Get ready, because Tuesday is the day Los Angeles landlords have been waiting for. It’s the day they can finally collect the rents that were legally withheld due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s ironic that this rent debt repayment program, which was designed to help those who lost their jobs during the initial wave of the pandemic, is coming into effect at a time when the city is facing another economic crisis. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have impacted not only the guild memberships but also the businesses that rely on their work.
But here’s the catch: many tenants who are already struggling to recover from the pandemic and dealing with the strikes now have to come up with a huge lump sum in rent, which may be impossible for them. Los Angeles Councilperson Nithya Raman (District 4) hopes that this impending deadline will push the city to create a system that supports vulnerable tenants in the long term, not just in this moment.
Tenants have until August 1 to pay any missing rent from March 2020 to September 2021. For rent due between October 2021 and January 31, 2024, tenants have until February 2024 to make the payments. The mayor’s office and the Los Angeles Housing Department are working together to inform vulnerable tenants about the resources and protections available to them.
However, it’s a nerve-wracking time for both tenants and landlords who rely on rental income to pay their own mortgages. The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, an independent nonprofit, is supporting the mayor’s vision on homelessness prevention through their “We Are LA” program. They have raised $38 million so far to help at-risk tenants stay housed.
Preventing homelessness is crucial, according to Bass, as the city continues to confront this crisis. Last month, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported a 10% rise in homelessness countywide, the second-largest increase in the past five years.
If you’re a tenant in need of information on your rights or resources, visit stayhousedla.org/tenant-rights.
