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Renters Resources

Environmental Health Services

How to File a Complaint

To file a complaint about:

  • Leaking roofs
  • Faulty plumbing
  • Inadequate heating
  • Substandard electrical problems
  • Pests (including rodents and cockroaches)
  • Mold
  • Lead

In these places:

  • Rental properties (apartment buildings of 4 units or more)
  • Hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts
  • Mobile home parks (within unincorporated San Mateo County)
  • Detention facilities
  • Organized camps

Call 650-599-1112 or use the Online Complaint Form. Environmental Health Services can only respond to complaints made about rental properties (apartment buildings of 4 units or more), hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, mobile home parks (within unincorporated San Mateo County), detention facilities and organized camps.

For employee housing/farm worker complaints, call 650-363-4404 or use the Online Complaint Form. For additional questions, contact FarmworkerHousingSupport@smcgov.org.

Environmental Health Services does not handle housing complaints in the City of San Mateo, City of San Carlos or single-family homes, duplexes or triplexes. If your complaint involves one of these areas or property types, please contact your local Code Enforcement Department directly. For contact information by city, please see the resource library below.

Complaints concerning asbestos should be reported to Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). You can file a complaint by calling 1-800-334-6367 or visiting their website.

Complaints concerning Housing Authority, HUD, or Section 8 should be directed to the San Mateo County Department of Housing at 650-802-3300.

If you’d like to file a complaint about a townhouse or condominium, contact the owner, HOA or obtain legal advice.

Resource Library