The City of Los Angeles’ COVID-19 renter protection will end on February 1. Tenants who have not paid their rent by this date may face eviction, raising concerns about increased homelessness.
“February 1st is the deadline to pay rental arrears for rent owed from October 1, 2021, to January 31, 2023, as the City of Los Angeles Declaration of Local Emergency for COVID-19 renter protections are ending,” LA Focus News reported. Landlords can issue eviction notices if tenants fail to pay.
“The city’s COVID-19 tenant protections end Feb. 1,” said Ann Sewell, General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD). “However, landlords cannot evict tenants without giving them notice. We want to ensure that both parties are aware of this.”
The LAHD states that landlords must send an “eviction notice” to evict tenants who fail to pay back rent or are illegally occupying the property. Tenants must pay the back rent or respond appropriately within five days of receiving an eviction notice.
Last year, the LAHD ran a tenant emergency assistance program from September 19 to October 2, assisting tenants with up to six months of back rent.
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency last February, over 66,000 eviction notices have been issued in LA, with 96% for failure to pay rent, per the LA City Controller’s Office.
More than 80% of evicted tenants cannot afford an attorney due to financial difficulties. In contrast, 95% of landlords who issued eviction notices hired an attorney, according to a UCLA study.
To address the spike in eviction notices, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles (mayorsfundla.org) recruited over 200 volunteer attorneys last November. Mayor Karen Bass has advised the organization.
The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles will invest $1.1 million annually for the next four years to provide free representation for tenants. The organization, including attorneys from major law firms who have worked with Mayor Bass, aims to hire up to 300 attorneys to offer free tenant representation.
For more information on tenant rights, visit housing.lacity.org or call LAHD: (888) 379-3150.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, JUNHAN PARK [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
