A local housing agency is asking tenants to respond to a survey about their monthly housing costs, with the goal of creating a more-accurate estimate of rent prices in San Luis Obispo County.
Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Development calculates the Fair Market Rent for units in San Luis Obispo County.
According to HUD’s data, a reasonably-priced one-bedroom will cost $2,079 a month in fiscal year 2027, up $43 from the previous year.
Michelle Pedigo, the executive director of the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo, said she thinks that estimate is likely too low.
“In actuality, we're all experiencing much faster increases in rents and housing costs in the area,” Pedigo says.
HUD’s fair market rent calculations help decide how much funding HASLO receives to locally administer the Housing Choice Voucher program, also referred to as Section 8.
Pedigo says that as rent in the region increases, Pedigo said “if our funding isn't increasing at the same or at least a close rate, that's fewer families we can serve.”
HUD’s Fair Market Rent calculations also contribute to setting cost limits for the voucher program.
HASLO is partnering with UC Santa Barbara to survey San Luis Obispo County renters, in order to petition HUD to raise their Fair Market Rent estimates.
Pedigo says the agency began surveying renters several years ago. In 2026, HASLO submitted survey results in January, and HUD adjusted their estimates that spring.
“Each time we've done it, we've found that there has been a benefit,” Pedigo says. “Our surveys have reflected higher rents than what was published.”
The survey asks how much tenants are paying each month in rent, plus questions about the number of bedrooms in their unit, the cost of utilities and whether they have roommates.
Pedigo says so far, over five hundred people have responded. The survey closes on November 29.
