Page 30 - AAGLA-MAR 2022

Letters to the Editor
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Adieu to Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles
I have sold all of my properties! Thank you to the Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles County Supervisors, and the State of California for destroying the lives of decent landlords. I do not miss the draconian restrictions and limitations imposed on rental properties. The City, County and State all push longtime property owners to sell in order to increase property tax assessments. I’m very sorry, but I no longer need my membership!
- Gary W., Los Angeles I’ve Had Enough of the City of Los Angeles Rent Freeze!
I own one rental property that is a duplex located in the City of Los Angeles. I am writing to let you know that keeping the rent increase and eviction moratorium until January 2023 is extremely unfair for many landlords. I am just a small landlord who owns one rental property, a duplex. My last rent increase was during October 2019, and for the last three years I could not increase my tenant’s rent amount at all.
I see many people taking advantage of this pandemic situation. I totally understand having to freeze the rent for tenants that have really lost their jobs. However, most people have not lost jobs. Instead, many people have simply stopped working and are asking for more money from other sources, such as free government money, and even their landlords by virtue of not paying rent. And tenants are demanding a lot of repairs by making false claims about the conditions in place at rental properties and they are threatening to contact the City of Los Angeles’ Housing Department.
Tenants today allow others to move into their unis, including boyfriends, girlfriends, family members and others without giving any sort of notice to me, their landlord. Some of these “guests” have become permanent residents and some are making a mess at the property. And who will be responsible for all liabilities that may occur when stranger’s occupy our rental properties?
Where is our ownership? Where is our freedom? Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles have frozen our rights and freedom as landlords.
Our costs have increased while rents are frozen. The City of Los Angeles increased the Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP) fees and our property taxes continue to increase year after year. The City also allowed for increased utility rates during the pandemic. I am paying the water bill for my tenants, and since I pay for their water, they continue wasting it pushing me into higher water rate tiers.
The City’s effort to conserve water is useless since tenants are not paying water bills. I pay the penalties, yet it is my tenants that are wasting so much water – how is this fair!
My tenants have jobs and have been employed all throughout the pandemic. Their incomes have even increased. However, I cannot increase rent while my costs have continued to increase. My tenants keep demanding that I make very expensive repairs to my property. They know that I cannot evict them, and their demands are ever increasing! They are
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