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From Los Angeles Curbed:

Long Beach will require landlords to compensate tenants who move out to avoid big rent hikes

Tenants will get $2,706 to $4,500, depending on the size of their apartment
By Jenna Chandler@jennakchandler May 22, 2019, 11:11am PDT



Renters in Long Beach facing steep rent hikes will get a little lifeline.

Tenants who choose to move out when their rent is hiked more than 10 percent will get as much as $4,500 to help with moving expenses under a tenant relocation assistance ordinance finalized and approved on six-to-three vote by the Long Beach City Council on Tuesday night.

The decision was met with audible cheers from renters’ rights advocates in City Hall, who have pushed the council to help tenants hit with extreme rent increases.

“Relocation assistance is necessary, because tenants do not have the money to move,” Joshua Christian, with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, told the council. “My clients don’t have [thousands of dollars] for a security deposit and first and last month’s rent.”

The fees—which will be paid by landlords—will range from $2,706 to $4,500, depending on the number of bedrooms in the unit.

They are aimed at deterring landlords from evicting tenants, as Long Beach, much like the rest of the Los Angeles region, grapples with rising housing costs, sluggish wages, and a homelessness crisis.

“This is certainly a protection for tenants,” said Long Beach City Councilmember Lena Gonzalez.

The city, she said, has introduced plans for affordable housing and homeless shelters, only to have residents block them. “We’ve been told ‘no, not in our backyard,’” Gonzalez said. “This time we’re going to say ‘yes, yes in our backyard.’”

The cost of rent in the coastal city, where about 60 percent of residents are renters, has spiked 25.8 percent over the past five years (to an average of $1,418 for a one bedroom in February) as vacancy rates took a dive, according to a report from the city’s development services department. That has left many renters with fewer housing options.

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Link: https://la.curbed.com/2019/5/22/1852...mKlsAqBaFuLsFc