Tag: landlords

SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica indicated in a press release that residential landlords, tenants, property managers, service providers and city staff are set to discuss the latest information in landlord/tenant topics at the popular free annual Landlord/Tenant Forum on Monday, December 9. The workshop will transpire from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Auditorium.

The Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office and the Rent Control Agency will host the event and topics of discussion that will include:

-Roundtable updates on landlord/tenant topics around the state

-Updates on changes to local laws

-Tenants’ rights to replace roommates

-Tenant protections during construction

-Q&A of general interest

Registration is required to attend the workshop. A recording of the Landlord/Tenant Forum will be made available on the city’s YouTube channel following the event.

Additional December events hosted by Santa Monica’s Rent Control Agency include a Spanish-language seminar for tenants on Tuesday, December 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park’s Thelma Terry Building.

The workshop helps Santa Monica tenants learn more about services and resources available through the Rent Control Agency, such as details about how rent and amenities are determined, protections against eviction and remedies available for issues related to excess rent, amenities and maintenance. The seminar is free and open to the public.

A similar seminar for tenants in English is planned for the spring.

For more information and a description of the event in Spanish, visit santamonica.gov/rent-control-seminars-and-newsletters or call the Rent Control Agency at (310) 458-8751.

By Trevor

BEVELRY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills is alerting landlords and managers in Beverly Hills that they will be holding a Rent Registry Workshop on December 9.

The workshop is being held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in- person at the Beverly Hills City Hall Municipal Gallery located at 455 N. Rexford Dr.

Learn everything you need to know about rent control, registration, and more. The team will guide you through the process and answer all your question. Individuals that attend can learn the following:

-Understand the rent registry requirements
-Get your questions answered by City staff
-Ensure compliance and avoid penalties

RSVP now and reserve your spot. For more details, call the askBH customer service line at 310-285-1000 or visit beverlyhills.org/rentstabilization.

By Trevor

On Friday, May 24, the city of Santa Monica announced on its website that the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) started accepting applications for a second round of the Los Angeles County Rent Relief Program last week.

The deadline to submit applications is Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 4:59 p.m. PDT. Led by the LA County Board of Supervisors as an effort to decrease evictions of tenants for non-payment of rent, the program will distribute over $68 million in financial support to qualified landlords adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program will provide up to $30,000 per rental unit to landlords for unpaid rent and eligible expenses dating from April 1, 2022, to the present. To qualify, units must still be occupied by impacted tenants, and eligibility will be prioritized based on the following factors:

Affected units located in the high and highest need geographies as defined and identified in the LA County Equity Explorer Tool.

-Landlord or tenant whose household income is 80% or below LA County Area Median Income (AMI).
-Landlords who can fully satisfy tenants’ debt for the eligible period upon receipt of rent relief grant.
-Landlord owns no more than four rental units.
-Landlords who do not meet all four factors may apply but will have lower priority.

If an applicant has already submitted a complete application, the County is advising not to submit another application for the same impacted rental unit/tenant. If an applicant has already been awarded a grant under this Program, the existing application will be reviewed for additional rental arrears and if eligible, will be notified by the Program.

Those interested in applying for the LA County Rent Relief Program can review eligibility requirements and access the application directly by visiting the program portal at www.lacountyrentrelief.com. Submission of a completed application is not a guarantee of funding.

Free technical assistance in multiple languages is available daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early submissions are strongly encouraged.

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Thursday, January 4, the city of West Hollywood indicated in a news release that are alerting landlords about the Los Angeles County Rent Relief Program.

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out about a recent announcement from Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) regarding the availability of $68,666,000 in grants to qualified landlords with property located within Los Angeles County, excluding the City of Los Angeles, through its Los Angeles County Rent Relief Program.

The City of West Hollywood is in Los Angeles County and this program will provide direct financial assistance to landlords to help them mitigate the detrimental economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that may result in tenants’ inability to stay current on rent.

Grant awards may be used to cover eligible expenses incurred from April 1, 2022 to present on a rolling basis. Eligible expenses include qualifying unpaid rental debt and any other substantiated related expenses, such as utilities.

While any eligible landlord can apply, those who meet specific criteria outlined on the County’s website will be prioritized.

For eligibility criteria, required documents, tips for applying, and instructions on how to complete and submit the application, please visit the LA County Rent Relief website at https://lacountyrentrelief.com.

The City of West Hollywood’s Rent Stabilization Division provides resources, tools, and information for tenants and landlords in the City of West Hollywood. For more information, please contact the Rent Stabilization Division at (323) 848-6450 or at rsd@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica announced in a press release on Monday, July 31, a case brought by the City’s Tenant Harassment Ordinance, COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium, and Home-Sharing Ordinance by the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker signed a stipulated judgment and injunction against the Defendant-landlord SoCal Investment Company, LLC.

In City v. Youseph Golshirazian et al, Case No. 21SMCV00201, the city of Santa Monica alleged that, SoCal Investment Company, LLC engaged in a campaign to empty out a 30-unit residential building of long-term rent-controlled tenants. Allegations included fraud, intimidation, bad faith baseless evictions during a pandemic surge and in violation of the COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium, failure to provide mandatory disclosures in making buyout offers, and renting units as unlawful vacation rentals after attempting to evict long-term tenants.

The defendants filed eviction cases against five tenants homes in November 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the city’s  Eviction Moratorium was in effect. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles represented the tenants in defending the evictions and the cases were dismissed by defendants.

As a part of the settlement with the city of Santa Monica, Defendants Hanokh Golshirazian, Youseph Golshirazian, and SoCal Investment Company, LLC:

-Posted and mailed notices of tenants’ rights to all tenants in properties they own or manage in Santa Monica;

-Attended City-approved landlord-tenant training;

-Paid $125,000 to the City, to be used to support housing protection work within the City; and,

-Agreed to comply with tenant protection and vacation rental laws and to be subject to a minimum penalty of $10,000 for each violation proven in court for four years.

With this stipulated judgment terms indicate the owners must comply with Santa Monica’s tenant protection laws, including the Tenant Harassment Ordinance, the requirement to report attempted evictions, the vacation rental law, and the eviction moratorium.

“The City has passed some of the strongest tenant protection laws in the state,” said City Attorney Doug Sloan. “We made extraordinary efforts to protect tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued to focus on tenant protection since. Cases like this one show our willingness to enforce these laws to protect the community.” A separate and related case brought by the victim tenants, represented by the law firm Elder & Spencer, LLP, was also resolved.

By Trevor