The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved new rules on Wednesday that will allow landlords to rent out unpermitted apartments.

The new ordinance is key to “protecting low- and moderate-income Angelenos doing their best to get by, living in unapproved units [through] no fault of their own,” said Councilmember Jose Huizar.

Every year, Huizar said, city inspectors remove from the rental market 400 to 500 units never approved for occupancy (think, for example, of converted rec rooms or haphazardly partitioned micro apartments).

The new rules comes with strings attached. Landlords will be able to apply for permits for such units only if they agree to rent an equal number of units in the building at affordable prices for the next 55 years. Unpermitted units would also have to be brought into compliance with city safety codes.

Read More:  https://la.curbed.com/2017/5/10/15615844/illegal-apartments-la-landlords-affordable-rent