The eviction gamble: This is why it’s tough to be a renter — and a landlord — in LA

The L.A. Tenants’ Union staged a protest outside L.A.’s Housing Department in December 2016.
The L.A. Tenants’ Union staged a protest outside L.A.’s Housing Department in December 2016.

From the summer issue: It’s a tough time to be a renter in Los Angeles. Then again, it’s a tough time to be a landlord, too.

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L.A.’s multifamily market is hotter than ever, particularly in the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown. But due in part to the layers of bureaucratic red tape surrounding development, inventory is tight: Housing units from new construction increased by less than half a percent, to 16,600, in L.A. County in 2016. Demand is so high that L.A. has been named the most unaffordable city for renters and buyers in all of the U.S., according to a new report from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.