As Los Angeles prepared to sunset its COVID-19 eviction moratorium in early 2023, the City Council voted to adopt sweeping new ordinances designed to establish permanent protections for renters. These measures mark a significant evolution in housing policy, with the goal of stabilizing the city’s rental market and preventing mass evictions as temporary pandemic-era regulations were lifted.
Background: From Temporary Relief to Lasting Protections
During the pandemic, Los Angeles enacted a moratorium that barred most evictions, offering crucial protection to tenants facing economic hardship. With the expiration of that moratorium imminent, housing advocates expressed concern over a potential wave of evictions that could disproportionately affect low-income renters and communities of color. In response, city officials moved decisively to institute structural reforms in housing policy.
Key Provisions of the New Ordinances
The new tenant protection package includes several impactful changes:
- Mandatory Relocation Assistance: Landlords are now required to provide financial relocation assistance to tenants if rent increases surpass a certain percentage threshold, typically defined as 10% or more. This discourages landlords from using excessive rent hikes as a method to displace tenants.
- Expanded Coverage to Newer Units: Traditionally, rental protections under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) only applied to buildings constructed before October 1978. The new rules extend similar protections to rental properties built after 2008, encompassing an additional 130,000 units that had previously been unregulated.
- Enhanced Just-Cause Eviction Standards: Tenants citywide now benefit from “just cause” eviction protections. This means that landlords must provide a legally valid reason for evictions, such as non-payment of rent or lease violations, rather than evicting tenants at will.
- Advance Notice Requirements: Landlords must now provide a minimum of 30 days’ notice for any rent increase over 10%, and 60 days for increases above that, giving tenants more time to make informed decisions about their housing.
Response and Impact
The Apartment Association of California Southern Cities praised the move, stating, “These regulations reinforce the protections for renters offered under the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance and apply to more than 130,000 housing units in Los Angeles.” While some landlord advocacy groups expressed concerns about the financial implications, tenant organizations largely celebrated the ordinances as a win for housing equity and stability.
By making these protections permanent, Los Angeles aims to create a more secure rental environment and curb displacement pressures that have plagued the city for years. These actions place Los Angeles among major U.S. cities taking a proactive stance on renter protections in the post-pandemic landscape.
