June 22, 2024
TIPS
A few tips that might help
tenants stay in their homes longer
SB 8
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We aren't lawyers and this isn't legal advice. We've used this to stay in our home longer and it may help other tenants if they know it exists.
The laws keep changing, so double check if what we say here is true. As of June 1st, 2024, as far as we understand, the following is true. If someone gets Ellis-Acted, they used to only have 120 days before having to move out. The Housing Crisis of 2019 bill (SB 8) was passed and now tenants who are Ellis-Acted in RSO homes that are set to be demolished can stay in their homes until 6 months before construction starts- if they fill out the SB 8 Notice to Landlord to Extend My Tenancy form below, and mail and email it to LAHD and their landlord. The form we received August 2023 (below) reads: "The start of construction activities is the first LADBS inspection date on the new construction permit. Check the new construction permit "Type: Bldg-New" under the "Inspection Request History" for the first date at www.ladbs.org/checkpermitstatus. Search by all address ranges at the property." If the site says "No data available," it means there's no date yet. Once the date there shows, that's the date the first inspection was requested. Once it is approved or one edit of it has been given, that is the date "construction begins." You can periodically check the www.ladbs.org/checkpermitstatus site to see if the Inspection Date shows. |
If we understand correctly, at that point the landlord can serve a 6-month notice, as it says in this LAHD Ellis Packet https://housing2.lacity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ellis-Packet-with-Relo-Services-Application.pdf:
"Effective 1/1/2024, SB 8 projects require that any existing occupants will be allowed to occupy their units until six months before the start of construction activities. The project proponent shall provide existing occupants with written notice of the planned demolition, the date they must vacate, and their rights under this section. Notice shall be provided at least six months in advance of the date that existing occupants must vacate. The start of construction activities is defined by LADBS in their Information Bulletin P/GI 2020-016." Because city council put evictions on hold in 2020 during the pandemic and that restriction was only lifted in 2023, SB 8, which was written in 2019, has not been put into practice very often yet. People who help renters understand their rights are still becoming familiar with SB 8. It may not be mentioned by free clinic lawyers, tenants union folks, paid lawyers, LAHD, and the private companies they hire to help renters understand their relocation assistance options. But it's real and can be helpful to tenants. If you want to, become familiar with SB 8 and share your experience with it so we can continue to learn from each other. |
see right column
This form is from Summer 2023. Check with LAHD or your relocation assistance company to see if there are updated forms.
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check option #2
This form is from Summer 2023. Check with LAHD or your relocation assistance company to see if there are updated forms.
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Anti-Harrasment Law
Knowing your rights may help you understand when you're being harassed. Anti-Harrasment Law pdf:
clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14-0268-S13_ord_draft_02-23-2021.pdf
This article says it can be hard to find representation for anti-harassment cases:
https://capitalandmain.com/a-year-into-new-los-angeles-law-to-protect-renters-city-has-taken-zero-landlords-to-court
This article shares more about harassment:
https://lapublicpress.org/2023/09/relocating-rent-controlled-tenants-in-la-is-a-lucrative-business/
