Tag: Tenants

SANTA MONICA—On December 3, the city of Santa Monica announced that the City Attorney’s Office and Rent Control Board is inviting Santa Monica landlords, tenants, property managers, service providers, and community partners to attend the annual Landlord/Tenant Forum on Wednesday, December 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Auditorium.

The event is an opportunity to receive updates on key housing-related issues and engage directly with staff from both agencies. This year’s topics include:

-Rent Control Regulation 3035 and Price Gouging Laws – A discussion of the newly passed amendment to rent control regulations limiting “banked” rent adjustments to a maximum of 10% of monthly rent per year, along with a brief overview of protections against price gouging during emergencies.

-Vacant Property Registry and Rental Housing Registry – Overview of these two new City programs, their requirements, compliance deadlines and enforcement processes.

-Expansion of the Preserving Our Diversity (POD) Program – Information on program growth and anticipated impacts.

-Tenant Protection Litigation Updates – A review of tenant harassment, relocation, and fair housing cases the Consumer Protection Unit has recently litigated.

-S-MMC Chapter 6.22 Discussion – Overview of medium-term leasing requirements and enforcement.

Seating is limited and registration is required. Call (310) 458-8336 to register. A recording of the Landlord/Tenant Forum will be made available on the city’s YouTube channel following the event.

The workshop is for Santa Monica tenants to 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, and reservations are not required. A similar seminar for tenants in English is planned for the spring.

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

By Danny Jones

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

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