Man faces eviction after landlord hikes rent by 350 percent

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco man is fighting eviction after his landlord abruptly hiked his rent from $1,800 per month to $8,000, according to KGO.

The nearly 350 percent increase is being called one of the largest in San Francisco history. The city has seen a sharp rise in rent prices in recent years as the demand for housing rises with an influx of workers in the Bay Area's technology sector.

Neil Hutchinson told KGO he has appealed the increase to the San Francisco Rent Board; however, he was given an eviction notice that told him he had to vacate his apartment by July 21. The board is unlikely to decide the matter until early August.

"I could be evicted before that decision comes through," Hutchinson told KGO. "So I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. I'm struggling here."

He told the news station he was not given a reason for the sudden rent hike, which kicked in on the first of this month.

"I don't know where I'm going to go if I have to leave here," he said.

Hutchinson's apartment is in the heart of San Francisco's famed North Beach district, known as the epicenter of the beatnik movement and for its heavy Italian-American population.

His attorney said she plans to file a response to the eviction notice next week.

Cox Media Group