By Mary O’KEEFE

At several Glendale City Council meetings residents who are facing eviction from their homes have pleaded with councilmembers to help them stay in their houses.

Most residents stated they have paid rent on time; some have even done repairs on the property that landlords had not taken care of and many have been at their apartments and homes for decades.

Many of these evictions are actually now known as “renovictions.” This is a phenomenon that has been happening throughout the state: some landlords find a loophole that can help them clear out long-term residents.

AB 1482 was a bill approved by the governor in October 2019 that was designed to protect tenants; however, due to a loophole, landlords can evict tenants due to “substantial renovations.” The problem is there is no clear path to verify whether the “substantial renovations” were actually done. The question of allowing tenants to return to the houses after the renovations – and at what increase in monthly rental cost – is another dilemma.

This is something that cities are trying to deal with around the state. Earlier this month Santa Barbara’s Ordinance Committee was looking at offering a right of first refusal to tenants regarding returning to their rental residences at the same rent rate after being displaced due to the owner’s renovation of the property. The final ordinance sent to its Council offered the right of first refusal to tenants to return for no more than a rent increase of 10%. This item is scheduled to be taken up by the Santa Barbara City Council in the new year.

These decisions on how to help renters who are bringing their issues to city councils is a complicated one but the financial and  psychological toll these evictions are causing is evident as speaker after speaker asks their local government for help.

The Glendale City Council is set to take up the issue in January 2024.