search

The Real Deal Logo

Trending

HGTV’s “Mr. Flip It” gets four years in jail for $10M fraudHGTV’s “Mr. Flip It” gets four years in jail for $10M fraudTrump accused of making false statements about $50M Chicago tower loanTrump accused of making false statements about $50M Chicago tower loanLawmakers reach sweeping housing deal with “good cause eviction,” new 421aLawmakers reach sweeping housing deal with “good cause eviction,” new 421aMacerich faces “imminent” default on $300M Santa Monica Place loanMacerich faces “imminent” default on $300M Santa Monica Place loan
Politics
Los Angeles

Renters urged to apply for aid ahead of eviction moratorium expiration

California’s ban expires Sept. 30 for low-income residents who don’t state their need

The end of California's eviction moratorium is quickly approaching (Getty)
The end of California's eviction moratorium is quickly approaching (Getty)

California officials are urging low-income renters to apply for assistance ahead of the Sept. 30 eviction ban expiration.

State law adopted this year bars landlords from evicting tenants through March 31, 2022, if the tenants complete an application for aid, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The state’s $5.2 billion assistance program now covers 100 percent of back rent and future rent as well as utilities.

The state is distributing about half of that money, while counties are administering the other half. L.A. County is administering the program through the City of Los Angeles Housing Department.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Since the start of the pandemic, California has barred landlords from evicting low-income tenants if they pay at least 25 percent of their rent. A divided state legislature declined to extend the measure beyond Sept. 30.

Starting on Oct. 1, a landlord can evict a tenant if they themselves completed a rental assistance application for the tenant and were either denied, or if the tenant did not complete their part of the application, according to Mercury News.

The state was initially slow to get the rental assistance program up and the funds distributed. As of Monday, the state has given $650 million of its share of funds, or about a quarter of its total.

PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute estimate that as of August, about 744,000 households in California still owed an average of $3,500 in back rent.

[LAT, Mercury News] — Dennis Lynch

Tags
CoronavirusHousing CrisisLA Multifamily