Sabah and Goksal Oney say their Marina landlords jacked up the rent on their three-bedroom home by 71% right after the couple shared some happy news: they were expecting their second child. The monthly bill, they allege, jumped from $14,000 to $24,000, leaving them scrambling just months before the baby arrived. The Oneys have now filed a lawsuit, claiming the spike was never about collecting more rent and was instead a pressure tactic to push them out so the owners could sell.
How the Oneys say it unfolded
According to The San Francisco Standard, the couple texted the owners on August 1 to share the pregnancy news. Just hours later, one of the owners allegedly replied that they might sell the property unless the economics change. Within weeks, the landlords served a notice that the Oneys say left them with two impossible choices: pay $24,000 a month to stay for another year or $18,000 a month through January. The notice, they say, landed while they were still current on rent, and they describe contractors coming through for renovations as the house was being prepped for the market.
Sale and listing records
Public listings and sales records show the Marina home moved ahead to the market and then to a buyer after the rent dispute. Redfin shows the property listed for rent at $14,000 in October 2024 and sold last November for about $4.35 million. The listing hyped a bright sunroom and even described the layout as perfect for a nursery, language the Oneys say made the timing of their ouster sting even more, given they were expecting at the time.
The lawsuit and tenant claims
In a complaint filed late last year, the Oneys allege the owners, the Pattons, never truly planned to collect the higher rent and instead used the drastic increase to make it untenable for the family to stay, according to The San Francisco Standard. Their attorney, Rahman Popal, told the outlet that his firm is seeing at least 20% more calls about displacement tied to extreme rent hikes and described this Marina case as unusually brazen. The Pattons declined to provide detailed comment to the paper and have denied wrongdoing in their court filings, the reporting notes.
What the law allows — and doesn't
San Francisco tenant protections can feel like a maze. State law under AB 1482 places some limits on annual rent increases, but single-family homes and certain types of sales can fall outside local rent cap triggers. In those situations, anti-harassment rules and just-cause eviction protections become the main tools tenants can reach for. Per SF.gov, renters who believe they are being pushed out through tactics like extreme rent hikes can bring claims under the city’s Rent Ordinance and anti-harassment law, potentially seeking damages and relocation relief if they prove their case. Tenant attorneys say that patchwork is a big reason why lawsuits often end up being the only realistic option in single-family situations.
Policy and the bigger picture
Meanwhile, advocates and some members of the Board of Supervisors are backing measures to add transparency and crack down on bait-and-switch pricing that can hide the real monthly cost of housing. Hoodline coverage details a proposal at City Hall that would require landlords to advertise the total monthly charges up front so renters are not blindsided by add-on fees. Tenant attorneys argue that reforms like this, combined with aggressive enforcement of anti-harassment rules, could help rein in some of the most blatant efforts to price tenants out ahead of a sale.
Where tenants can turn
San Francisco renters who think they are facing similar tactics do not have to navigate it alone. The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition keeps a running list of counseling and legal services for tenants, while the city’s planning office compiles housing and eviction assistance resources, including hotlines and legal clinics. For contact information and next steps, see the SF Anti-Displacement Coalition and SF Planning. Tenant advocates say reaching out early to a counselor or the Rent Board can help preserve defenses and evidence if a landlord’s conduct looks geared toward forcing someone out.
The Oney lawsuit is now poised to test how far a landlord can push a rent increase before a court decides it crosses the line into constructive eviction or harassment under local law. As the case moves forward, the family is asking a judge to weigh in, while tenant advocates keep pressing for clearer, stronger rules that could stop this kind of displacement from becoming just another line item in the cost of living in San Francisco.
