The reasons why rent in Fresno is nearly unaffordable, advocates say

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Fresno has the highest rate increase in the entire United States, according to a 2022 article from the New York Times , something advocates say is mainly due to corporate landlords .

But advocacy group Power California says other factors are causing the exponential price rise for rent in Fresno as well. Power California Political Director Marisa Moraza says that while there is legislation to protect tenants, the legislation also allows landlords to increase the price of rent.

“With the passage of AB 1482 a few years back rent can be increased by 5% per year, plus the local rate of inflation, not to exceed 10% annually,” Moraza said, “if you have an apartment that’s $1,000 that can be a $100 increase every single month, which adds up.”

Moraza says that along with flaws in the legislation meant to protect tenants, there are many flaws in the actual practice of the same laws.

“There’s not a lot of enforcement that’s happening at the local level to ensure that landlords aren’t increasing beyond this level, and then we’re still seeing that the cap is too high,” she said.

Moraza says that Power California along with 10 other local organizations have been advocating for rent control to be passed in Fresno and pushing for a cap of 3% as opposed to 5%.

According to Moraza, tenant protections must also be extended to prevent unlawful evictions of low-income renters, which Moraza says includes most of Fresno.

“The majority of households in Fresno are low-income and so that means that a lot of folks who are just renting are just one emergency away from being evicted.”

Moraza says that while the exact number may fluctuate quarterly, Power California has found that the average one-bedroom apartment in Fresno is just over $1,500. Power California has also found that the rent in Fresno has increased by 39% since 2017.

“It’s just showcasing that even though this area is typically known as an affordable area, it’s still increasingly unaffordable to low-income, moderate-income folks,” Moraza said.

Moraza says that the cause of rent hikes needs to be examined and that it is important to understand the roles that private investment firms and corporate landlords play in all of this.

“Different firms that are specifically converting homes into rental units in the city of Fresno,” Moraza said, “there’s a large number of renters that are actually renting single-family homes not just in large scale complexes.”

According to Moraza, a corporate landlord is an individual or business with more than ten rental units.

“It’s not mom-and-pop landlords,” Moraza said, “it’s really just for profits and we want to make sure that community interests are being centered, are front and center to our elected officials as well.”

Moraza says something Fresno residents can do is bring this issue front and center to their elected officials – especially as the city’s budget is currently being drafted.

The City of Fresno did not respond to a request for a statement.

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