Several tenant protections were created due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, notably the inability of landlords to evict tenants in several situations. An initiative by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to help “Mom and Pop” landlords with $45 million in grants sounded good when it passed in January, but nothing’s happened since.
The Program Approved in January
Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s website states that the board approved her motion (co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell) on January 24, establishing a $45M relief fund to benefit small property owners.
Barger states that while the board discussed extending protections to prevent more homelessness, she brought up the need to support “mom-and-pop” property owners in debt and facing possibly losing their properties because tenants stopped paying rent.
She saw extending renter protections as hurting property owners, and the board couldn’t continue extending tenant protections at their expense. Barger said constituents who own properties struggled to pay their bills, so they should also receive relief.
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell stated the critical issue she heard from tenants and landlords is back rent. The proposed rent relief program would use American Rescue Plan Act recovery dollars to pay back rent and prevent landlords from losing their properties.
The motion greatly expanded the Board’s prior directive to Los Angeles County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) to create an assistance program to help small property owners. DCBA recommended setting aside $5 million to help qualifying landlords with costs related to unpaid rent by current tenants, up to $30,000 per property owner.
The proposal that passed in January increased the amount to $45 million. In exchange for the aid, landlords must agree not to evict tenants for their failure to pay rent.
So far, so good…but it never happened.
No News From DCBA is Bad News for Small Property Owners
Barger and Mitchell requested in October an investigation by the county CEO to find out why their proposal hasn’t been implemented, according to KNBC. Barger stated the DCBA’s delay is “unacceptable” and “…small property owners are bearing the brunt of DCBA’s delays.”
What’s DCBA doing in response? Their website’s been updated. It states that a rent relief program with financial assistance for qualifying landlords impacted by COVID-19 due to unpaid rent is “COMING SOON!” Not soon enough for many.
Whether an investigation started or if it’s completed hasn’t been reported. Stay tuned, L.A. County “Mom & Pop” landlords.
AWB Law is Here to Help
If you’re a residential landlord with questions about unpaid rent relief programs or need legal representation, call the legal team at AWB Law at (949) 244-4207 or complete our online contact form today to schedule a consultation.
