Fremont Seeks Mediators for Rent Increases Above 5%
Fremont is seeking qualified professional mediators to support its Rent Review Program, a city process for landlord-tenant negotiations involving proposed rent increases greater than 5 percent.
The city’s request for qualifications calls for mediators familiar with California landlord-tenant law and able to work under Fremont Municipal Code Chapter 9.60. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026.
The request is aimed at building professional capacity for future rent-review cases. It does not identify a particular landlord, tenant or active dispute, and it does not announce a decision on any individual rent increase.
What the city is seeking
Fremont is seeking on-call professional mediators for its Rent Review Ordinance. The selected mediators are expected to support cases on an ongoing basis, beginning in September 2026.
Mediators will be expected to understand California landlord-tenant law as well as the city’s local rules. The work is connected to the Rent Review Program, which is administered by Fremont’s Rent Review Program Office.
The city’s notice does not state how many mediators it plans to select. It also does not identify the eventual contract value, so the approved city materials do not establish how much Fremont may spend on the work.
How Fremont’s rent-review process works
Fremont’s Rent Review Ordinance took effect Jan. 1, 2018. The program gives tenants and landlords an opportunity to mediate rent increases greater than 5 percent through the city’s rent-review process.
Mediation provides a structured setting for the parties to discuss a qualifying rent increase. The mediator request therefore concerns how the city will support negotiations between landlords and tenants when the ordinance applies.
The request for mediators does not impose a rent cap. It also does not change the ordinance’s 5 percent threshold or establish a specific increase for any rental property. The city’s action is a program-support step, not a final ruling on the amount of rent any tenant will pay.
That distinction matters for Fremont renters and property owners. A proposed increase above 5 percent can bring the parties within the city’s rent-review framework, but the approved materials do not say that every such case will result in a particular outcome. They describe an opportunity for mediation rather than an automatic reduction or prohibition on the increase.
Next steps and timing
The immediate milestone is the proposal deadline: 4 p.m. on Aug. 6. After reviewing submissions, the city expects to notify selected proposers on Aug. 14, 2026.
Mediation cases are expected to be scheduled on an ongoing basis beginning in September 2026. The notice does not specify how many cases the selected mediators will handle or provide a final schedule for individual matters.
For now, the city’s notice establishes a process for selecting professional support, not a new housing regulation. Any future mediation would depend on a qualifying rent-review matter and the parties’ use of Fremont’s established program.
Sources
- Rent Review Program mediator request for qualifications, City of Fremont
- Rent Review Program, City of Fremont
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