What is the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department (“HCIDLA”)

In some of our previous blogs (see links at the end of this page) we discussed the requirements of the City of Los Angeles’ Soft Story Retrofit Program and the function of the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (“LADBS”).  In this blog we discuss the important role of the City’s Housing and Community Investment Department (“HCIDLA”), which is part of the Los Angeles Housing Department (“LAHD”).

What is the Role of the HCIDLA

The HCIDLA as an organization traces its roots back to 1976, when the City of Los Angeles established the Community Development Department in order to implement human services, housing, and community programs.  The City’s many programs were consolidated in 2013 with the mission of promoting communities through the development and preservation of safe and affordable housing, neighborhood investment, and social services.  Among others, the HCIDLA facilitates financing of housing development projects, oversees social services and housing programs for low-income populations, ensures equal access to housing for people with disabilities.  Importantly, the HCIDLA serves as a resource to both landlords and tenants.

Why should owners and/or landlords of Soft Story buildings know the HCIDLA

The HCIDLA should be top of mind for commercial property owners and/or landlords of Soft Story retrofitting Los Angeles buildings, as the City’s Tenant Habitability Program is actually administered by the HCIDLA!  As readers of our blogs know, the Tenant Habitability Program requires a property owner / landlord undertaking a Soft Story retrofit to develop a Tenant Habitability Plan (“THP”) to mitigate the impact of retrofitting by Los Angeles construction companies activities on tenants residing at Soft Story properties.  The THP also allows property owners / landlords to recoup some of the Soft Story contractor fees for the retrofit as a pass-through to their tenants.

What is in the Tenant Habitability Plan (“THP”)

As part of the THP, property owners and/or landlords must take a number of important steps to ensure that tenants can remain safely in-place during earthquake retrofitting Los Angeles construction activities, or alternatively, if tenant safety cannot be arranged, temporarily relocate the tenants elsewhere.  There is also a robust Los Angeles Housing Department website where both landlords and tenants can access forms, file complaints, read up on various City ordinances, find COVID19 resources, and much, much more.

The specialists at Weinstein Construction are very experienced with the City of Los Angeles Mandatory Soft Story retrofit Program and in working with the paperwork requirements of the LADBS and the HCIDLA.  If you’d like to schedule a free, no-obligation inspection of your Soft Story structure, call us at (888) 412-8363.  Be prepared and have peace of mind when the next “Big One” hits!