Why can't they tell the tennet to move out? In Australia residential leases have a fixed term (usually 12 months) and after that become month-to-month, and the owner can ask you to leave with 90 days notice when you're not under a contract.
In SF the only real way to kick someone out of a rent controlled unit is via an Ellis Act eviction. The allows the owner to take the building off the market. Issue is, you need to pay a substantial fee to the tenant (many thousands if they've been there a long time) AND you cannot rent the unit out again for 5 years.
I believe there are also provisions in Australian law that allow a landlord to evict in a much shorter time period, at least where a detached house is concerned. I was asked to vacate my previous place within 14 days due to difficulties experienced by the landlord, complete with legal documents and such.
