Eviction notices piling up in Los Angeles

Marc Sternfield
·2 min read
73

With COVID-era protections gone, the number of renters facing eviction in Los Angeles continues to climb by the thousands each month.

From February through the end of August, approximately 50,000 eviction notices were filed by landlords in the city, according to figures released on Monday by the L.A. Controller’s Office.

A spokesperson said 96% of them involve non-payment of rent, and landlords were owed $186.5 million collectively.

While evictions are occurring throughout the city, this map shows specific neighborhoods and zip codes are disproportionally affected.

For example, 3,585 eviction notices have been filed in Hollywood and 2,458 in the Fairfax neighborhood. Other “hot spots” include Woodland Hills, Westlake and downtown L.A.

Evictions Map
Evictions Map

In a majority of cases, tenants owed more than $2,000 in back rent, but some landlords are also trying to evict people for owing much less, in some cases.

“According to the Just Cause Ordinance, a landlord cannot evict a tenant if the amount due is below 1 month of Fair Market Rent,” the Controller’s Office said. “However, 6,062 eviction notices were filed where the amount of rent owed was below [that].”

Eviction Notice Hot Spots:

1. 90028 Hollywood: 3,585
2. 90036 Fairfax: 2,458
3. 91367 Woodland Hills: 2,099
4. 90017 Westlake: 2,076
5. 90014 Downtown Los Angeles: 1,590
6. 90012 DTLA: 1,572
7: 90005 Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire: 1,545
8. 90015 DTLA: 1,447
9. 91601 North Hollywood: 1,398
10. 90020 Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire: 1,284

From February through July 2023, the city received 40,000 notices. However, the one-month jump to 50,000 can be chalked up to thousands of notifications that were received by mail that had not been previously counted, officials said.

L.A.’s COVID-19 tenant protection program expired at the end of March, leaving renters on the hook for their full monthly rent to avoid getting the boot. In response, the city has launched an emergency rental assistance program which is accepting applications through Oct. 2.

To qualify, you must be:

  • A resident of Los Angeles

  • One or more individuals within the household have experienced a loss of employment, reduction in household income, incurred significant costs or experienced other financial hardship between March 2020 and now

  • Have unpaid rent due to current landlord for any month(s) between April 1, 2020, through now

  • Household income is at or below 80% of the area median income

The application system can be accessed online at housing.lacity.org or by phone at 888-379-3150. Operating hours are between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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