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Evictions for Non-Payment of Rent in The City of Los Angeles Can Now Proceed

Tenants will now be forced to pay rent or risk eviction. Since March 2020 through January 2023, residential and commercial tenants could avoid their rental obligations by merely claiming that they were financially impacted by COVID-19. The City of Los Angeles did not require tenants to produce any proof. As expected, the floodgate of fraudulent claims were made and tenants avoided their rental obligations for up to 35 months.

Effective February 1, 2023, Los Angeles tenants are required to pay their rent for the month February. If rent is not paid, a standard 3 Day Notice to Rent or Quit can be served, and if payment is not timely made, an eviction can commence.

All rent owed prior to February, 2023 will be deferred until February 1, 2024 for residential tenancies, and April 1, 2023 for commercial tenancies. This rental obligation has been re-classified as a civil debt. That means that an eviction cannot be brought for that period. Rather, you will need to file a civil or small claims court lawsuit. The jurisdictional limit for COVID-19 rental obligations has been removed for small claims court. You are free to sue for any amount.Of course, the City realizes that tenants will simply move away making collection next to impossible.

It should also be noted that landlords were prohibited from evicting tenants based on unauthorized persons and pets. This prohibition is now lifted as to February 1, 2023.

Expect a Court Backlog in Filing Eviction Lawsuits

It is anticipated that the court system will be flooded with unlawful detainer actions. This will then greatly slow down the eviction process. Obviously, it is best to file as soon as possible.

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