Researcher Mapped San Francisco Rent-Controlled Housing
A new data project visualized tenant protection records after the city failed to maintain an official inventory.
Updated on Sept. 27, 2026 in Apartments
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In summer 2026, researcher Neil Rao compiled a map of rent-controlled housing in San Francisco using 463,000 public records. The project provides clarity in a city where local authorities do not maintain a comprehensive inventory of these protected units.
Why it matters
Understanding the landscape of rent-controlled units is critical for tenants and housing advocates navigating the city's complex rental protections. The map offers transparency into where these protections exist amid ongoing questions about housing security.
Rao analyzed 463,000 records to identify 174,000 rent-controlled units within a total rental market of 250,000. Annual rent increases for these units are capped at 1.6% for new tenants, while units built after 1979 follow state laws.
The players
Neil Rao
He is a researcher who created a comprehensive map of rent-controlled housing units in San Francisco.
San Francisco Rent Board
This is the city agency that manages rent control records, including annual disclosures and tenant complaints.
San Francisco Planning Department
This department is responsible for urban planning and maintains estimates regarding the total number of rent-controlled units in the city.
The details
Rao pulled disparate data points including tenant complaints, annual disclosures, and move-out notifications from the San Francisco Rent Board. By using the AI tool Claude to geocode these records, he was able to visualize the distribution of tenant protections across the city.
Timeline
The city's rent control ordinance established a June 1979 cutoff date for certified buildings.
The Ellis Act was passed in 1985 to allow landlords to exit the rental business.
A 2019 state law implemented rent increase caps for units built after the 1979 threshold.
Rao conducted his analysis of municipal rent control records during the summer of 2026.
Culture Shift
This project highlights a growing movement among data advocates to fill gaps left by municipal government agencies in tracking housing stock. The mapping of these units follows a trend of using civic technology to visualize protections created by laws like the Ellis Act.
Tenants can use the data to verify if their current rental unit qualifies for protections under the city's 1979 ordinance. This information assists residents in understanding their rights regarding annual rent increase caps when planning their housing budgets.
The takeaway
This data project demonstrates how public records can be synthesized to provide transparency in housing-insecure markets. Residents should utilize available city data to confirm their specific unit status under established rent control regulations.
Further reading
For more information on the local rental market, see our guide to San Francisco Apartments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The San Francisco Standard.
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