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Menlo Park · Renting & eviction

Relocation payments in Menlo Park

City rule: eligible displaced households get cash equal to 3 months' rent at HUD's San Mateo County fair market rent for their unit size. City rule: special-circumstances households get 1 more month of rent, up to 4 months' rent in total; tenants must file a claim before move-out.

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Key points

  • Relocation pay: City rule: eligible displaced households get cash equal to 3 months' rent at HUD's San Mateo County fair market rent for their unit size.
  • Special circumstances: City rule: special-circumstances households get 1 more month of rent, up to 4 months' rent in total; tenants must file a claim before move-out.

Each rule below links to the section of the Menlo Park Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Menlo Park's code says

Menlo Park code What Menlo Park's code adds
Extra for protected tenants
  • 1 more month of rent, up to 4 months' rent in total
    Applies: Special-circumstances households only
    § 8.56.050 · code text
    Special-circumstances households will be paid one (1) additional month of rent for a maximum of four (4) months' rent.
Amount
  • Full security deposit refund, except funds to repair tenant damage in units reoccupied before renovation or demolition
    Applies: Eligible households, when a landlord's city application removes rental units, such as by demolition or renovation
    § 8.56.050 · code text
    A full refund of a tenant's security deposit, except for funds that may be necessary to repair tenant's damage to property in rental units that will be reoccupied before undergoing renovation or demolition.
  • A 60-day subscription to a rental agency service
    § 8.56.050 · code text
    A sixty (60) day subscription to a rental agency service.
  • Cash equal to 3 months' rent, using HUD's latest San Mateo County fair market rent for a same-bedroom unit
    § 8.56.050 · code text
    The cash equivalent of three (3) months' rent shall be paid to the residential household renting a unit. The amount to be paid shall be calculated at the time the relocation application is approved by the city based on the most recent Department of Housing and Urban Development's fair market rent calculation for San Mateo County for a similar-sized unit with the same number of bedrooms.
Exemptions
  • When the city approves an alternative mitigation strategy
    § 8.56.050 · code text
    The landlord shall provide relocation assistance, where required by Section 8.56.040, to eligible residential households in accordance with the following requirements, unless an alternative mitigation strategy as defined in Section 8.56.090 has been approved by the city:
  • No payment if the tenant does not file a claim before the move-out date on the termination notice
    § 8.56.060 · code text
    Tenants must file a claim before the date to vacate as stated on the notice of termination in order to be eligible for relocation assistance payments.
When it is paid
  • Half within 15 days after the claim form is submitted; the rest when the household moves out
    Applies: After eligibility is confirmed, and only if the tenant files a claim before the move-out date
    § 8.56.060 · code text
    After determination of eligibility, half of the relocation assistance shall be paid to eligible residential households within fifteen (15) days of the date the claim form is submitted to the third-party agency and the remaining half shall be paid when the household vacates the unit.
When relocation is owed
  • A landlord permanently displaces residential households
    § 8.56.040 · code text
    Any landlord that shall cause the permanent displacement of residential households shall be subject to paying eligible residential households relocation assistance in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

The California rule underneath

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. No-fault eviction relocation assistance: One month's rent (as relocation payment or rent waiver), paid within 15 calendar days of the notice (Civ. Code § 1946.2(d)(3)(A)). Relocation under California's just-cause law — the full state rule →

Who this affects

TenantsLandlordsProperty managers

Frequently asked questions

Does a Menlo Park landlord have to pay relocation?

City rule: eligible displaced households get cash equal to 3 months' rent at HUD's San Mateo County fair market rent for their unit size. City rule: special-circumstances households get 1 more month of rent, up to 4 months' rent in total; tenants must file a claim before move-out.

General information, not legal advice.

Ask about a specific Menlo Park property

Ask GoCodebook how Menlo Park's relocation payments rules apply to your situation and get an answer that cites the section.

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More on renting & eviction in Menlo Park

All renting & eviction rules in Menlo Park

Notices in Menlo Park

Relocation under California's just-cause law

Menlo Park Municipal Code — full text