RE-HOUSING PERSONS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE KATRINA AND/OR RITA

CONNECTING LANDLORDS WITH DISPLACEES

Landlords who wish to assist in the re-housing effort and would like to be connected with displacees should contact one of the following LAHD staffers:

Rushmore Cervantes at (213) 808-8405

Suzette Flynn at (213) 808-8648

Landlords who have vacant units regulated under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) who wish to rent those units at below-market rent can participate in the Hurricane Katrina & Hurricane Rita Temporary Relief Program (see program details below). To connect with displacees, landlords of RSO units should call one of the LAHD staffers listed above.

DISPLACEES LOOKING FOR HOUSING

Persons displaced by either Hurricane Katrina and/or Hurricane Rita who are seeking long-term housing should contact the Los Angeles Pro Bono Council at (213) 385-2977 Extension 401.

HURRICANE KATRINA & HURRICANE RITA TEMPORARY RELIEF PROGRAM
(Voluntary program that applies to units regulated by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance) 

The program was created in response to a motion (.pdf) presented to the City Council by Councilmember Bernard C. Parks on October 14, 2005 (Council File 05-2210).

The program will go into effect December 23, 2005 and end on December 31, 2006.

PROGRAM PROVISIONS

This is a temporary program allowing landlords of vacant units regulated under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) to rent those units at below-market rent to persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina and/or Hurricane Rita and then raise the rents to market rate after a fixed period of time (fixed relief period). The program is voluntary; landlords can elect whether or not they wish to participate. The fixed relief period and also the market rent that will be charged after the fixed relief period are decided upon by the landlord and entered on the Qualifying Relief Rental Agreement Form provided by LAHD.

Under current provisions of the RSO, the initial rent charged to a tenant becomes regulated under the RSO and can only be increased in accordance with RSO regulations. This program temporarily suspends a subsection of the RSO related to increases in rent thereby allowing the rent to be raised to market rate at the end of the fixed relief period. All other provisions of the RSO remain in full effect.

The maximum rent that displacees can be charged during the fixed relief period is 75% of the Fair Market Value Rent determined by LAHD, varying by unit size and location in the City. The table below shows the maximum rental amount that may be charged under the program during the Fixed Relief Period:

	UNIT SIZE
AREA	Single	1 BR	2BR	3BR	4BR
North Valley	$724	$861	$1,093	1,361	$1,701
South Valley	$689	$770	$1,074	1,261	$1,434
West Los Angeles	$1,028	$1,268	$1,727	2,378	$4,450
Central	$765	$898	$1,403	1,590	$2,425
South Los Angeles	$550	$653	$994	1,106	$1,228
East	$600	$785	$1,032	1,121	$1,211
Harbor	$424	$779	$959	1,310	$1,794

To find the area in which the building is located, visit the City of L.A. web site and enter the address in the box under My Neighborhood. The information displayed will include Area Planning Commission which corresponds to the Areas listed in the above table.

To participate in the program, the Qualifying Relief Rental Agreement Form (.pdf) must be completed, signed by both landlord and displacee and submitted in person (landlord and displacee) to the following LAHD office:

Central Regional Office
3550 Wilshire Boulevard, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Attn: Katrina/Rita Coordinator 

If the landlord wishes to continue renting the unit to the displacee at the reduced rental rate after the initial fixed relief period stated on the form (but before sunset date of the program), the landlord may do so without filing another form with LAHD.

If at the end of the fixed relief period the landlord does not increase the rent, the landlord may impose one increase on or before December 31, 2006 provided it does not exceed the market rate stated on the Qualifying Relief Rental Agreement Form.

The fixed relief period cannot extend beyond December 31, 2006, as this is the sunset date of the program. The rent in place on January 1, 2007 is the new RSO rent and is subject to all provisions of the RSO, including the subsection suspended by the program.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Landlords who have units regulated under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance that are currently vacant.
2. Persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina and/or Hurricane Rita who have been issued a registration number by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A copy of the letter from FEMA that shows the displacee's name and the FEMA registration number must be attached to the Qualifying Relief Rental Agreement Form.