SANTA MONICA : Laws Protect Renters From Unfair Practices

Unmarried couples were given added protection from unscrupulous landlords this week as the Santa Monica City Council prohibited property owners from unjustly evicting unmarried partners or from harassing tenants of rent-controlled apartments to force them to move.

The two ordinances were approved Tuesday in an attempt to stem unfair treatment of tenants after the state Legislature’s passage this week of a law overriding several provisions of Santa Monica’s tough rent control law. “I think it would be very unfortunate to see this measure as punitive when it’s really meant to alleviate anxiety in the community,” Mayor Paul Rosenstein said.

Under the new state law, which Gov. Pete Wilson is expected to sign, landlords may gradually raise rents to market levels over the next three years as new tenants move into their buildings. After Jan. 1, the rent on vacant apartments can increase by 15% or up to 70% of the prevailing market rent for similar units.

To support their case, several tenants told the council horror stories of apartment living before the state measure passed. One man described a landlord who refused to fix his bathroom floor unless he first agreed to move out, but the tenant worried that he wouldn’t be allowed back into the apartment. A woman described a landlord who dumped used restaurant equipment and piles of grass clippings along the building’s sidewalks to block tenants’ comings and goings.

The council gave unanimous preliminary approval to the domestic partner ordinance, which forbids landlords from trying to force tenants from their apartments when their mate moves in or when one of the partners dies or vacates the unit. To qualify, couples must have been together for six months and register with the city.

The anti-harassment measure prohibits landlords from reducing housing services and maintenance, verbally abusing or threatening tenants, or enticing a tenant to leave an apartment by making false promises.