Property Owners for Fair and Affordable Housing (POFAH) is a statewide network of landlords, homeowners and real estate professionals who believe that all Californians have a right to healthy, secure and affordable housing in the communities we call home. To that end, we support policies that keep families in their homes today, including strong rent control and just cause eviction protections. We believe local governments should have the opportunity to stabilize their communities by passing housing policies that protect residents. We value diverse, vibrant, and stable communities, and we stand with all Californians struggling with evictions, skyrocketing rents, and unhealthy living conditions--particularly low-income people, communities of color, elders, and long-term residents.
POFAH was launched in 2018 to support the repeal of the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a statewide restriction on local rent control laws. Costa Hawkins prohibits rent control from applying to many forms of housing, including single family homes and newly built units. This unfairly restricts communities' ability to protect their residents, and leaves thousands of California tenants vulnerable to rent hikes and unfair evictions.
Anti-tenant laws like Costa Hawkins are useful for big corporate landlords and Wall Street funds looking to buy up California’s housing. But neither we nor our communities benefit when out-of-town investors control more of the housing stock. Our housing laws should create opportunity for tenants, first-time homebuyers, and property owners who live and invest in their communities.
As landlords, property owners and realtors, our investment flourishes when we have stable, consistent and satisfied tenants, who care about our properties and our neighborhoods. And we feel we have a responsibility to support our friends and neighbors who are at risk of displacement. The California Apartment Association and the California Realtors Association, which have consistently lobbied against crucial protections for renters, do not speak for us. We seek to unite landlords, homeowners and realtors who share our vision of secure, prosperous and diverse California communities.
