West Hollywood extends eviction ban, with caveats

With cases of the coronavirus surging and millions of people still out of work, the West Hollywood City Council extended the moratorium on commercial and residential evictions through September.

The temporary ban was set to expire at the end of July and could be extended at the Council’s discretion, according to WeHoville.

The move does come with some tweaks.

Tenants are now required to provide landlords with some documentation proving a financial hardship related to the pandemic that prevents them from paying rent, according to the report.

Tenants can also tap their security deposit to pay back rent, but must repay that security deposit in the future. Like most other jurisdictions in the Los Angeles area, renters have 12 months after the moratorium expires to pay back rent.

The West Hollywood Council also tweaked rules specifically for commercial tenants. Those with 20 employees or less have a year to pay back rent, but those with 21 employees or more have only six months.

Earlier this month, California allowed counties to extend eviction moratoriums through Sept. 30. L.A. County’s moratorium, which applies also to cities in the county without their own moratoriums, will expire at the end of July. Two landlords sued the state last month, seeking to overturn the eviction ban, accusing officials of overreach.

Meanwhile, the city of L.A.’s moratorium is tied to its ongoing state of emergency: There can be no evictions until that declaration has been lifted. A prominent landlord group sued the city over that moratorium last month.

So far, West Hollywood’s measure has not been challenged in court. Nationwide, landlord groups in at least nine states have filed lawsuits seeking to overturn eviction bans. [WeHoville] — Dennis Lynch