October 23, 2024

By Oscar U. Zarate, Director of Organizing & Advocacy, Building Equity and Transit

Starting today, rental housing in unincorporated L.A. County will be subject to routine, proactive health and safety checks. Under the new Rental Housing Habitability Program (RHHP), unanimously approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in April 2024, units in unincorporated areas of the county will be inspected once every four years.

Here’s what to know:

• The first batch of notices will be mailed today, with the first round of inspections beginning in 30 days. 
• Landlords are required to publicly post inspection notices so you are aware of upcoming inspection dates. 
• Landlords are required to provide written notice that the inspector will be entering your unit within 24 hours of the scheduled inspection date.
• The RHHP will also respond to complaints—you don’t have to wait for your inspection date to come around.

Landlords who violate building health and safety regulations will have 21 days to bring their units into compliance or they may be subject to administrative hearings, fines, and additional inspections. In extreme cases, tenants may receive rent reductions and the option to pay their rent to an escrow account they can access to make repairs themselves. The program is funded through an annual fee of $86 per rental unit, billed as part of the rental housing property’s annual property tax. Landlords may pass through 50% of this fee ($3.58 per month) to tenants.

The RHHP is the culmination of more than five years of SAJE organizing and advocacy. Historically, only 10% of rental units in unincorporated areas are inspected during annual unannounced inspections, and L.A. County has had few mechanisms for holding violators accountable. The old system left many households in states of limbo, forced to live in horrendous and substandard conditions in one of the wealthiest counties in California. In 2021, working with tenant leaders and members, SAJE submitted a draft of recommendations to strengthen the county’s code enforcement system informed by their experiences. Now, inspections will be mandatory for all rental units.

For more information on the program, visit the RHHP website here.