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I'm a boomer who was evicted from my apartment of 25 years. I was angry and embarrassed, but I have no choice but to keep renting.

Oct 16, 2024, 16:49 IST
Business Insider
A woman arrives at her home with a signed eviction notice on her front door.Jeremy Poland/Getty Images
  • Trina Kaye was evicted from her Los Angeles apartment in 2019 after 25 years.
  • The eviction occurred before California's Just Cause Eviction law was enacted in 2020.
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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Trina Kaye, a 68-year-old who was evicted from her Los Angeles apartment in 2019. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I lived in the same Los Angeles apartment for 25 years, and I loved it. I moved into it in 1994 after an earthquake hit the San Fernando Valley, and I lost my place there. I found a building in Mar Vista owned by a couple and rented a one-bedroom apartment that was quiet and close to the beach.

When I first moved, I was paying around $725 a month. The landlord typically raised my rent by $50-$60 yearly.

Suddenly, in 2018, they started raising my rent a lot more. I received two rent raises that year, each $100. I agreed because I liked living in the building and didn't want to move out. By 2019, the year I was forced to leave, I paid $1,695 a month.

I remember getting a call from the security gate that a process server was at the front of the building

I didn't know who this person was or what this was about. I didn't let them in.

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Three days later, I came home, and a notice was tacked on my door that said that I was being evicted and had to be out on July 1.

I was completely shocked. I had lived in the apartment for so long and knew the landlords well. I couldn't believe they didn't talk to me about this first. I didn't ask for an explanation. I felt so embarrassed and was afraid of a confrontation.

I alerted the landlords that I was having a knee replacement surgery on May 20 and asked for a move-out extension. After giving them a doctor's note (which they requested to agree to an extension), they agreed to September 15.

It's been five years since this happened, but I'll never forget it.

I had heard of people getting evicted before. I didn't think it would ever happen to me.

I was familiar with the term eviction and had heard about this happening to people for not paying their rent. That wasn't me. I had never missed a rent payment and always paid it on time.

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I cared for my apartment as if I was the owner. I even repainted it and made repairs myself.

When I received an eviction notice that only stated my tenancy was being terminated without any reasons given, I was heartbroken.

I didn't want to move out, but a lawyer told me I didn't have a choice

When I received the notice, I spoke to a friend who is a real estate lawyer and asked for advice. He said I didn't have any legal recourse in this situation. I contacted my local city council office for advice but never heard back. I wish I had followed up more or hired a lawyer.

I just accepted it and moved out. I feared that if I didn't leave or fight back, the police would show up and arrest me. I was scared and felt timid about understanding my rights.

I was also under a lot of personal stress with my knee surgery at the time, so I didn't have the time or energy to fight this or ask more questions.

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I regret not pushing back on the eviction. I wish I had been armed with more information before deciding to leave.

This wouldn't have happened a year later to me in California

In a way, I got unlucky. In 2020, California passed the Just Cause Eviction law, which made it harder for landlords to evict tenants without a strong reason, especially if they had lived in the space for 12 months.

If this had happened to me in 2020, I would've had a good case to fight back. I also think this is why my landlords chose to evict me when they did because they knew the law was changing.

They renovated my apartment and raised the rent

I heard from my neighbors in the building that they renovated my unit when I moved out. After they fixed it up, it was listed for $2,250 a month.

My neighbor left shortly after I moved out, and they renovated his apartment, too. Since then, I've noticed they fixed up most of the building and raised all the rents.

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It took time to let go of the situation

It took me a couple of years to let go of the anger and embarrassment I felt getting evicted. The anger was because they took the choice of leaving my home away from me.

I've been living in a new apartment for five years now. It's a two-bedroom in Pico-Robertson, and I pay a little more than I did for my old place.

Looking back, the eviction was a blessing in disguise. My new place is better and has amenities that the other place didn't have, like central air conditioning and new appliances. I rent from the owners of a condo, and they've been accommodating.

I plan to stay here for as long as I can. The situation didn't discourage me from renting, but I can't afford to buy anything here in Los Angeles so renting is my only option anyway.

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