Evictions in LA County that fall under the jurisdiction of the LA county eviction moratorium (for example, Santa Clarita falls within the scope of the LA county eviction moratorium, but LA City does not) can, in certain instances, move forward with non-payment of rent cases between April 2022 and June 2022.
AB 2179 Changes the LA County Eviction Moratorium
The state law known as AB 2179 changed parts of the LA county eviction moratorium that dealt with the county self-certification for non-payment of rent rules. Prior to AB 2179, all LA county would require of a tenant to be protected from a non-payment of rent eviction beginning in April 2022 was for the tenant to self-certify that they cannot pay rent as a result of COVID. This was terrible news for landlords.
AB 2179 changed this self-certification rule in LA county because the state law preempts the county law. Put another way, tenants are not protected under the LA county eviction moratorium for non-payment of rent between the months of April 2022 and June 2022 and are subject to the state laws under AB 2179. This works only in jurisdictions subject to the LA county eviction moratorium, such as Santa Clarita. It will not work in LA city because LA city has a different eviction moratorium.
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Ready to Evict for Non-Payment in LA County?
Without getting bogged down in the details, if you have a non-paying tenant in LA county and the property falls within the jurisdiction of the LA county eviction moratorium, consider creating and serving a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit just for the April 2022 rent or beyond. The time to do this is now, because AB 2179 rules end in June 2022. LA county will likely impose its terrible “self-certification” rules again beginning in July 2022, but only time will tell.
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Disclaimer
The information in this article and blog is not meant to be legal advice and is intended for educational purposes only. The laws change frequently and this article may not be updated to reflect current rules. Do not rely on this article when making legal decisions. Consult with legal counsel regarding your particular case before taking any action.
