L.A. City Council to consider new landlord restrictions to protect prospective tenants

Three L.A. City Council members introduced a legislative package today that they said would target discriminatory rental practices and help people experiencing homelessness secure housing faster.

The trio of proposals, if adopted by the City Council, would:

  • Getting the keys shutterstock_192444656 Prohibit inquiring about a prospective tenants’ failure to pay rent or bills during the COVID-19 emergency period, prior or current participation in a rental assistance program, eviction history, or credit history.
  • Require landlords to disclose in writing to prospective applicants the screening criteria they use to evaluate and select tenants. Landlords would also be required to tell rejected tenants why they were not successful in renting the unit. 
  • Prohibit landlords from inquiring directly or indirectly about a rental applicant’s criminal history, or if the information is received, from using it in their evaluation about the application.

Owner-occupied properties and shared living arrangements would be exempt from the ordinance, according to the motion.

The motions were introduced by Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who represents portions of Los Feliz and Silver Lake, and Councilmen Mike Bonin and Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

Raman noted that people can be penalized by credit checks for prioritizing their rental payments above all else, causing problems when they look for housing in the future despite not missing rent payments.

“When people have a home, they work so hard to stay in it. They will pay for rent before they pay for food,” Raman said. “They will pay for rent certainly before they make those credit card payments. And instead of rewarding them for that, our current system … actually penalizes them for that.”

Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles — who had not seen the motions at the time he spoke to City News Service — said his organization has opposed similar efforts to prevent landlords from considering potential renters’ criminal records.

“Nobody will ever rent out their apartments if they can’t check on something like whether somebody has been a criminal. What if someone is a child molester and you have young children in the building?” he said.

The motions will next be reviewed by the City Council’s Housing Committee before being considered by the full City Council.

Source: The Eastsider

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