Today the Rent Stabilization Program handles concerns about rent increases, evictions, landlord business practices and much more. Community Preservation handles concerns about property maintenance, building violations, home businesses, gas-powered leaf blowers and much more. Whatever the issue a tenant may want to make a complaint. We show how it is done.
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One of the ideas to emerge from the City Council’s rent stabilization discussion concerns a ‘qualified tenant’ benefit. Those who pay too much in household income for rent could find relief from the city. An estimated 400 households could qualify under the program. The objective: to cushion rent increases with a cash subsidy. Councilmember Bob Wunderlich proposed to target rent stabilization protections to tenants “who really need it.” What’s it all about?
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City Council held its first rent stabilization ‘study session’ last Thursday. This is the latest step in a 18-month policy process to amend the rent stabilization ordinance. The session suggested what a final rent stabilization ordinance might look like: relocation fee schedule, exempted properties and more. However key issues — and the process itself — is still up for negotiation!
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City Council kicked-off our extended rent stabilization reform discussion in January of 2017 without much discussion about policy goals. Councilmembers heard plenty from tenants about rising rents, capricious landlords and predatory practices, but no specific objective for rent stabilization was identified. Well the Rent Stabilization Program has found one…but it needs revision!
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City of Beverly Hills has hired a director for our new Rent Stabilization Program. Helen Morales comes to Beverly Hills after a 10-year career as a manager, hearing officer and housing investigator at City of Los Angeles. She comes to us after an eight month search. Her first day was a week ago, yet no press release or website announcement mentioned it. (A press release was belatedly posted this week.) This is what we know.
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While we wait for the city’s new consultant to get on the job, we have a lot of questions about the next steps in the rent stabilization policy process, the possible tenant-landlord committee, and in general about the administration of the new Rent Stabilization Program. Community Development Director Susan Healy Keene oversees the new program and generously took her time to answer our questions this morning.
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