California tenants furious as landlords take parking spaces away to make room for tiny houses

Landlords across Los Angeles are using a recent change in state law to turn garages and parking lots into new apartments, and in many cases they don’t have to replace the spaces they remove. Tenants who say parking was part of their leases are pushing back.Many have sued their landlords and some have named the city as well.Senate Bill 1211, which took effect in January 2025 as part of California’s effort to ease its housing shortage.  The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story It makes it easier to add accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to properties with multiple apartments, including by converting garages and other spaces not designed for living.It also bars cities from requiring owners to make up for the lost parking.Landlords can collect rent from additional units without buying more land.

Tenants may lose a guaranteed space, spend years searching for street parking, or move out altogether. Older and disabled residents say the effects are the most severe, the Los Angeles Times reported.Tracey Ellis, 70, who has lived in a rent-stabilized building near the Sunset Strip since 2001, uses a cane to walk.Even short walks cause her considerable pain.

Her garage space is how she gets to medical appointments and the grocery store.She and other tenants were recently told by her landlord that a new unit will be built above the garages, which could make parking unavailable for one to two years during construction, and possibly longer.“Parking in this city is a lifeline for people, and to take away their parking – why don’t you just take half my house or apartment?” Ellis said. “It’s my freedom,” she told the LA Times.According to Ellis, who pays just over $1,600 a month, tenants were first offered a $100 discount in exchange for giving up their parking spac...