COVID-19: New CA Tenant Protection Law Increases Foreclosure Risk for Landlords

Published: Sept. 4, 2020, 10:48 p.m.

Some California landlords say a new tenant protection law increases their risk of foreclosure, although the new law is better than the one it replaces. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-3088 on August 31st just hours before previous eviction moratoriums expired. Because it includes an emergency clause, it went into effect right away, protecting tenants for another five months.
 
Newsom approved the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020 after “feverish” negotiations by lawmakers and landlord groups. They hammered out AB-3088 as a compromise bill while the clock ticked down on the deadline. Without a deal, the Sacramento Bee says as many as four million California tenants would have been at risk of eviction, for unpaid rent.