termination of Tenancy Procedure

Create and/or Sign In to your City of Richmond web account: Sign in or Create a Web Account.
Enroll. Complete a Property Enrollment form for each property with at least one Rental Unit, and Tenancy Registration forms for all tenancies in a Controlled Rental Unit (if required). For more information about Property Enrollment and Tenancy Registration, please visit the Enrollment and Registration webpage.
Serve the Tenant Notification of Termination of Tenancy. Sample templates are available using the links below; Landlords may use their own notice as long as it includes the information covered in the template. Remember: if the just cause for eviction is substantial repairs, owner move-in, or withdrawal from the rental market, the tenant MUST be served the Notice of Entitlement to Relocation Assistance and the requisite Tenant Assertion Forms, all of which are provided in the templates.
Within two (2) business days after service on the Tenant, complete the online Notification of Termination of Tenancy form: Notification of Termination of Tenancy and include a Proof of Service. Alternatively, for properties with five (5) units or fewer, a copy of the notice of termination of tenancy and proof of service may be filed by mailing a hard copy to the City of Richmond Rent Program, 440 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 200, Richmond, CA 94804. Other such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

PLEASE NOTE: FAILURE TO FILE A NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF TENANCY WITH THE RENT BOARD (STEP 4) MAY BE USED AS A DEFENSE TO AN UNLAWFUL DETAINER (EVICTION) LAWSUIT (RMC 11.100.050(g))