LA County Supervisors Allow Landlords To Raise Rents By 4%, Preventing A Bigger Increase

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow landlords to raise rents up to 4% in rent-controlled units in the unincorporated parts of the county through June 2024.

The board approved a temporary 3% cap on rent increases in rent-controlled units last November. The cap would have expired at the end of next month, causing renters to face increases of 7% or more.

The county has seen more than 35,000 evictions since the beginning of the year, according to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. She also co-authored the motion and is the sole renter on the board. She says the number will increase unless the board takes action.

"We have to protect renters from large annual rental increases that could drive them into homelessness," Horvath said. "We're not saying don't increase rents. We're saying to keep it manageable because we're hearing loudly and clearly from renters, the rent is already too damn high, and if we can't protect renters in the housing that they're already in, this homelessness crisis is only going to get worse."

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The vote came despite opposition from landlords who said lowering allowable rent increases would hurt mom-and-pop landlords who are still suffering from higher property maintenance costs.

"Mom and pop owners have already greatly financially suffered due to the supervisors singling them out amongst all businesses to suffer forced drastically reduced revenues for almost four years and far beyond the official end of the covid-19 emergency," said David Kaishchyan with the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.

Meantime, Supervisor Holly Mitchell said the board needed to prioritize keeping people who are housed in their homes, specifically BIPOC property owners. Mitchell said these owners "have historically been intentionally locked out of access to capital and wealth building opportunities."

But some tenant advocates said a potential increase of greater than 4% would hurt low-income renters the most.

Supervisor Hilda Solis cited a recent study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that showed a median increase of just $100 a month was associated with a 9% increase in homelessness.

"We want to prevent people from falling into being unhoused," Solis said. "But also, I do have a sensitivity to hear [from] mom and pop landlords.

The county is expected to study and offer recommendations about permanent changes to the rent control ordinance, which could allow increases of up to 8% after June 30, 2024.