The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously voted to approve a rent subsidy program for tenants impacted by COVID-19 at the Sept. 15 Regular Meeting. Councilmembers spent well over an hour crafting the final details of a $715,000 program that will directly pay landlords in an effort to stave off a potential wave of evictions stemming from the economic ripples of the pandemic. The Council engaged in lengthy discussions over the limiting criteria for tenants and landlords, including total tenant assets and the size of the landlord’s property holdings. Although unmentioned in the meeting, the discussion took place against the backdrop of a raging epidemic of homelessness throughout Los Angeles and concerns of how COVID-19 could feed into that crisis.
The program will apply to tenants living on multi-family properties that fall under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, prioritizing seniors and households with children enrolled in Beverly Hills Unified School District. The program offers eligible residents up to $1,000 for three months to make up the remaining balance of unpaid rent. The money will go directly to the landlord under the condition that the landlord grant the tenant a year to repay back rent. Landlords will also have to agree not to evict tenants for a year.
