February 2023
Los Angeles County has extended the Covid-19 tenant protections to March 31, 2023, including the rent freeze for multi-family residential rentals in the unincorporated areas of L.A. County. Please link to their website for further information. lacounty.gov
January 2023
Los Angeles County has extended the Covid-19 tenant protections to January 31, 2023, including the rent freeze for multi-family residential rentals in the unincorporated areas of L.A. County. Please link to their website for further information. lacounty.gov
July 2022
Although California’s eviction protections for tenants with pending rental assistance applications ended June 30, 2022; the eviction protections in the City of Los Angeles remain in effect. New protections took effect throughout Los Angeles County on July 1, 2022 for those tenants who fail to pay their rent for a COVID-19 related reason and meet certain income requirements. Additionally, there is an ongoing prohibition on no-fault evictions throughout Los Angeles County, with very limited exceptions.
April 2022
California’s Rent Relief program Housing is Key is officially closed, no applications can be submitted after March 31, 2022
The State of California has passed AB 2179 which protects tenants who have applications pending with the Housing is Key rent relief program. This legislation also guides Covid-19 rent recovery largely dependent on the time period from when the rent is owed. AB 2179 also establishes limits to rental repayment that make it impossible for County or City ordinances to go beyond the August 2023 end date for repayment of rental debt.
October 2021
The State of California has lifted the eviction moratorium.
Many tenant protections are still in place concerning non-payment of rent due to Covid-19 financial distress. If a landlord needs to serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent they also need to register the unit concerned with the California Rent Relief website for the unlawful detainer to be valid.
The City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles (unincorporated areas) have continued their respective “rent freezes.” The City of Los Angeles’ rent freeze continues through June 30,2022. The County of Los Angeles will assess their freeze every 30 days, but it is expected to remain at least until January 30, 2022.
July 2021
The State of California has extended its eviction moratorium with the adoption of AB832
Please visit the Government website for info and applications. Housing is Key
This effectively extends all the previous protections and obligations through September 30, 2021. Landlords and tenants must continue under the same terms to remain protected. Tenants are expected to pay 25% of their rent. There will be new notices to be released shortly, and to be given before July 31st 2021.
The primary difference now is that landlords will be receiving 100% of the rent owed to them. This is for all qualifying tenants, those earning 80% Area Median Income or less. If you have previously applied for, and even if you have received back rent under the 80% initial terms, you will be receiving the remaining 20%, or the total 100% without having to reapply. In addition if the tenant claims, or continues to claim, Covid-19 related financial inability to pay, they will be protected, and landlords will receive what is owed to them through September.
Also, if you are owed back rent for the Covid-19 period, you will have to apply for rent relief assistance before you can file an unlawful detainer for non-payment of rent. The small claims branch of court for rent recovery slated to open August 1st has been pushed back to November 1st.
June 2021
Los Angeles County has extended its Eviction moratorium through September 30th 2021. The primary concern is that the rental relief program implemented to pay back rent has been slow in processing claims. The State Government has responded by streamlining the process and is currently in negotiations to revise and possibly extend its eviction moratorium.
If you have tenants who have claimed financial distress due to Covid-19 please apply for the rent relief program here https://housing.ca.gov/
February 2021
The State of California Dept. of Real Estate has a new Updated FAQ page, and has released two new forms related to Covid-19 rent recovery. You can find the forms on their website, or here on our forms page.
September 2020
The State of California Dept. of Real Estate has a new Updated FAQ page, and has released four forms related to Covid-19 rent recovery. You can find the forms on their website, or here on our forms page. Remember, if you issue a 3-day Notice to Pay or Quit you must also issue a statement of the tenants rights and Covid-19 Financial Distress Declaration under the Tenant Protection Relief Act of 2020. Depending on the dates of non-payment of rent you will need to issue a 15-day notice stating how much is owed for each month. The months from March-August have different rules than the months from September-January. Finally, for those who have non-paying tenants that can be considered “High Income” earners (more than 100k a year per person) there is a more extensive declaration of financial distress.
August 31, 2020 the Governor signed the Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about landlord and tenant rights have come up constantly. The Courts stopped hearing unlawful detainer actions thereby putting a stop to all evictions and local eviction moratoriums have varied widely. With the passage of the COVID-19 Relief Act, we now have one statewide set of rules that should bring some uniformity to evictions moving forward.
The Tenant Relief Act applies only to residential property, the key points are as follows:
1. No Unlawful Detainer actions based on nonpayment of rent can proceed in the courts before October 5, 2020. Evictions for other reasons can proceed immediately.
2. All 3-day Notices to Pay Rent or Quit given since March 1 are void and the process must be started again. The new notice must be accompanied with a new 15-day Notice granting the tenant the ability to declare financial distress due to COVID-19.
3. In order to proceed with an eviction, the landlord must have provided the tenant with a notice of their rights under the Act and a copy of a Declaration of COVID-19 Related Financial Distress for use if necessary.
4. Any Notice to Pay Rent or Quit must give the tenant 15 business days’ notice rather than the old 3-day period. The Notice must set forth the amount of rent demanded and the date each amount became due and must also advise the tenant that they cannot be evicted if they file the Declaration and, if applicable, pay 25% of the rent due.
5. For non-payment of rent from March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020, a tenant cannot be evicted if he/she delivers a Declaration of COVID-19 Related Financial Distress (a “Declaration”) to the landlord.
6. For non-payment of rent from September 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021, a tenant cannot be evicted if he/she delivers a Declaration to the landlord and, by the end of that period, pays “at least 25 percent of each rental payment that came due or will come due during [that] period.” Again, the 25% must be paid by January 31, 2021.
