Bet Tzedek filed a lawsuit yesterday, March 5, against a property management company that has instituted a new policy requiring all of its tenants to pay their rent on-line unless the tenants request a waiver in writing. Many of their tenants are over 62 years old, have lived in their apartments for decades, are not computer literate, do not have computers, and are living on fixed incomes.
The lawsuit alleges that the policy violates the L.A. Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which prohibits a landlord from changing any of the existing terms of tenancy unless both the tenant and landlord agree to the change. Although the Los Angeles Housing Department provided the management company with a letter advising them that the new online payment policy was illegal, the company refused to rescind it.
Tenants initially sought and received assistance from the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) who organized residents to oppose the new policy. CES then contacted Bet Tzedek who agreed to represent the tenants in this legal action.
Check back on this website for more news as the case unfolds and be sure to follow Bet Tzedek on Twitter and Facebook.