LA City Moratoriums on Evictions and Rent Increases – When Will They End?
This Critical Question Remains Unresolved..
At the September 14th City of Los Angeles Housing Committee meeting, the Committee voted on numerous proposed amendments to the Los Angeles Housing Department’s (LAHD) recommendations for the end of the City’s moratoriums on evictions and rent increases which have been in place and unchanged since 2020. Following an hour of public comments during which one housing provider after another urged the Committee to end the moratoriums and shared their personal stories regarding the enormous hardships they endured due to the City moratoriums, the Committee was unable to reach consensus on the LAHD recommendations and other proposed amendments. LAHD’s revised recommendations have now been referred to the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment for their consideration.
Committee Chair Cedillo, Councilmember Lee and Councilmember Raman each introduced their own proposed amendments to the LAHD recommendations which were publicly posted within hours of the meeting. In addition, LAHD also advanced some revisions to their initial recommendations. Nearly all of the proposed amendments failed by a vote of 2-2, with the exception of Chair Cedillo’s proposed amendments, which included extending the end date as recommended by LAHD for the prohibition on eviction based on non-payment of rent from December 31, 2022 to February 1, 2023 and specifying that evictions based on unauthorized pets and additional occupants be enforced 60 days after the expiration of the eviction moratorium, which were approved.
However, as the underlying LAHD’s revised recommendations were not approved, Chair Cedillo’s amendments ultimately failed. In the end, no recommendations were approved by the Housing Committee and LAHD’s revised recommendations have now been referred to the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment for their consideration.
To review the Housing Committee Report, please click on the button below:
Housing Committee Report
LAHD’s recommendations include ending the eviction moratorium on December 31, 2022 with some exceptions, requiring renters to pay current rent due beginning on November 1, 2022 unless the renter provides a self-attestation notice to the housing provider within seven (7) days after the rent is due of the renter’s inability to pay rent due to financial impacts related to COVID-19; establishes two rent repayment deadlines of August 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023 based on when the rental debt was accrued; and maintains the City’s moratorium on rent increases for RSO units for 12 months following, December 31, 2022, the recommended end of the eviction moratorium. LAHD’s proposed revised recommendations also include expanding the City’s “Just Cause” eviction requirement to non-RSO rental units.
To review LAHD’s presentation on the revised recommendations, click on the button below:
LAHD Presentation
At this time, no meeting has been scheduled for the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment.
Despite the lack of Housing Committee consensus on LAHD’s recommendations or related proposed amendments, and any action yet to be taken by the Ad Hoc Committee, the final decisions for the end of moratoriums must be voted on and adopted by the City Council and approved by Mayor Garcetti.
We will continue to monitor this matter closely, continue to strongly advocate for the immediate end to the City’s moratoriums, and provide updates.