One in every four people in Los Angeles County owns a dog or a cat, according to local officials. But those furry friends are not welcome in some apartments because many landlords ban pets.
Under a new proposal by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, those restrictions could soon go away for many renters.
The Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Tuesday in favor of exploring a new requirement for landlords to allow renters to have at least one pet per household. Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Janice Hahn were absent.
The proposal is still in early stages and would need to be approved in subsequent votes before any changes take effect.
The plan also aims to prohibit — or place a cap on — the ability of landlords to require tenants to pay additional rent, fees and deposits for pets.
These rules would only apply in unincorporated parts of L.A. County, and only in buildings subject to the county’s rent-stabilization ordinance. Various county departments overseeing rental housing and animal welfare will now have 180 days to report back to the Board of Supervisors on the feasibility of passing these protections.
The vote was celebrated by tenant advocates who say many renters are threatened with eviction over their pets, while others struggle to find housing in the first place.
Renters with pets could get new protections under LA County proposal
“People really feel stuck in the current housing that they’re in because they don’t know of any other place where they’re going to get their pets accepted,” said Zaira Bernal,…
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