Long Beach approves ordinance that forces landlords to pay relocation fees

The Long Beach City Council has handed renters a victory.

In a six-to-three vote, the council approved an ordinance that will require landlords to pay for tenant relocation fees if they increase rent by more than 10 percent in a year, Curbed reported. City Council will have to vote again on the ordinance before it can officially become law in August.

Under the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance, landlords’ fees will range from $2,706 to $4,500, depending on the size of the unit. While the law is aimed at protecting tenants against steep rent hikes, it will also help provide aid to tenants who are forced to move out because of renovations or other, legal evictions.

Small-time landlords will be exempt from the law, however, as renters in single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and some fourplexes will not be eligible.

In Long Beach, rents have skyrocketed nearly 26 percent over the past five years. With more than half of the city’s residents renting, that’s left many in the South Bay with a dearth of options.

The legislation is the latest piece of local rent control to be advanced in the wake of Proposition 10’s failure. After state voters defeated the measure last November, municipalities have increasingly put forward their own solutions to combat the region’s affordability problem. [Curbed] — Natalie Hoberman