LOS ANGELES : Council Toughens Law to Clean Up Slum Properties
- Share via
The Los Angeles City Council has passed an anti-slumlord ordinance intended to stiffen a program under which officials collect and withhold rent as a means of pressuring owners to make repairs.
Landlords in the rent-withholding program are now responsible for violations of city building and fire codes and city and county health regulations, not just state habitability standards as mandated previously.
The measure, approved Tuesday, also allows housing officials to place problem mobile home parks in the Rent Escrow Account Program. To be removed from that program, buildings now must pass two annual inspections after repairs are made.
In addition, the measure bars slumlords from raising rent to recover costs for repairs and restricts the ability of owners to impose annual rent increases for up to 12 months after problems are corrected.
According to housing officials, the program has had an 82% success rate since it began in 1989, but more aggressive steps were needed in some cases to clean up slum conditions, officials said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
