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LA City Council Votes To Let Renters Keep Pets Adopted During The Pandemic
Julie Turner holds her dog Dobby who she says has helped her recover from debilitating brain aneurysms.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Renters in the city of L.A. will now get to keep pets they adopted during the pandemic, without fear of eviction.
The Los Angeles City Council took a final vote Tuesday to make COVID-era eviction protections for pet owners permanent, and the plan now moves to the mayor for a final sign-off.
Under the ordinance, landlords will not be able to evict renters over the presence of a cat or dog they adopted in violation of their lease from the outset of the pandemic through Jan. 31, 2023. The rules don’t cover pets adopted more recently, and they don’t preclude landlords from filing evictions over pets causing serious nuisances.
“These pets have helped people get through difficult times,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez during the meeting, explaining that many L.A. renters coped with pandemic-induced isolation and COVID-related deaths in their families by adopting pets.
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“At a time when thousands of tenants are at risk of eviction throughout our city, we have a responsibility to continue to expand and codify critical tenant rights that will keep people in their homes,” she said. “And if that means keeping them with their pets in their homes, then we’ve got to do that.”
Council members voted in favor of these rules last month, but needed to take a second vote to finalize the ordinance.
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Previous LAist reporting has found that despite local protections for pet owners during the pandemic, some tenants have faced eviction threats from their landlords.
Tenant advocates worried that eviction levels, which are already rising in L.A., could climb even higher with the city’s remaining COVID-19 protections scheduled to end on Feb. 1.
L.A. pet protections at a glance
- Under the ordinance, landlords will not be able to evict renters over the presence of a cat or dog they adopted in violation of their lease from the outset of the pandemic through Jan. 31, 2023.
- The new rule applies to all renters within the city of L.A.’s boundaries.
- Tenants are required to inform their landlords about eligible pets within 30 days of the ordinance taking effect, if their landlord didn’t already know about those pets.
- The rules don’t cover pets adopted more recently, and they don’t preclude landlords from filing evictions over pets causing serious nuisances.
Landlord groups supported the city council’s vote this week, while asking for renters to notify their landlords about the presence of any unauthorized pets taken in during the pandemic.
California Apartment Association spokesperson Fred Sutton wrote in a letter to the council that his organization supports the “city’s goal of resolving this unique situation.”
Sutton went on to say, “It is important for the property owner to be aware of animals and general activity in the community and be following the City of Los Angeles’ Animal Services (LAAS) regulations.”
Thirteen councilmembers voted in favor of the ordinance. None voted against it. Councilmembers Heather Hutt and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent.
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