EASTSIDE LEADS CAMPAIGN: KEEP LA HOUSED

 
 

ABOUT KEEP LA HOUSED

In our collaboration with Keep LA Housed, we join community members, tenants, housing rights advocates, public interest lawyers and community based organizations to work towards the implementation of permanent tenant protections through comprehensive policy solutions in Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County to keep residents housed and protect tenant livelihoods.

ORIGINS OF KEEP LA HOUSED

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Keep LA Housed was created to prevent the mass displacement of Los Angeles residents experiencing extreme hardships impacting their ability to remain in their homes. Keep LA Housed focused on providing tenants with a debt free recovery that would eliminate the acquired rent debt during the pandemic, stop evictions, and mitigate other consequences of accumulated rent debt in the City and County of Los Angeles.

However, the need for permanent tenant protections in the City and County of Los Angeles beyond the COVID-19 pandemic remained, calling for the continued advocacy work of the campaign to advance tenant rights and mitigate the consequences of an unjust housing system that lacks anti-displacement policies as permanent rights for tenants.

Read the Keep LA Housed Coalition demands for a #DebtFreeRecovery to #KeepLAHoused during the pandemic.

KEEP LA HOUSED WINS DURING THE PANDEMIC

January 2022: Keep LA Housed helps extend emergency tenant protections for another year including protections for non-payment of rent.

February 2022: Keep LA Housed advocacy helps establish owner move in protections for LA County (protections landlords must follow to move into a rental unit after a tenant vacates) and Landlord Entry Denials are affirmed as protected by LA County.

March 2022: Council members Mike Bonin, Nithya Raman, and Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduce Keep LA Housed’s Fair Access for Renters Package, now included in the Keep La Housed Tenant Bill of Rights.

June 2022: Keep LA Housed advocacy influences LA City report back on how to phase out emergency tenant protections that were set to expire on December 31st, 2022

KEEP LA HOUSED TENANT BILL OF RIGHTS (TBOR)

In order to continue to address the housing crisis after the removal of temporary COVID-19 tenant protections, Keep LA Housed created a Tenant Bill of Rights consisting of nine policies that would work to address the long-term and systemic challenges tenants face when navigating our current housing environment. These policies would protect all Los Angeles County tenants by giving them the right to secure, affordable, and habitable housing free from discrimination and harassment.

The Tenant Bill of Rights consists of nine policies:

  1. Rent stabilization to the maximum extent allowed by state law

  2. Universal just cause eviction protections

  3. Limitations on evictions for failure to pay rent

  4. Relocation assistance for tenants displaced for no fault of their own

  5. Effective tenant anti-harassment protections

  6. Safeguards when landlords attempt to buyout tenants

  7. Codified right to counsel for tenants facing eviction

  8. Strong proactive code enforcement

  9. Removal of discriminatory barriers to housing access

TAKE ACTION WITH KEEP LA HOUSED

Keep LA Housed continues to develop strong housing policies to ensure a just recovery for tenants in the aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles Fires. Together, we have successfully secured no evictions for tenants economically impacted by the fires in LA County.

Follow us on our social media platforms to submit one-click emails, submit public comment, and attend rallies to urge city leaders to adopt permanent tenant protections to advance housing equity and Keep LA Housed.

ADOPTED PERMANENT TENANT PROTECTIONS FROM TBOR

On January 27th, 2023, the Universal Just Cause for Eviction protection was adopted giving all residential tenants in the City of Los Angeles the right to Just Cause for Eviction. Under this Universal Just Cause for Eviction protection, additional Just Cause rules were established to protect tenants in LA City, including:

  • A monetary threshold for evictions for failure to pay rent, preventing a landlord from evicting a tenant for nonpayment unless a tenant owes more than one month Fair Market Rent (FMR) for their unit size

  • Relocation assistance for tenants displaced by large rent increases

    For the County of Los Angeles, a monetary threshold for evictions for failure to pay rent protection was also established, as well as additional County support for incorporated cities of Los Angeles County to enact tenant protections. Read more about this additional County support HERE.