The City Council of Los Angeles is approaching to permanently protect tenants from “renovation”.
On July 1, the city council voted unanimously to decide a rule that grants landlords the ability to evict tenants to carry out large-scale remodels or major remodels or renovations of their property.
Under the current “fair cause” regulations, this is a substantial remodel that allows landlords to evict tenants including structural, mechanical or plumbing work.
The approved amendment will prevent landlords from using massive remodels as legal grounds for eviction of tenants unless they receive orders from government agencies.
Government agency orders occur when local government agencies, including the Los Angeles Department of Housing, Los Angeles Buildings and Safety, Los Angeles County Health Department or Los Angeles Fire Department, provide orders to landlords to address the need to evacuate or mitigate units as needed for violations of housing regulations.
What is “renovation”?
Tenant rights groups say some landlords will use renovations as an excuse to evict tenants, just to charge higher rents from a brand new group of tenants after renovations. This is called “renovation.”
“It is clear that what we are going to do today is that we are denying renovation tools, but we also create clear pathways for renovation pathways that work for both tenants and landlords,” said Bob Blumenfield, an advocate for the proposed policy.
Is this a permanent solution to the problem?
The decision came four months after the Council voted in favor of the interim ordinance that adopted the same goal: to prevent landlords from evictioning tenants using “just cause” when implementing the reconstruction.
Temporary protection only lasts until August 1, as the city has been exploring permanent legislation for several months.
In addition to the amendment, the city directed Los Angeles Department of Housing and City Attorneys to formulate relocation rules during the renovation and impose fines on violations of the proposed statute.
“We want a clear path to legal renovations, not refurbishing tools,” Blumenfield said.
What landlords need during major renovations
Within 90 days, the Los Angeles Department of Housing will propose a proposal to the City Council to consider the requirements of including the landlord if tenants must be relocated during the remodeling process.
The proposal will provide:
- How will the landlord pay the renter the currency amount.
- How landlords will provide comparable or better housing for displaced tenants during renovations. In this case, the landlord will be required to pay all relocation fees and pay rent for temporary housing.
- How will the tenant continue to pay the landlord their monthly rent payments before requesting a relocation. Payment will cover the time the tenant resides in temporary housing during the relocation period.
- How will the tenant return to its original unit with any new rent increase, no more than 10% allowed by state law.
What about penalties for landlords who use renovations to evict tenants?
According to the city's report, the proposal will also include the latest fines for offenders who violate triple compensation, including mental or emotional distress, reasonable attorney fees and civil fines up to $10,000, but a fine of $2,000 per breach. If the tenant is over 65 years old or is disabled, additional fines for each violation may be added.
