Californians who haven’t paid their rent since March 1 because of the coronavirus could stay in their homes through at least Jan. 31 under a bill the state legislature passed late Monday, one day before statewide eviction protections were set to expire. The pandemic has caused millions of people to lose their jobs as the government ordered businesses to close to slow the spread of the disease. In April, the Judicial Council halted most eviction and foreclosure proceedings. But those protections end Wednesday, meaning landlords could resume eviction proceedings on tenants who haven’t paid their rent. Monday, the final day of the legislative session, state lawmakers approved a bill that would ban evictions for tenants who did not pay their rent between March 1 and Aug. 31 because of the pandemic. The bill would also ban evictions for those same tenants through Jan. 31, but only if the tenants pay at least 25% of the rent owed during that time. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he will sign the bill into law. The legislation does not forgive the missed payments. Tenants will still owe the money. Landlords can ask a judge to order the tenant to pay it back, but they can’t ask a judge for an eviction solely for not paying rent in full. The bill does not halt foreclosures for landlords whose tenants have stopped paying rent.
Tenants would have to sign a document, under penalty of perjury, that says they have experienced a financial hardship directly related to COVID-19. Wealthy tenants — defined as earning a salary of at least $100,000 or 130% of the area’s median income, whichever is higher — would have to show proof that they cannot pay.
The bill extends some state protections to rental properties of four units or less — protections previously only available to owner-occupied homes.
