Topline:
Los Angeles County will do away with its COVID-19 eviction protections on Friday, bringing to an end three years of local rules meant to stabilize tenants who couldn’t keep up with their rent due to economic harms brought on by the pandemic.
Why now: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently voted to end the local COVID-19 emergency declaration on March 31. Once that state of emergency goes away, so will the county’s pandemic-era protections for non-payment of rent.
Who’s impacted: Anyone who rents anywhere in L.A. County’s 88 cities or unincorporated areas.
What’s changing: Tenants who can’t make their April rent on time will no longer be able to cite the pandemic as a reason to delay payment. They could face eviction as soon as next week. An estimated 246,000 households in the L.A. metro area are currently behind on their rent. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has said she’s worried about an imminent spike in evictions and homelessness.
What’s next: Tenants with past-due rent from previous months will have to repay that money, but not right away. The city and county of L.A. have different rules governing when tenants must repay pandemic rent debt.
The politics: Tenant groups have said the expiring rules could cause thousands to lose their housing, especially those still reeling from job loss or the death of a family breadwinner. Landlords have pushed to end all emergency protections in L.A., where COVID-19 regulations have remained in place longer than in other parts of the country. L.A.’s city council voted to expand eviction protections ahead of the March 31 deadline, but the county’s board of supervisors recently shot down a proposal to keep certain limits in place for another year.
Where to get help: Read our in-depth guide on everything you need to know about L.A. County’s expiring COVID-19 eviction rules.
