The Los Angeles City Council has voted in favor of two motions changing landlord-tenant relationships in the city — one removing an exception in the just cause eviction law for substantial remodeling projects, passed Oct. 29, and another strengthening its tenant anti-harassment laws, passed Oct. 30.

Neither motion has reached final approval with the city council. The Oct. 29 motion calls for a temporary ordinance pending more information gathering, while the Oct. 30 ordinance is up for a second reading on Nov. 6, according to the city clerk. 

Addressing ‘renovictions’

Los Angeles’s just cause ordinance, passed in 2023, prevents no-fault evictions for tenants with some exceptions, including a substantial renovation that would require the tenant to vacate the property for at least 30 days. 

The just cause ordinance does not apply to rent-controlled housing. Instead, the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance protects tenants from what are colloquially known as “renovictions” through the Tenant Habitability Program, in which a landlord is required to temporarily relocate a tenant and maintain their tenancy and rent until the work is completed. 

This establishes a right for the tenant to return to the completed unit — a right not currently present for tenants in units that are not rent-controlled, according to the city council motion. 

“The JCO enables ‘substantial remodel’ as a reason to evict a tenant and the city should take steps to further protect tenants from this no-fault eviction,” the motion reads. “Although substantial remodels are sometimes necessary, it should not be a reason to evict a tenant from their home, and tenants should have the right to return and maintain their tenancy.”

The motion calls on the Los Angeles Housing Department and city attorney to report to the council with recommendations for renters to maintain tenancy during remodeling, similar to the Tenant Habitability Program, and to draft a temporary urgency clause to end the evictions in the interim. 

Tenant advocates see the substantial renovation exception as a means to evict long-time tenants and raise rents on renovated units, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, landlords contend that the city’s housing stock is aging and needs repairs, and that the removal of the eviction clause would pose a financial hardship, especially for smaller owners, according to LAist. 

Anti-harassment amendment

The Los Angeles Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, passed in 2021, has been amended to cover additional types of harassment reported by renters in the city and to tackle challenges with enforcement. 

As of this summer, city officials have received 13,000 tenant harassment complaints since the TAHO’s passing. However, none of these complaints have led to criminal prosecutions and only four resulted in fines, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The amendments include: 

• Redefining harassment as “bad faith conduct.” 
• Expanding the definition of harassment to include threatening to reduce or remove amenities, abusing the right to access a rental unit, threatening residents’ guests and refusing to accept or facilitate rental assistance, among other changes. 
• Awarding tenants who prevail in court in harassment cases triple damages, including those for mental or emotional distress, as well as attorneys’ fees. 
• Creating a three-year statute of limitations. 

In addition, existing law requires tenants to first inform their landlord of a repair or maintenance issue before initiating a civil proceeding. Under this amendment, this requirement is waived if the landlord is found to be intentionally withholding repairs as harassment. 

Tenant advocates say this law will protect renters and incentivize private attorneys to take on their cases, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, landlord groups say the legislation is designed to increase litigation.