L.A. Ends COVID Eviction Protections

Los Angeles tenants will no longer be covered under COVID-era eviction protections starting February 1, reports Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times. “The decision will end some of the longest-lasting tenant protections in the nation, first passed in March 2020 as part of the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, landlords have not been allowed to evict their tenants for most reasons, including if the owners wanted to move into their own homes.”

Landlords can also resume raising rents in the city’s 650,000 rent-controlled apartments. “In some cases, renters will be permanently barred from eviction for those old debts, though landlords can try to recover the money in small claims court. In other cases, tenants who are now behind will have at least until August before they can be evicted.”

However, they also must adhere to other new regulations, passed in October. As Dillon explains, “Most notably, landlords would no longer be allowed to evict tenants in any rental property, including single-family homes, unless there was unpaid rent, documented lease violations, owner move-ins or other specific reasons.”

Tenant advocates say continued protections are needed to mitigate the long-lasting effects of pandemic-related job losses and the rise in housing costs in the last few years, while landlords say they need to begin evicting or charging tenants to stay in business.