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What Are LA's Eviction Rules During The Coronavirus Pandemic?
A Los Angeles apartment building. (Photo by Sandy Gonzales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
If you can't make rent, you're not alone. Nearly one third of all households renting apartments in the United States couldn't make rent on April 1, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It's a stressful time, especially if you're worried about losing your home. So, we've put together some basics to help keep your anxieties at bay.
Here's a short list of critical things to know if you're a California renter right now:
- During this emergency, you cannot be evicted from your home for not having paid rent.
- Evictions are on hold until 90 days after the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency, except those dealing with public health and safety
- If you cannot pay rent, you must notify your landlord in writing ASAP.
- Landlords can legally start eviction proceedings during this time, but the soonest a court might issue a summons would be 90 days after the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency.
- Landlords cannot change the locks or remove your property from your unit.
- Only the local sheriff's department has the authority to legally lock you out.
- You are legally responsible to repay all rent missed during the pandemic after the emergency is over.
- Depending on where you live you may have a grace period of up to one year to pay it back.
- Do not sign anything from your landlord without first consulting an attorney.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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