COVID-19 UPDATE: LA County Leaders approve $1k relief for tenants & Board of Supervisors Expand
LA COUNTY Leaders Greenlight $1k per month aid for renters An urgent plan that would give Los Angeles County renters hit hard by the economic toll of the novel coronavirus pandemic $1,000 per month for three months, was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 14. Under the Emergency Rent Assistance Program, when it’s created, the county will leverage its allotment of federal stimulus money, coupled with private funding, to provide rent aid to households, particularly hit hard by job losses and furloughs in the retail and service industries. The money would not need to be paid back, officials said. Board of Supervisors Expands Eviction Moratorium, Rent Freeze to Protect Additional Renters Across Los Angeles County Most L.A. County Tenants Facing Financial Issues Cannot Be Evicted for Nonpayment; Temporary Rent Freeze Protection Now Covers Mobilehomes in Unincorporated Areas Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors issued an executive order which expands an existing temporary rent freeze and moratorium on evictions in parts of Los Angeles County in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 health emergency. The new order expands the temporary eviction moratorium to cover all residential and commercial tenants in Los Angeles County, except those who live or conduct business in cities that have already enacted their own eviction moratoria. The moratorium includes a ban on evictions for:
Nonpayment of rent, if the tenant can show they have been financially impacted by the health emergency
No Fault reasons, such as owner/relative move-in or Ellis Act evictions
Violations due to additional occupants, pets or nuisance related to COVID-19
The expanded temporary rent freeze now prohibits owners of mobilehome parks in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County from increasing the space rent for their tenants during the moratorium period. These actions, which are retroactive from March 4 to May 31, 2020, unless extended, are the latest in a series of protections the Board has enacted to protect renters in Los Angeles County, many of whom have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A partial list of the actions include:
Renters will have 12 months after the moratorium ends to pay any back rent (Previously six months)
Landlords may not impose any new passthroughs or charge interest or late fees for unpaid rent during the moratorium period
Landlords may not attempt to collect interest and late fees incurred during the moratorium period after the Executive Order is terminated for renters covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and the Mobilehome Rent Stabilization Ordinance
Payment plans that allow landlords to accept partial payments from tenants during the moratorium are encouraged
Tenants may provide self-certification of their inability to pay rent, and landlords must accept this as sufficient notice
Landlords may not harass or intimidate tenants who choose to exercise their protections under this moratorium
For more details about the Board’s recent actions and other landlord-tenant issues, please contact the L.A. County Disaster Help Center. Call (833) 238-4450; email rent@dcba.lacounty.gov; or visit lacountyhelpcenter.org.
