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Your guide to renting in this complicated — and expensive — place.
LA County To Reopen COVID-Era Rent Relief For Landlords
A for rent sign is posted in front of an apartment building in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Justin Sullivan/)
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Small landlords who lost rental income during the COVID-19 pandemic will soon have another opportunity for relief. Starting Monday, landlords can apply for financial support from Los Angeles County — up to $30,000 dollars per unit.
This is the second round of the county's rent relief program, which is designed to cover past-due rent and expenses like utilities incurred between April 1, 2022.
The application window will be open starting May 20 and will close at 4:59 p.m. on June 4.
Interested landlords can register to receive a link to the application when it's available on the program's website: lacountyrentrelief.com
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The program also has a call center open Mon.-Fri. during business hours: (877) 849-0770.
Who can apply
To qualify, the property must be located in L.A. County, but outside of the city of L.A. Not sure if your property meets that criteria? Here's a tool where you can find out.
All landlords can apply, but priority will be given to those who own no more than four units.
The county will also prioritize landlords and tenants in high-need areas and who make 80% or less of the area median income.
The origin of the rent relief program
The goal of the program is to prevent evictions while relieving landlords of financial burdens caused by their tenants' inability to pay rent as a result of job loss, illness or other hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial round of the program closed in January.
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The program’s funding, $68.7 million, is dwarfed by prior pandemic rent relief efforts. The state of California’s earlier COVID-19 rent relief program delivered $2.7 billion to local landlords.
The city of L.A. launched its own landlord relief program last year, but applications are no longer being accepted.
Recent U.S. Census Bureau survey data show that renters in L.A. County owe a combined $374 million in debt.
How to weigh in on housing policy
For people who live in L.A., the Board of Supervisors and City Council have the most direct impact on housing in your neighborhood.
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