As you may or may not be aware, The City of Los Angeles Declaration of Local Emergency effective on March 4, 2020, terminated this past week on February 1, 2024. The provisions apply to all residential rental units in the City of Los Angeles. Below is a breakdown:
Non-Payment of Rent
- Emergency Order Expired: The City’s local COVID emergency order expired on January 31, 2023. Beginning February 1, 2023, tenants must pay their full current monthly rent in order to avoid eviction for non-payment of rent.
- Low Income Renters Have More Time: Low-income renters with income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) that could not pay rent due to COVID-19 financial impact continued to have protections through March 31, 2023, if they notified their landlord within 7 days of the rent due date unless extenuating circumstances existed.
State Law on Non-Payment of Rent Eviction Protections
- Tenants who provided their landlord with a COVID-19 Related Declaration of Financial Distress Form by the 15-Day deadline for rent owed from March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020, cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent from that period. A landlord can pursue a court action in small claims court for this rent.
- Tenants who provided their landlord with a COVID-19 Related Declaration of Financial Distress Form by the 15-Day deadline AND paid 25% of their rent to the landlord for rent owed from September 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent from that period. A landlord can pursue a court action in small claims court for this rent.
Covid-19 Rental Debt
- Tenants who are not covered by the Declaration of Financial Distress process described above continue to have protections for unpaid COVID-19 rental debt and must pay their debt as follows in order to avoid eviction:
– Rent owed from March 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021: Tenants must pay by August 1, 2023.
– Rent owed from October 1, 2021 to January 31, 2023: Tenants must pay by February 1, 2024.
RSO Rent Increase
- Allowable Rent Increase for RSO Properties: Annual rent increases for rental units subject to the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) are prohibited through January 31, 2024. The City Council approved a 4% rent increase for properties subject to the RSO from February 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024.
- Additional Increase for Utilities Provided: An additional 1% for gas and 1% for electric service can be added if the landlord provides the service to the tenant. State law requires landlords to provide an advance 30-day written notice for rent increases of less than 10%.
Read More from The Housing Department Website
