At last night’s meeting, the Santa Monica City Council approved an emergency ordinance allowing a temporary eviction moratorium to take effect immediately for rents due September 1, 2022 for residential tenants in rent-controlled units. The moratorium is a measure to safeguard Santa Monica residents who may be unable to afford potential rent increases of up to 6% due to an increase in the maximum allowable rent (MAR) for rent-controlled housing.
“We are doing all we can to protect our residents in rent-controlled units through the soon-to-launch rental assistance program and this eviction moratorium,” said City Manager David White. “Santa Monicans living in rent-controlled units should be aware of these two vital safety net measures leading up to September 1.”
This eviction moratorium narrowly applies to tenants in rent-controlled housing who face eviction for nonpayment of rent due to COVID-19 related financial distress for the period between September 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. The eviction protection applies to those tenants whose rent will be increased by more than 3% starting in September 2022. The moratorium will not apply to an owner who agrees not to collect rent increases over 3% for the September rent.
The Ordinance is intended to prevent evictions and allow protected tenants to stay housed when unable to pay the increased rents. Learn more about what is proposed for the 2022 ballot in this press release from the August 3 City Council meeting.
This moratorium is separate from Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 tenant eviction protections, which remain in place for qualifying low-income households through December 31, 2022.
To learn more about the Rent Control Adjustment Relief Program, visit santamonica.gov/programs/rent-control-adjustment-relief. For more about how the temporary eviction moratorium for rent controlled units works, read the staff report.
Original source can be found here.
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