As of April 1, 2023 there are no more COVID-19 rental protections for rent in Los Angeles. To prevent eviction, you must pay your rent each month if you can.

The following protections still exist:

• Protections for Rent Owed Before 3/31/23: Residential tenants who qualified for the County’s COVID nonpayment protections (and notified their landlord with a declaration) between July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 have up to March 31, 2024 to repay that rental debt. A tenant may use this protection to defend against an eviction filed for not repaying rent debt before March 31, 2024, not complying with the terms of a payment plan, or at the end of the repayment period. Any term in a payment plan that allows eviction due to the tenant's failure to comply with the terms of the payment plan is void as contrary to public policy. For the duration of the repayment period, tenants continue to have the County’s just cause eviction protections that existed prior to March 31, 2023.
• Rent Cap for Unincorporated LA: Rents for units that are fully covered by the County’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance cannot be raised more than 3% annually before December 31, 2023.
• Housing of Unauthorized Pets/Occupants: Tenants with unauthorized pets and/or occupants who began living in the unit between March 1, 2020, and January 20, 2023 are and whose presence was necessitated by COVID-19 are protected. A tenant that meets these criteria may not be evicted for the unauthorized pets or occupants before March 31, 2023. After March 31, 2023, tenants must receive a 30-day notice to correct the violation before they can be evicted based on the continuing presence of the pet/unauthorized occupant.

Note: Under State law, landlords are not permitted to evict a tenant for rent owed for certain months during the COVID pandemic.

For rent that was owed from:

• March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020: Tenants who responded to a 15-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit with an attached declaration can never be evicted for not paying that rent.
• September 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021: Tenants who responded to a 15-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit with an attached declaration and paid 25% of the rent for these 13 months before September 30, 2021 can never be evicted for not paying that rent.

While tenants can’t be evicted, they tenants are still responsible for their unpaid debt and can be sued in small claims or civil court.

How to Stay Housed

To be protected against eviction for not paying rent, you must:

1. Notify your landlord that you are experiencing COVID-19-related hardship and cannot pay your rent within 7 days of the rent due date. If possible, you should accompany your written notification with proof that supports your claim, but it is not required under the law.
2. Pay past due rent before the end of any applicable “grace period."

You also have a defense to eviction if you applied for rental assistance before March 31, 2022, and still have a pending application with the state rental assistance program. You can check your application status here. 

The County encourages landlords and tenants to agree to a repayment plan, but we recommend you seek legal help before entering into any such plan. The order explicitly bans landlords and their agents from harassing or intimidating tenants based on these issues.

If you’ve received a notice from the court, or from your landlord, it’s important you immediately connect with a legal service provider who can confirm your rights based on where you live and help you respond to the court notice and keep you in your home.

Find a Legal Service Provider

For help completing the legal referral form, call 1-888-694-0040.

What If My Landlord is Harassing Me?

Threatening or harassing tenants is illegal. If you are experiencing threats or harassment, do not move out of your home until a court orders you to! Sign up for a free workshop to learn more about emergency protections and your rights and get connected to resources that can keep you in your home.

Find a Workshop

For information about L.A. County's COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution, visit dcba.lacounty.gov/noevictions

You have many rights in the City of Los Angeles. If you renewed your lease or began a new lease after January 27, 2023 your landlord must provide this info sheet. If you can't pay your rent because of COVID-19 financial hardship, or are being threatened with eviction for any reason, do not move out of your home. Only a court can order you to leave. You have rights and are protected by federal, state and local laws. To understand these laws, please attend one of our workshops. This page provides a brief summary of the current protections in the City of Los Angeles. To find out what other laws protect you, visit our County page.

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In addition to the county protections, the City of Los Angeles has local laws in place that may also apply to you. Each case is different and will need to be analyzed ​by an attorney. You can check whether you live in the City of L.A. or a different part of L.A. County by visiting https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org.

The City of Los Angeles tenant protections during the pandemic were tied to the City’s Declaration of Local Emergency, which terminated on February 1, 2023. Prior to the expiration of the Local Emergency, a series of city ordinances and county provisions were adopted providing protections to City of Los Angeles renters.

Non-Payment of Rent

Under the L.A. City provisions, tenant protections for not paying rent end March 31, 2023, for low-income tenants with income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) who were impacted by COVID-19. There is no COVID-19 protection on rent payments after March 31, 2023. Starting April 1, 2023, you must pay your rent every month if you can. Interest and late fees on unpaid rent is prohibited for renters financially impacted by COVID-19 through March 31, 2023.

COVID-19 Rental Debt

Tenants who are not covered by the State’s Declaration of Financial Distress process described below continue to have City protections for unpaid COVID-19 rental debt and must pay their debt as follows in order to avoid eviction:

• Rent owed from March 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, tenants must pay by August 1, 2023.
• Rent owed from October 1, 2021 to January 31, 2023, tenants must pay by February 1, 2024.

Unauthorized Pets and Occupants Related to COVID-19

Until January 31, 2024, landlords cannot evict a residential tenant based on the presence of unauthorized occupants or pets necessitated by COVID-19. Prior to evicting a residential tenant based on the presence of unauthorized occupants or pets, the landlord shall serve a 30-day notice to cure.

