Last month, the L.A. city council voted to protect renters from eviction if they adopted a pet during the pandemic that violated the terms of their lease.

The decision brought a sigh of relief to Angelenos who added furry friends to their homes at the height of COVID-19 isolation, and calmed the nerves of overwhelmed shelter administrators dreading a wave of surrendered pets after the expiration of L.A.’s pandemic eviction protections.

However, housing rights advocates say renters in the city shouldn’t count on this protection enforcing itself. They still need to take one additional step to make sure they and their animals are safe from eviction: submit some sort of notice to their landlord.

Javier Beltran, deputy director of the L.A.-based Housing Rights Center, said, “The city council — when they passed this ordinance — made it a requirement that tenants submit some sort of notice to their landlord.”

How to tell your landlords about pandemic pets

The city council included this requirement at the request of local landlord advocates, who otherwise supported the city’s move to make eviction protections permanent for cats and dogs adopted during the pandemic.

In order to fulfill this requirement, tenants in the city of L.A. who adopted a pet necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic before Feb. 1, 2023 can use this sample letter prepared by the Housing Rights Center. Click on the link and complete the form with your personal information before sending it to your landlord or property manager.

Even if tenants have told their landlords in person — or believe their landlords are already aware of their new pet — Beltran said it always helps to put notices like this in writing. Dating the letter and sending it to your landlord (via email, text or snail mail) helps to establish a paper trail tenants can reference later if any dispute arises.

“Otherwise, it’s a ‘he said, she said,’” Beltran said. “And unfortunately, court systems most of the time will believe landlords over tenants in those situations if they don’t have any documentary proof.”

Who is covered — and who is not

Before sending this letter, tenants should keep a few things in mind.

This protection only applies to tenants within the city of Los Angeles, not to those living in other parts of L.A. County.

It also only applies to pets adopted during the COVID-19 emergency period. Pets adopted before March 1, 2020 — and those adopted after Jan. 31, 2023 — are not covered.

This protection will also not prevent landlords from evicting tenants if their pet is causing a serious nuisance in the building.

The city’s eviction protection covers pets adopted during the pandemic, in violation of lease terms, for as long as those pets live. But the clock is ticking for tenants to inform their landlords about these pets.

The deadline, and who to contact for help

The city council required tenants to send this notice within 30 days of the ordinance taking effect. That puts the deadline at March 5, 2024.

Beltran said tenants don’t have to use the Housing Rights Center’s form letter if they’d rather write their own message to their landlord. “Any written kind of notification, as long as you have proof,” he said, “that should be enough.”

If tenants have fulfilled this requirement and their landlord continues to threaten eviction over their pet, they can contact the city’s housing department to file a complaint.