7. For a “high income tenant,” in addition to the Declaration and applicable payments set forth above, the tenant must provide documentation supporting the claim that they have suffered COVID-10 financial distress. A “high income tenant” is defined as someone with an annual household income of 130 percent of the median income in their county of residence.
8. Even though evictions are limited, landlords can collect back rent through an action in small claims court. The jurisdiction of the small claims court has been expanded for the limited purpose of collecting back COVID related rent.
July 2020
June 30, 2020, Governor Newsom extended the timeframe for the protections set forth in Executive Order N-28-20, that authorized local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through September 30, 2020.
Office of the Governor website
June 1, 2020
California Governor Gavin Newsom extended the executive order issued in March that allowed local governments to enact COVID-19 eviction moratoriums. The statewide order was pushed back through July 28, and applies to any local orders that were set to expire as well.
The state Judicial Council’s rule on evictions also remains in effect, which bars most new evictions and stalls previously filed evictions still winding their way through the courts.
CAL/OSHA Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols for Shown Properties
• Thoroughly clean shown properties and disinfect commonly used surfaces including counters, door and cabinet handles, key lock boxes, keypads, toilets, sinks, light switches, etc. These surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected before and after each showing.
• During a showing, introduce fresh outside air, for example by opening doors/windows, weather permitting, and operating ventilation systems.
• Instruct employees to wipe down and disinfect equipment that passes between employees and customers, including clipboards and keys, after each use.
• Provide time for workers to implement cleaning practices at shown properties during their shift. Cleaning assignments should be assigned during working hours as part of the employee’s job duties.
• Real estate licensees should ensure shown properties are equipped with proper sanitation products, including hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, for use by employees and clients as needed.
• Provide and strongly recommend clients, real estate licensees, and inspectors to use face coverings and hand sanitizer. Place these items at the property entrance so that people can put them on before entering. Ensure disposable covers are properly discarded after use, for example in a trash bag that is sealed prior to disposal.
• All people entering a property, including agents, brokers, inspectors, and clients, must wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer immediately upon entry and before touring or inspecting the property.
• Adjust or modify showings to provide adequate time for proper cleaning and disinfecting. If the property is currently occupied, ensure adequate time to disinfect after occupants leave for showings and before and after clients view the property.
COVID-19INDUSTRYGUIDANCE:Real Estate Transactions
California State Eviction Moratorium
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order on March 16, 2020 which allows local jurisdictions to enact eviction protection, as a result of a tenant’s medical expenses, loss of wages, layoffs or reduction of hours relating to COVID-19. Please see below for info and links to specific cities ordinances.
California Governor Newsom issued a second executive order on March 27, 2020, which took a more direct approach by mandating statewide protections for residents financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The executive order expressly states that it does not relieve a resident of liability for unpaid rent. The executive order provides temporary relief from eviction to residents who are struggling to pay some or all of the rent due because of a COVID-19 related hardship.
The resident must, prior to March 27, 2020, have “paid the rent due to the landlord pursuant to an agreement.” In other words, be in good standing with regard to their tenancy.
The resident must notify the landlord in writing within seven days (before or after) of the rent due date that they need to defer some or all of the rent because they face a COVID-19 related financial hardship. COVID-19 related hardships include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) being unavailable to work because the resident was sick with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or caring for a household or family member who was sick with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19; (b) experiencing a lay-off, loss of hours, or other income reduction resulting from COVID-19, the state of emergency, or related government response; or (c) missing work to care for a child whose school was closed in response to COVID-19. This list is non-exclusive, which means that residents could qualify for the protections even if their financial hardship isn’t specifically listed but is related to COVID-19.
Residents must retain “verifiable documentation” to support their claim that they are unable to pay due to a COVID-19 related hardship. Examples of “verifiable documentation” include termination notices, payroll checks, pay stubs, bank statements, medical bills, or signed letters or statements from an employer or supervisor explaining the tenant’s changed financial circumstances.
The Governor’s executive order does not prohibit a landlord and resident from agreeing to a payment plan. Note that some local eviction moratoriums require a landlord to allow rent to be repaid over a specified period of time.
This executive order is in effect through at least May 31, 2020, but could be extended by the Governor.
City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti issued an Emergency Public Order on March 15, 2020 barring residential evictions from tenants, “who are able to show an inability to pay rent related to the COVID-19 pandemic due to circumstances including lost work, taking care of children who attend the shuttered Los Angeles Unified School District, and health care costs incurred due to the coronavirus.”
Additionally, on March 23rd the Mayor issued a temporary moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent for tenants who are unable to pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City of Los Angeles COVID-19 eviction moratorium fact sheet
Similar statutes have been enacted in Santa Monica, West Hollywood and other jurisdictions.
City of Pasadena
The City of Pasadena has passed a moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent due to loss of income related to Covid-19 pandemic. Click below to link to the
Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium
City of Glendale
On March 24, 2020, the Glendale City Council issued an Emergency Order which implemented a number of measures designed to protect the Glendale public and contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Among them are temporary moratoriums on evictions on residential and commercial tenancies for non-payment of rent for tenants who are unable to pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic and a temporary moratorium on rent increases for residential tenancies.
City of Glendale Eviction Moratorium and Rent Freeze fact sheet
City of Monrovia
On Tuesday, March 31, the City Council approved an Urgency Ordinance, which adopted emergency regulations that prohibit residential evictions for non-payment of rent and “no-fault” evictions. The ordinance took effect immediately and will remain in place through the duration of the COVID-19 emergency declaration.
Foothill Apartment Association 