I recently got a phone call from one of my fellow L.A. Landlords who wanted to send me some intel he got from one of his landlord buddies. This guy has been an invaluable source of intel as he, his family, and several of his friends and neighbors own several L.A. buildings. To a person they all hate these SCEP inspections and are very annoyed with the whole process.
So what he told me is that the his buddy called him and said that his tenants received a formal inspection notice that the city wanted to inspect their units. Now in the past, the city mailed a Notice of Inspection to the landlord and then posted a copy of the notice somewhere on the building.
Now you know if you have been following me and my articles you know that the City of Los Angeles changed the municipal code to legally allow landlords to refuse those unconstitutional inspections due to a class action lawsuit. I have talked to almost 50 landlords that have successfully refused access to the city without any consequences.
Now it seems like the City of Los Angeles is aware that the word is getting out to landlords that it is legal and lawful to refuse these SCEP inspections. I have heard all kinds of stories from many landlords where the inspector grudgingly acknowledged their right to refuse and just went away.
However, it appears that the city is trying a new tactic of actually mailing tenants the inspection notices to try to get their way in to the unit. According to my source, the letters were simply addressed to the “occupant”. My sources friend said his tenants called him worried about these letters and what to do about it.
I have also heard a story of one landlord who had refused an inspection but the city showed up anyway and bullied the tenants in order to gain access to the unit.
Folks we need to educate our tenants and tell them that they are not allowed to let the city in to their unit without your permission. I am looking to this with a lawyer to see if this language can be incorporated into rental agreements. The bottom line is do not let the city in your property and educate your tenants to do the same.
Let me know if I can help you in any way, thank you.Derrick Ruiz – Apartment Broker and Expert and Fellow L.A. Landlord
eXp Realty of California Inc. Lic 00919713 (310)308-3174 www.derrickruiz.com