The San Francisco family whose rent is increasing nearly 90% is getting some relief after a city supervisor reached out to offer some help. On Wednesday, NBC Bay Area shared the story of the Waldman family, who received a notice on their door, telling them the rent at their two-bedroom unit in th e Richmond District would be going up from about $3,000 to $7,000 a month in September. The notice came after new owners bought the building. Zachary and Ashley’s story have generated a lot of reaction online, with people calling the increase outrageous. San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the area, said her office contacted the Waldmans to connect them with legal resources. Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time attorney Rahman Popal has heard of cases like theirs.  “I’ve seen rent increases over 100%, actually I filed several lawsuits of rent increases of 150% or more,” he said. Even though many cities have strict rules on how much rent increases can be, he says there are exceptions to city and state rent control laws. Zachary and Ashley were under the impression they were living in a rent-controlled apartment, but their building is listed as a condo, which opens up a loophole. Popal says there are a number of steps tenants can take. “First and foremost you want to check your lease, to see whether or not there’s an exemption from AB 1482 thats included in the lease. Without the exemption from 1482 in the lease, then your landlord is required to comply with the rent caps at the state level,” he said. Popal recommends those in the same situation to review their case with an attorney. “The attorney is going to be probably better situated to look at all of these different factors to determine if you have a viable case for a defense,” Popal said. NBC Bay Area’s Business and Tech Reporter Scott Budman says the median rent has increased in the city, but $7,000 is high. “That’s high for what we normally talk about but consider this: The median rent in San Francisco for one bedroom is $4,000, and that’s the first time the city has hit that,” he said. The story prompted reactions from many in the Bay Area, who said it is expensive to live in the area. Budman says there are two factors for that: The tech and low inventory. “AI is bringing extremely wealthy tech population, AI is bringing high salary,” he said. “A combination of a lot of money in the hands of techies who can cash in their stock options and very low inventory leaving not all that much for the lower end.” ...read more read less