Residents Unsettled with Rising Rental Costs

Signs embellished with the words "now leasing" and ‘now renting’ are found in front of nearly every housing complex on California Street and Rengstorff Avenue in Mountain View.

As the price of rent in the Bay Area continues to climb, residents in Mountain View grow unsettled with rent increases and some feel as if they’re getting pushed out of their residencies.

"There is a bunch of people that were forced out, but then after they’re gone, the rent goes back down," said John, a Mountain View resident. The tenant did not want his last name or residency used in this story. "It seems like they were just pulling the prices to make people move—they were trying to get rid of people. There’s a pattern of this every single time."

Have a dispute with your landlord? The City of Mountain View offers an avenue to mediate. For more information on such mediation services, call (650) 960-0495.

An international student from West Africa, Yamoussa Soumah, expressed his concerns regarding the current rental price of his apartment. Although he shares it with a fellow student, he faces obstacles as rent day approaches.

"It’s just been a struggle," said Soumah, "Every month we have to struggle to pay rent, every single month—it’s a lot."

As an international student, he is not only expected to pay his tuition, but also pay $2,000 for rent. In the event that the rent is late, residents at his complex must pay a $40 late fee, which is an additional burden for those who have trouble with rent alone.

"I’m thinking of moving someplace far like Union City or Fremont, I think those places might be cheaper," said Soumah, "Right now I barely have money to spend on myself to do whatever I want, but I have to take a risk."

A resident of The Abyss is worried about the rent increase that she and other residents might experience next year.

"It’s pretty high," said Alexis Trang, "I rented last September and it cost me nearly $2000 per month, including all the utilities."

According to a 2006 City of Mountain View Resident Survey Report, 27 percent of the 58,639 residents—ages 17 years and older—believed that increasing affordable housing is one of the top issues facing the City of Mountain View. In regards to availability of affordable housing, 33.6 percent of residents surveyed believe that "somewhat more" affordable housing is needed.

According to a January 2013 San Francisco Chronicle article, the median asking price for rental units in Santa Clara County is $2,100, a 4.5 percent increase from 2012.

A prospective resident who did not want to be identified said he no longer considered moving to Mountain View upon observing the available units posted in the window of the Mountain View Leasing Center.

The rental unit information plastered on the window was as follows: $1555 for a one bedroom at The Arbors, $1970 for a two 2 bedroom; at The Californian a one bedroom rented for $1805; A studio at Park Rich leased at $1375; a two bedroom at Latham Court went for $1920, and a one bedroom at Regency rented for $1820. The average rental cost for a one bedroom composed solely from the posted complexes is approximately $1,726.66.

Other residents planned on moving elsewhere to escape the rising cost of rent.

Resident of The Abyss, Otto Yap, stated that his current rent is so expensive that he is considering moving to a neighborhood near San Francisco State University.

"I’m moving out to San Francisco," said Yap, "I think the rent in San Francisco is just lower than in the South Bay."

This article was produced through a collaboration of PatchU and the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at San Jose State University. PatchU is a Patch Media initiative to build strong relationships with colleges and universities across the country. The mission of PatchU is to connect students and faculty to opportunities at Patch.  

For more information, email PatchU@patch.com or follow us on Facebook.

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