The other option landlords always have is to withdraw the unit from the market. You can Ellis Act anyone you want; the price you pay is $18k per person or so plus waiting 366 days, and a stained title. You can still renovate then TIC the building though, and you'll find plenty of takers.
ps -- having been in a legal fight with an sf landlord, the fact of the matter is despite all the pretty bullshit sf claims, there are vanishingly few actual tenant protections that work against a malicious landlord. At best, you can leave and sue after the fact, but be prepared to spend years on a fight.
@harry: an ellis act eviction, or other no-fault evictions, permanently prevents the building from utilizing the 2-unit lottery bypass to condo the building, so it will have to remain a TIC. TICs have a variety of negative implications, including complicating mortgages. The lottery, which is still necessary for larger units, is suspended until 2024.
If you read the thread it sounds like the landlord used several loopholes and had previous litigation against them and they toughened up their approach after previous failed evictions.
I'm glad my rent only went up 20% since I'm in Sunnyvale and not the city.
