Tenants concerned landlords can delve into private affairs
Keeping a rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica isn’t as easy as it used to be.
A new law, which went into effect in March, allows landlords to raise the rent on tenants who don’t live in their apartments full time.
More than a dozen residents at the Santa Monica Shores apartments have already been targeted by their landlord, Douglas Emmett & Co., which argues they aren’t really living there.
More than 75 residents in the two towers, located on Santa Monica Beach at Hill Street, met Tuesday night to air their concerns over how far their landlord can go to prove whether they permanently live there.
They claim the law violates their privacy and opens the door for future infringements on rent control protections.
Rent Control Board members say the law is aimed at tenants who use low-cost apartments as vacation homes or office space.
Nineteen residents were reportedly served by Douglas Emmett, a local property management company, with notices saying they are not considered “primary” residents in the building.
Under the law, tenants are served with notices from their landlords questioning whether the apartment is being used for secondary purposes.
The landlord must file a complaint with the rent control board within 30 days. The board then notifies the residents and gives them the opportunity to respond. If the tenant challenges the petition, a hearing date is set and both parties are given an opportunity to present
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 3, 2003. Read the original PDF.