Most tenant protection programs launched during the pandemic in Los Angeles have expired, and tenants who were unable to pay rent due to economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 outbreak must pay rent again starting Thursday .
That includes back rent owed from Oct. 1, 2021, through Jan. 31, 2023. Tenant advocates say it’s absurd to expect tenants to pay the full amount for that period. The end of such tenant protection programs will likely result in many struggling renters becoming homeless or leaving the city and state altogether, said Larry Gross, executive director of the tenant advocacy group Coalition for Economic Survival.
“For those struggling to make ends meet, this will place a tremendously greater burden,” Gross said. “These tenants are essentially on the path to economic catastrophe and not much can be done for them.”
Rent increases can resume
Evictions for nonpayment can resume starting Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Department of Housing. Anyone who receives an eviction notice from their landlord (known in court as an unlawful detainer) must file a response with the court within five days or risk losing the case by default. The city offers assistance to tenants facing an eviction notice at Stayhousedla.org.
Bianca Lopez, a social worker with We Are Los Angeles, enrolls a tenant in an informational seminar on tenants’ rights on January 18, 2024.
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Landlords can also increase rent over the next four months by up to 6% annually if they pay for gas and electricity in the tenant’s rental unit. This applies to rental units built before October 1, 1978 and covered by the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance. These residents cannot be evicted without just cause, but tenants in units not protected by the RSO could see higher rent increases.
“The most important thing every tenant should know is their rights, and they should not simply react to any notice they receive from their landlord,” Gross said of rent increases and eviction notices.
Tenants should consider whether they face a legal or illegal eviction attempt by their landlord. Tenants can attend legal assistance clinics, such as the weekly Zoom meeting hosted by the Coalition for Economic Survival, to determine what their options are and what resources they can use.
Landlords also cannot evict a tenant if they owe rent below a certain threshold called the unit’s fair market rent. For example, in 2024, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $2,006, and if a tenant owes less rent, they cannot be notified, according to the city’s Housing Department.
The pet stays in the photo.
The city enacted a tenant law during the pandemic that would not penalize tenants who took in a pet, even if the pet was not allowed under their lease.
The rule remains in effect as long as the pet is alive, but does not apply to pets that moved into the rental after Jan. 31, 2023, according to the ordinance. Their goal was to discourage people from being forced to choose between keeping their pet or keeping their home.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernández said the new law is designed to address the wide-ranging effects the pandemic had on some people’s lives.
“Many people lost loved ones and were dealing with the isolation of quarantine, which led many to make new additions to their families,” Hernandez said. “These pets have helped people get through difficult times and tenants should not be evicted from their homes because of pets.”
Rental relief from the city.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office encourages tenants to know their rights and suggests that tenants facing eviction contact the Department of Housing hotline at (866) 557-7368. Tenant advocates warn tenants to seek counseling if they receive an eviction notice from their landlord, rather than evicting themselves.
“To confront this crisis, we must do everything we can to prevent people from becoming homeless,” Bass said in a statement. “Together with Locked Arms, we will continue our work to provide resources to the people of Los Angeles.”
The city of Los Angeles operates a rent protection program, known as the United to House LA Emergency Tenant Assistance Program, but it has had problems. The program set aside $30 million for rent relief, but accepted applications for only a few weeks in September and October. So far, the program has approved about 3,200 tenants to grant rent relief of up to six months’ rent, but most have not yet received their payments. About a quarter of the $30 million in funding has been distributed and another 25,000 renters who applied for the program are still waiting to hear back.
On Jan. 26, the City Council voted to protect tenants from eviction if they were approved to receive funds through the program but had not yet received any money. That protection could be extended to more tenants who get approved in the meantime, which should prevent an eviction notice from the landlord.
“Tenants who have already been approved for emergency rental assistance should not be evicted while they wait for their checks,” Councilman Paul Krekorian said at the council meeting. “Their landlords will get paid, so they shouldn’t fire tenants just because it took a little longer for the city to get them the money.”
But there is uncertainty around funding and who might qualify.
“Unfortunately, many tenants in line have not been notified whether they are eligible or not,” Gross said. “So they’ve been holding on and waiting. “Some of them are waiting for letters and approvals that will never come.”
The scope of the problem.
The number of households behind on rent in Los Angeles ranges between 100,000 and 150,000, according to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania commissioned by the city of Los Angeles. More than 10% of those surveyed last summer said they were more than a year behind.
“Households that reported being behind on rent were more likely to have children, have a disability, identify as Black or Latino, and have larger households compared to other renter households,” the study authors wrote.
The survey said the number of tenants behind on rent is higher than projected in publicly available data from local government agencies.
According to the survey, those newly vulnerable to eviction in Los Angeles include about 60% (or 90,000 households) that recently fell behind on rent and could be evicted for nonpayment. The rest fell behind on rent before October 1, 2021 or fell behind in recent months. According to the study’s authors, the most vulnerable group at risk of eviction for nonpayment are renters who have graduate degrees and are less likely to be in the workforce, compared to others with outstanding debt.
Among Los Angeles landlords with outstanding debt due to tenants behind on rent, about 70% reported problems paying for repairs and maintenance and about half said they have trouble paying property taxes and other payments. Of the landlords surveyed, less than half said they would move forward with filing evictions after August 2023. But landlord companies that own properties with 50 or more units said they were more likely to file for eviction.
“Our surveys show that 71% of large landlords intend to vacate, compared to only 39% of small landlords (1 to 4 units) and 40% of medium-sized landlords (5 to 50 units),” the study authors wrote.