Los Angeles City Council Considers 1-Year Eviction Moratorium
On Tuesday, March 4th, the Los Angeles City Council will consider implementing a City eviction moratorium for 1 year (Agenda Item 13). We urge all AAGLA members with rental properties in Los Angeles to attend the meeting on Tuesday IN-PERSON to show the City Council that rental housing providers are real people with small businesses that should not be singled out by the City to bare the financial burden of wildfire impacted individuals.
Take Action Now!!!
Please take 5 minutes NOW to send an email to all 15 Los Angeles City Council Members to urge them to vote NO on a City eviction moratorium. Be sure to include YOUR personal story and how these policies will detrimentally impact your ability to continue providing affordable housing. Please click here to send an email.
If the link to send an email does not work with your system, please use the attached Los Angeles City Council Emails list below to copy and paste their email addresses into your email.
Reasons to Oppose
A City eviction moratorium (a/k/a, eviction defense) is unnecessary as the L.A. County Board of Supervisors just passed a countywide eviction moratorium/defense on Tuesday, February 25th that is now in effect and a City moratorium will only cause confusion. The new countywide eviction moratorium/defense covers renters in all 88 incorporated cities, including Los Angeles as well as the unincorporated areas. A new city eviction moratorium will only cause huge amounts of confusion among renters and rental housing providers alike leading to improper use and compliance issues.
Rental housing providers, especially mom-and-pop owners, cannot afford to carry a non-paying renter for 18 months (6-month moratorium plus 18-month repayment period) as required under the County’s eviction moratorium MUCH LESS for 24 months (12-month moratorium plus 12-month repayment period) as proposed in Los Angeles as a City eviction moratorium. As such, many smaller owners will be driven out of business by it and their affordable rental properties off the market. Developers will convert the buildings to for-sale luxury condominiums or other luxury housing. This will only further fuel gentrification in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Council should not pursue a City eviction moratorium that will only make this problem far worse.
The County’s eviction moratorium already runs too long as it will allow renters to accrue a mountain of back rent over a six-month period (February 1, 2025 – July 31, 2025) extending it to 12-months will only make it DOUBLY unlikely that renters will be able to pay it back without direct rental assistance and/or proper planning. An eviction moratorium does not stop a renter from having to pay for their housing, it merely delays the payment date. As such, it is a form of “rent banking” that most renters are unable to properly manage.
The County’s eviction moratorium sets up renters for failure by failing to include a repayment plan for the 12-month repayment period. Without requiring renters to pay at least 10% monthly of what is owed, renters will be unprepared when the repayment period ends. As such, they will face civil lawsuits and debt collectors. A City specific eviction moratorium will have even worse results if the moratorium lasts even longer.
The County’s eviction moratorium invites fraud and abuse by unscrupulous attorneys and irresponsible renters. It does not require renters to show verifiable proof of financial impact in the form of rental assistance applications, unemployment applications or lists of job-seeking activities. These activities are already required to be conducted in the moratorium but without requiring documentation of these actions, unscrupulous individuals could fraudulently claim the eviction defense. A City specific eviction moratorium will have the same problems unless documentation is required.
Better Alternatives
If the City wants to help low-income renters financially impacted by the wildfires, then it should start a new direct rental assistance program. The County has already started two new programs, the Region Worker Relief Fund and the Household Relief Grant program.
The City should also start a new grant program for mom-and-pop rental housing providers with 20 or fewer units struggling to pay costs due to lack of rent from non-payment renters utilizing the new County eviction moratorium. The City needs to help small owners stay in business providing needed affordable housing.
New Policies Are Reshaping the Market—Are You Prepared?
Proposed eviction moratoriums and shifting regulations make it harder for rental housing providers to protect their investments. You could face serious financial setbacks if you’re not staying ahead of these changes.
At Lucrum Real Estate Group, we help property owners navigate legislative shifts, optimize their portfolios, and create strategies to safeguard their assets in an unpredictable market.
Take action before it’s too late. Get expert guidance at Lucrum.
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific leasing issues and the requirements of any legal changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.
Los Angeles City Council Members Information
Source: AGGLA
