(i) It shall be unlawful for a landlord to endeavor to recover possession of a rental unit that is exempt from rent increase limitations under Section 37.3(d) or Section 37.3(g) by means of a rent increase that is imposed in bad faith with an intent to defraud, intimidate, or coerce the tenant into vacating the rental unit in circumvention of Section 37.9(a), 37.9A, 37.9B, or 37.9C. Evidence of bad faith may include but is not limited to the following: (1) the rent increase was substantially in excess of market rates for comparable units; (2) the rent increase was within six months after an attempt to recover possession of the unit; and (3) such other factors as a court or the Rent Board may deem relevant.
(j) Any person who violates Section 37.10A(a), (b), (c), (f), or (h) is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a mandatory fine of $1,000, and in addition to such fine may be punished by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not more than six months. Each violation shall constitute a separate offense.
(Added by Ord. 20-84, App. 1/19/84; amended by Ord. 20-84, App. 10/2/98; Ord. 347-99, File No. 992197, App. 12/30/99; Ord. 57-02, File No. 011575, App. 5/3/2002; Proposition B, 6/6/2006; Ord. 160-17, File No. 170349, App. 7/27/2017, Eff. 8/26/2017; Ord. 5-19, File No. 180735, App. 1/25/2019, Eff. 2/25/2019; Ord. 296-19, File No. 191105, App. 12/20/2019, Eff. 1/20/2020)