Strategy in Action

Tool : Tenant Harassment Protections

In 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors made its COVID-era commercial tenant protections permanent. The Commercial Tenant Protections (CTP) Ordinance applies to commercial tenants with nine or fewer employees in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, where there are approximately 33,000 small businesses. The ordinance aims to deter landlord harassment, provide tenants with safe and suitable commercial rental properties, and provide an avenue for tenants to take legal action against landlord harassment.It prohibits landlord retaliation for tenants exercising their rights, prohibiting landlords or their agents from coercing or acting to influence a tenant to vacate premises. It also prohibits landlord actions that fail to recognize the terms of the lease and legal obligations. If tenants bring civil action against the landlord, those found to be in violation of the law may be liable for $2,000 to $5,000 per violation, guilty of a misdemeanor, and further fined or imprisoned. The law also requires the county government to reach out to qualified commercial tenants about their rights, receive their complaints, and refer them to free legal providers. Ninety percent of small businesses in the county are small enough to benefit from the ordinance. The county’s outreach and education focuses on immigrant-owned businesses.