Properties of two or more residential units with at least one of the units rented out are subject to the Los Angeles Housing Code, meaning the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) must conduct regular inspections of the residential rental units through the Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP). Tenants are able to report a housing code violation to LAHD if their landlord does not resolve a code issue in a timely manner after informing them of repairs needed. SCEP inspectors investigate the claims to determine the nature of the violation. If the inspector observes that a violation has occurred, the property owner has 30 days to correct it. If the violation is not corrected upon reinspection, the property may be placed in the Rent Escrow Account Program, which protects tenants living in substandard living situations, or the property owner may be referred to the Office of the City Attorney. Housing code violations include, but are not limited to: unsanitary building conditions, broken windows, defective smoke detectors, lack of ventilation, unsafe electrical wiring, and deteriorated plumbing.

Renters in the most precarious positions, such as low-income residents, formerly incarcerated citizens, and tenants who previously experienced eviction, are the most likely to have to move into a building with poor-quality conditions that are vulnerable to violations. Without landlord regulations or rent control, Black and Latino tenants are more likely to receive the repercussions of filing code violations, such as eviction or landlords increasing rent. Although rental units in the City are routinely inspected by LAHD, responsibility for housing code enforcement in unincorporated areas of L.A. County is split between five different departments; this allows for landlords to more easily avoid having to repair code violations.

Written by Gabby Magaña