Vacancy Survey and Tax Enforcement

I like the idea. This solution does not impact families or individuals that live in their home. We need to make sure that houses are being used for living, not price speculation.

Housing should house people: housing is too precious to be used solely as investment in a state like CA with so much housing need. SF is considering a vacancy tax and I think Oakland should do the same.

. . . cancelling it. Legitimate reasons why a property may be held vacant: (1) Planning to use it for retirement or for a relative's retirement. (2) Owner lacks the knowledge or funds to prepare the property for rental. (3) Oakland's rent control is so one sided that owners don't want to accept the risks of renting. Property owners did not cause the housing crisis any more than car dealers deny the poor cars. Housing is a national problem. Fed. govt. should pay to solve it.

Housing needs to be used as housing primarily, not as an investment. There are four times as many vacant living spaces as there are homeless people across the country. This is unconscionable. I strongly support such a plan!!

I didn't realize that the city didn't track vacancy! This sounds like a good way to put existing housing into use either directly or indirectly (through taxing vacancy)

This scheme would make Putin proud!

Not sure how simply making the housing available helps those who can't afford to pay market rate.

Not true. The city should already know from the data they collect when property owners have to declare what they charged the tenant and are required to pay the business tax.

Oakland City Council has begun the process of creating a rental registry which will begin to accomplish some of these goals. Tenants and landlords will be able to see what the market rates are, whether vacancies are being used for illegal short-term rentals, and provide a baseline for rent increases (now capped at 3%). This should be broadened to all housing. It doesn't "create" housing but it does expand what's available and adds inventory to the market.