LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Los Angeles Coalition for Responsible Housing Solutions, an association of housing experts and allied business associations from across Los Angeles County, will join in opposition to the proposed “Interim Ordinance to Temporarily Limit Rent Increases” that will be heard at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. The Coalition also objects strongly to the Board of Supervisors hearing this item on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, after continuing the motion multiple times throughout the Summer.
The proposed ordinance would impose a “maximum rent increase amount of 3%” and have base rents set as they are on September 11, 2018. The motion, which sought the increases before the County’s own Tenant Protections Working Group had concluded and provided a final report, has had numerous false starts since its introduction in early July. The hearing this week is expected to kick off a 60-day report period for a host of County departments to provide feedback on implementation, program costs and legal issues.
“The timeline of this motion and urgency seem poorly timed with actual rent increases. Even under modest data, rents in Los Angeles have increased less than 2% over the last year. Rents are no longer increasing in the Los Angeles area and in the unincorporated areas as it had in the past. The Board is seeking political points after the fact,” said Elizabeth de Carteret, a coalition board member.
While Los Angeles County is the most populated in the United States, its housing jurisdiction is limited to pockets of unincorporated areas, where only 4.5% is zoned residential. In fact, the unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County have approximately 300,000 housing units, over 70% are single-family, 60% are owner occupied and only 55,000 housing units are apartments. Under current laws, the County cannot implement rent control on single family homes or apartments built after 1995.
de Carteret continued, “families and the elderly should have immediate access to help during emergencies or when buildings transition to new ownership, but rent control allows other renters to potentially exploit a system that will allow them to stay in modest housing with low rent in perpetuity. The County should address issues such as ensuring tenants are protected during changes of ownership, funding a mediation program and expanding code enforcement.”
The motion purports to protect tenants from “unreasonable rent increases” and uses September 11, 2018 as the baseline rent until the board has “the opportunity to fully deliberate on and adopt permanent tenant protection policies.” The Working Group was approved for formation by County motion in May of 2016, yet the group was not convened until February 2018 and no report was issued until last month.
About the Los Angeles Coalition for Responsible Housing Solutions:
The Los Angeles Coalition for Responsible Housing Solutions includes housing and economic experts from across Los Angeles County. The Coalition has a broad membership reaching from the Antelope Valley to Long Beach and from Santa Monica to the San Gabriel Valley. We are small property owners, apartment associations, REALTORS®, commercial property managers and business associations. We seek an inclusive and productive dialogue between tenants and property owners. For more information, visit our www.LAhousingCoalition.com