Tenant, Homeowner, and Landlord Support

On August 31, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 3088, the Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020. 

The legislation prohibits the eviction of renters with genuine COVID-related hardships and provides legal and financial protections for tenants.

The new eviction protections include:

• a COVID-19 hardship declaration
• no evictions for rent non-payment until February 1, 2021
• partial rent payment for the next five months

New foreclosure protections include:

• small property owners and homeowners
• expanded homeowner bill of rights
• expanded borrower rights

A new website HousingisKey.com was launched to provide guidance and resources for landlords, tenants, and homeowners. This includes an overview of the new eviction framework and protections through toolkits, legal aid resources, and FAQs.

Stay Housed L.A. County serves an important resource for tenants who are facing housing uncertainty -- including bilingual residents and those with undocumented status -- about their rights and who need legal support navigating their interactions with their landlord and the legal system. When tenants have legal representation, a family's chance of avoiding homelessness due to eviction increases by over 70 percent. Learn more about Stay Housed L.A. County, by watching this short video or visiting StayHousedLA.org.

On September 15, 2020, L.A. County's Board of Supervisors passed a motion to prevent foreclosures in the County by connecting struggling homeowners with foreclosure prevention counseling and mortgage assistance.

The adopted motion calls for an expansion of L.A. County's existing Foreclosure and Prevention Program and establishes a Mortgage Financial Relief Program that will be available through L.A. County's Department of Consumer & Business Affairs (DCBA), once developed.

The motion includes the following funding allocations:

• $1.5 million to assist homeowners facing foreclosure by connecting them with foreclosure prevention counselors who can assist with loan modifications, forbearance, and work with their lenders to keep them in their homes.
• $4 million allocated to creating a Mortgage Financial Relief Program which will provide deferred and forgivable loans to homeowners to help stabilize their mortgage with their loan servicer. The program will be targeted to assist areas of the County which have experienced high levels of foreclosures.

To learn more about existing foreclosure prevention resources offered by DCBA, visit dcba.lacounty.gov/foreclosure-prevention.