Mountain View, CA Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Mountain View, CA, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Charter Article XVII, Section 1705 (CSFRA)
- Just causes
- 9 enumerated grounds required
- Owner move-in occupancy
- 36 consecutive months minimum
- Notice filing deadline
- 3 days after serving tenant
- Relocation assistance eligibility
- Household income up to 120% of county AMI
- Protected long-term tenants
- 5+ years, age 62+ or disabled exempt from owner move-in
Summary
Under the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act, Mountain View landlords cannot terminate a covered tenancy without one of nine enumerated just causes, from unpaid rent to owner move-in. Notices must specify the exact basis and be filed with the Rental Housing Committee within three days.
No Landlord shall take action to terminate any tenancy, including but not limited to making a demand for possession of a Rental Unit, threatening to terminate a tenancy orally or in writing, serving any notice to quit or other eviction notice, or bringing any action to recover possession, or be granted recovery of possession of a Rental Unit unless at least one of the following conditions exists...(g)Filing Termination Notices with Committee. The Landlord shall file with the Committee a copy of any notice terminating tenancy within three (3) days after serving the notice on the Tenant.(h)Failure to comply. A Landlord's failure to comply with any requirement of this Article...is a complete affirmative defense in an unlawful detainer or other action brought by the Landlord to recover possession of the Rental Unit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Charter Section 1705 bars a landlord from terminating any tenancy, demanding possession, or serving a notice to quit unless one of nine listed conditions exists: nonpayment of rent after a three-day notice, breach of a material lease term following a written notice to cease, nuisance, criminal disorderly conduct, refusal of access, necessary repairs requiring at least 30 days' vacancy, owner move-in, permanent withdrawal from the rental market under the Ellis Act, or demolition. For owner move-in evictions, the landlord must hold at least a 50 percent recorded ownership interest, must move in within 60 days and occupy the unit at least 36 consecutive months, and cannot evict a tenant who has lived there five years and is 62 or older, disabled, or terminally ill unless the moving owner or relative meets the same exemption criteria.
Landlords recovering possession for repairs, Ellis Act withdrawal, or demolition owe Relocation Assistance to tenant households at or below 120 percent of Santa Clara County median income, and those tenants keep a first right of return at their prior rent. Retaliatory terminations are barred outright, and every termination notice must state with specificity which of the nine bases applies. The landlord must file a copy of any termination notice with the Rental Housing Committee within three days of serving the tenant, and failure to comply with any notice or filing requirement of the Article is a complete affirmative defense in an unlawful detainer action.
Violations & Fines
A landlord's failure to comply with Section 1705, including failing to serve required notices on the Committee, is a complete affirmative defense the tenant can raise in any unlawful detainer action the landlord files. Landlords who evict for repairs, Ellis Act withdrawal, or demolition without paying the required Relocation Assistance remain liable to the displaced tenant, who also retains a first right of return at the pre-termination rent if the unit comes back onto the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Mountain View landlord evict a tenant just by not renewing the lease?
Does a Mountain View landlord have to pay a tenant to move out for an owner move-in eviction?
What happens if a Mountain View landlord skips filing the eviction notice with the Rental Housing Committee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
California rules heatmap·Compare Mountain View to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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Just Cause Eviction in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle just cause eviction.