Units Under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance:

• No-Fault Evictions: Notice of “No-Fault” evictions (government order, owner/family/manager occupancy, demolition, withdrawal from the housing market) may resume on February 1, 2023. Tenants who received a notice to terminate their tenancy based on an a no-fault reason prior to March 4, 2020, must receive an additional 60 days notice no sooner than February 1, 2023 from the landlord. Ellis Act evictions cannot be enforced in court until April 1, 2023.
• Rent Increases Under RSO: Annual rent increases for rental units subject to the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) are prohibited through January 31, 2024.

The City’s ordinance is focused on eviction protection. A landlord cannot evict a tenant as long as the deferred rent is paid within 12 months of the City lifting the emergency – or by August 1, 2023, for certain months of unpaid rent. However, a tenant may be taken to civil or small claims court before the deadline, and a landlord may seek a judgment against them for the amount of rent owed. Under State law, the earliest the landlord could file a claim for rental debt was November 1, 2021. A landlord may be able to collect on a judgment against a tenant through wage garnishment or other means of legal debt collection. However, a judgment saying a tenant owes rent is not a reason to evict them under City protections.

Furthermore, the City’s protections work as a defense to an eviction lawsuit. This means that a tenant cannot ignore any eviction notice or eviction lawsuit and must go to Court in order to claim these protections. That is why the education, outreach, and free legal services provided by the L.A. Housing Department and Stay Housed LA Eviction Defense Program are critical to ensuring renters exercise their rights and stay housed.

How to Stay Housed

To be protected from eviction, tenants do not need to provide a declaration to their landlord, but Stay Housed L.A. recommends this action, as it may be helpful evidence should your landlord try to evict you.

Download a Declaration

New Protections

Rent threshold for nonpayment evictions

As of March 27, 2023, tenants cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent if the amount they owe their landlord is less than the fair market rent, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) based on the number of bedrooms in the unit. Landlords must include the number of bedrooms on any notice to pay rent or quit. Tenant has an eviction defense for nonpayment of rent if the amount tenant owes is less than the HUD fair market rent for the number of bedrooms.

FY 2023 Fair Market Rents for Los Angeles County

• Efficiency: $1,534
• 1-bedroom: $1,747
• 2-bedroom: $2,222
• 3-bedroom: $2,888
• 4-bedroom +: $3,170

Example: You live in a one bedroom. You owe $1500. If your landlord tries to evict you, you should be able to win in court. If you owe more than $1,747, though, you do not have this defense.

Universal Just Cause Protections

For most tenants in the City of L.A., your landlord can not evict you without a reason or without a just cause. For tenants covered by the City of Los Angeles’ Rent Stabilization Ordinance, this applies as soon as you move in. For other tenants, this protection begins after the first 6 months you’ve lived in a unit (or at the end of your first lease, if your first lease was for less than 6 months). Note: There are some exceptions to these just cause protections, such as institutional facilities and transitional housing.

Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance

The City of Los Angeles recently passed a tenant anti-harassment ordinance that went into effect on August 6, 2021. All tenants who live in the City of Los Angeles are protected by this law. Details about the ordinance are below.

What types of harassment am I protected against?

This ordinance covers 13 types of harassment including (but not limited to):

• Reducing or removing housing services.
• Threatening tenants with physical harm.
• Misrepresenting to a tenant that they are required to vacate the rental unit.
• Evicting a tenant based on statements that the landlord has no reasonable cause to believe to be true.
• Refusing to accept rent.
• Inquiring about immigration status.
• Retaliating, threatening OR interfering with tenant organizing activities.

What does this law allow tenants to do if they are experiencing harassment?

This ordinance allows tenants affected by landlord harassment to sue their landlord. If the tenant is facing eviction and experiencing harassment, they may use these protections as an affirmative defense in court.

What action should I take if I'm being harassed?

Document any harassment! Write down what you are experiencing, and date each entry. Let your landlord know that they are breaking the law.

Additional Resources

COVID-19 Renter Protections

• Get information on renters’ rights and access to free legal services at StayHousedLA.org or by calling 1-888-694-0040.
• Learn about City of L.A. emergency protections at housing.lacity.org (direct link) or by calling 1-866-557-7368. 
• Learn about the State’s renter protections at HousingIsKey.com.
• Learn about the relationship between the City of L.A. and State protections through the City Attorney's webpage: lacityattorney.org/tenant-protections.
• Check whether you live in the City of L.A. by visiting neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org.
• Check whether you live in a rent-stabilized unit and are eligible for additional protections by texting “RSO” to 1-855-880-7368.

COVID-19 Rental Assistance

• If you applied through the State’s “Housing is Key” program, you can view your application status here or by calling 1- 833-430-2122. If you applied through the City’s program in the spring of 2021, you can view your status here.

If you can't pay your rent because of COVID-19 financial hardship or are being threatened with eviction for any reason, do not move out of your home. Only a court can order you to leave. You have rights and are protected by limited state and local laws. To understand these laws, please attend one of our workshops. This page provides brief information about protections in cities within L.A. County.

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You may have more protections depending on where you live.

There are 88 cities in the County of Los Angeles and approximately half have their own protections.

Stay Housed L.A. County has your back! To learn more about your city’s protections, read the Housing Rights Center’s Guide to Covid-19 Tenant Protections.

Attend a workshop! You can also find out more about your rights by participating in a tenant workshop.

Find a Workshop

If you’ve received a notice from the court, or from your landlord, it’s important you immediately connect with a legal service provider who can confirm your rights based on where you live and help you respond to the court notice and keep you in your home.

Find a Legal Service Provider

For immediate legal help you can also call 1-888-694-0040.