Tenants and licensees of property owned by the City of Santa Rosa will be allowed to defer their lease payments through June 30, 2020. 

The action is intended to provide immediate relief to businesses and organizations that rent property from the City and have suffered financial losses due to impacts related to the coronavirus pandemic.  The allowance was authorized by City Manager Sean McGlynn under his authority designated by the City’s local emergency declaration. 

“We know many of our businesses are facing challenges right now, especially our restaurants, many of which lease downtown property from the City for parking spaces or for storage,” said Mayor Tom Schwedhelm. “Allowing them to pause their lease payment during the hardship is a simple way the City can continue to provide support for our community. We hope our actions encourage other commercial landlords to take similar steps for their business tenants.”

The deferral is not a waiver or forgiveness of payments. Licensees and tenants will still be required to make payments on those accrued at a later date. The City has not made any decisions regarding payment plans or additional requests for assistance or relief at this time. Any decisions on lease payment forgiveness or waivers would be considered during the City 2021-22 budget process. Tenants and licensees who are able to continue making payments are encouraged to do so. Telecommunication companies who lease property from the City are exempt from the rent suspension and are not eligible to defer payments.

The City leases surplus City-owned property to individuals, corporations, partnerships and not-for-profit organizations with terms and special use requirements specific to the unique nature of each property. Learn more by visiting srcity.org/RealEstateServices.

Businesses seeking additional support and resources due to hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic are encouraged to visit sonomaedb.org.

For up-to-date information on the City of Santa Rosa’s response to the coronavirus emergency, visit srcity.org/PreventTheSpread