With a new multi-million dollar funding boost, the city of Los Angeles hopes to better enforce tenant protections and support renters facing harassment by their landlords.
For years, tenant advocates say harassment has been a widespread problem, but few landlords have faced penalties due to a lack of resources for enforcement. Now, officials are taking action to help more tenants defend their rights in court.
A Growing Problem
Harassment by landlords has long been an issue for renters in Los Angeles, according to advocates. Forms of harassment include denying repairs, shutting off utilities, excessive rent increases, and even physical threats.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic made the situation much worse, as many tenants struggled financially and faced new pressures from landlords seeking to displace them. Since laws protecting tenants from retaliation and unjust evictions took effect, the housing department has received over 10,000 harassment complaints from renters.
Lack of Enforcement
While the volume of complaints shows the scope of the problem, tenant advocates say very few cases have actually resulted in penalties for offending landlords.
The housing department has only referred around two dozen cases to the city attorney's office for potential prosecution since the anti-harassment ordinance passed in 2021. Landlords have faced few consequences due to a lack of funding and resources for consistent enforcement of tenant protections.
Increased Support for Renters
To change this, city leaders recently approved a $3 million funding boost through a new voter-approved rental housing tax. The money will go towards expanding legal aid for renters experiencing harassment. Non-profit attorneys will gain resources to represent more tenants taking landlords to court, either through the city attorney or independent claims.
Advocates hope this influx of support will help more renters assert their rights and achieve favorable outcomes, such as damage awards or penalties against law-breaking landlords.
Supporting Success in the Courts
Tenant organizations point to some recent cases as evidence that stronger enforcement can make a difference. In one high-profile settlement, a major real estate company agreed to pay damages after allegedly harassing long-term Latino residents.
In another case, a landlord was found by a jury to have illegally retaliated against tenants who organized with a non-profit. With increased legal assistance now on the way, advocates are hopeful that more renters will achieve similar successes holding their landlords accountable through the courts.
Overall, officials and advocates agree improved enforcement is critical to better protecting tenants from harassment and displacement.
