The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved an ordinance that will temporarily bar landlords from evicting tenants as a result of a substantial remodel effort to the housing unit.
In a 12-0 vote, council members advanced the policy, which will update the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance with respect to evictions caused by a “substantial remodel.” Council members Adrin Nazarian, Traci Park and Curren Price were absent during the vote.
Council members authorized the policy through Aug. 1 while city staff explore a permanent solution to address the issue. According to city documents, the ordinance will retroactively apply, meaning it could provide a defense in court for renters who have yet to receive judgment for this particular eviction proceeding.
It will require approval by Mayor Karen Bass before it can take effect.
The city terms a substantial remodel as a “no-fault” eviction, in which tenants in good standing can be evicted if their unit requires major structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical system work. Property owners must self-certify that it will take 30 days or more to complete such projects.
Property owners of rent-stabilized units, however, must provide a plan to temporarily relocate tenants if the unit requires a substantial remodel. The plan must be submitted to the Housing Department, and the tenant has to agree before it can be executed.
Last year, the City Council approved a motion introduced by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who called for the temporary ban on evictions related to substantial remodels.
At the time, Blumenfield said such a policy would “close a loophole.”
“Hundreds of families are caught in this type of eviction process, with no ability to keep their units,” Blumenfield said in a previous statement. “My policy will ensure that a tenant has the ability to maintain tenancy, keep paying rent and stay in their apartments.”
Council members worried that some units taken off the market for remodeling are later made available at a higher rental price.
The City Council also instructed the Housing Department to provide data on how many property owners are applying for substantial remodels, how many projects have been completed, and how many evictions are caused by efforts to electrify units.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, previously stated that renters should be afforded protection no matter the type of building someone lives in.
“Although substantial remodels are sometimes necessary, it should not be a reason to evict a tenant from their home, and tenants should have the right to return and maintain their tenancy,” Raman said in a statement in October regarding the ordinance.
On Friday, some renters showed up at City Hall to urge council members to adopt the policy.
Angela Bai, a member of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, said closing the loophole will help tenants currently facing eviction proceedings. The ordinance would ensure that tenants are protected immediately.
Erica Hernandez, a resident of Echo Park, said she has lived with her family in the same apartment since the 1980s. They are facing a third eviction related to substantial remodeling, she noted.
“It’s been four months since the City Council voted to end renovictions with urgency,” Hernandez said. “This situation is impacted elderly people and children who lack resources to defend themselves if they are evicted.”
Laura Matter, a senior staff attorney with Inner City Law Center, highlighted that there are many renters in L.A. facing eviction proceedings related to substantial remodeling efforts.
“This is a provision that investors use to flip properties and it goes against the purpose of Just Cause Ordinance, which was to prohibit arbitrary evictions,” Matter said.
Meanwhile, David Kaishchyan of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, argued the policy will force renters to live in dangerous conditions and tie the hands of responsible owners.
“This ordinance is a result of a witch hunt by extremists that want to force mom-and-pop owners out of business,” Kaishchyan said.
He claimed that data from the city’s Housing Department showed that “renovictions” are a “hoax,” with less than 100 substantial remodels occurring in the past two years.
“We strongly urge a no vote on this outrageous moratorium that once again rips the rug out from under housing providers and shows the city to be unreliable and openly hostile to them,” Kaishchyan added.