Posted on 11/14/2023
The City Council approved a report from the Housing and Homelessness Committee requesting the City Attorney and the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) to draft an ordinance to temporarily set rent increases for units covered under the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) to 4 percent. However, landlords who pay for their tenants' utilities will be allowed to raise rent by 6 percent. The Council also requested LAHD to consult with the United to House LA Citizens Oversight Committee and report back on developing a program to assist rent-burdened tenants and small housing providers.
The Council moved to authorize this compromised proposal amid the City’s rent freeze on RSO units set to expire on Jan. 31, 2024. The time period covered under the new ordinance is between Feb. 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024. Originally a 7 to 9 percent increase was going to go into effect for housing units covered by the RSO, but was amended in committee after long debate and public comment.
The RSO program was adopted in 1979 and today, makes up nearly three-quarters of all multi-family rental units in the City. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 60 percent of Angelenos are renters and the vast majority are rent burdened—spending over 30 percent of their income on housing.