Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County supervisors approve lower annual rent hikes
An apartment for rent sign.
(
Frederic J. Brown
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved lower annual rent increases for many tenants in unincorporated areas.
Beginning next year, rent increases will be limited for units already under rent control to 60% of the annual change in the consumer price index — a measure of how much costs in general are rising throughout the economy — with a ceiling of 3%.
But it allows “small property landlords” — those with no more than 10 units (including outside of L.A. County) — to increase rent up to 4%.
Landlords of luxury units, which are defined as two bedrooms or less that rented for at least $4,000 a month back in September 2018, can bump up rent to 5%.
Support for LAist comes from
RENT CONTROL GUIDE
-
How much can rent go up in my neighborhood?
- Read our rent control guide to find out how much your rent can be legally increased each year, depending on where you live in L.A. County.
Annual increases of up to 4% are currently allowed in rent-controlled housing in unincorporated areas through the end of the year. The board narrowly voted for a proposal to lower the hikes to 3% or less this summer, but it needed to come back for final approval.
The vote was 4 to 1, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger in opposition.
The California Apartment Association wrote in a letter to the board that it’s strongly against the change.
“This provision … is disconnected from the actual economic realities that housing providers face and imposes unsustainable financial pressures on property owners,” Fred Sutton, the association's spokesperson, wrote in a letter to the board. “This price control threatens to force housing providers to defer essential repairs, ultimately reducing the quality and availability of rental housing.”
David Wagner contributed to this report.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding. -
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California. -
According to a grand jury report the contractor took advantage of strained relations and political pressures to “force” the city to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle disputes. -
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity. -
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said. -
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes.
Best of LAist