COVID-19 Renter Protections in the City of Los Angeles

By Kali Lamarine 

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the City of Los Angeles declared a Local Emergency effective on March 4, 2020 which was set to terminate on February 1, 2023, however it was recently extended for 2 additional months, now terminating on April 1, 2023. The provisions below are effective until amended by the City Council and signed into law:

• Non Payment of Rent – Beginning April 1, 2023, tenants must pay their full current monthly rent in order to avoid eviction for non-payment of rent.

  • Tenants will still be provided one full year to pay back the past due rent due to COVID, but must make their normal rent payments on time to avoid a 3-day notice to pay or quit.

• 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 to avoid eviction:

  • Rent owed from March 1, 2020 to September 2021, tenants must pay by August 1, 2023.

  • Rent owed from October 1 2021 to March 31, 2023, tenants must pay by April 1, 2024.

• State Law on Non-Payment of Rent Evictions Protections – the state also passed legislation which provides if City residents complied, they would have additional eviction protections for non-payment of rent, as outlined below:

  • 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 – now considered “consumer debt.”

  • Tenants who provided their landlord with a COVID-19 Related Declaration of Financial Distress Form 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 – now considered “consumer debt.”

• No-Fault Evictions

  • Notice of No-Fault Evictions for reasons such as owner occupancy, move-in of a resident manager, for compliance with a governmental order for demolition or permanent removal under the Ellis Act process can resume for all rental units on April 1, 2023.

  • Landlords are required to submit a Declaration of Intent to Evict with LAHD for all no-fault evictions for rental units subject to the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). Landlords may begin filing these notifications with LAHD (Los Angeles Housing Department) on or after April 1, 2023.

  • Tenants who receive a notice to terminate their tenancy based on an Ellis Act eviction prior to March 4, 2020, will receive an additional 60 days and cannot be evicted until June 1, 2023.

• Rent Increases

  • Annual rent increases for rental units subject to the RSO are prohibited through March 31, 2024. Until then, interest and late fees on unpaid rent is prohibited for renters financially impacted by COVID-19.

  • Rent increases for RSO units will resume on April 1, 2024.

  • No retroactive rent increases will be allowed.

  • The department will post the annual allowable rent increase before April 1, 2024. 

If you have questions specific to your property, you can submit questions 24/7 at: housing.lacity.org/ask-housing.