West Hollywood City Council votes to increase tenant relocation fees

The West Hollywood City Council voted to increase the relocation fees that West Hollywood landlords must pay tenants they evict, Wehoville reports.

The amount will now increase annually, tied to the Consumer Price Index, and will be updated on July 1 of each year.

The Council had last increased the relocation costs in 2007, setting the fee for relocating tenants in a studio apartment at $5,100. Under the new plan, the fees for a studo will increase to $6,180.  The fees for a one-bedroom apartment will increase from $7,200 to $8,726.

Relocation fees are meant to cover moving costs. That includes  first and last month’s rent, a security deposit, and other expenses. Landlords only have to pay the fees to tenants who live in rent-regulated housing units which they intend to remove from the housing market under the Ellis Act. [Wehoville] – Hannah Miet