Update Feb 7, 2020
Anatomy of a Los Angeles Code Violation Complaint
Update Tuesday March 21 2017
City Involvement in Unsafe Work Practices
Recently a unit was sprayed during the course of resurfacing a sink. Neither the management company nor the owner nor the repairman explained to the tenants that the spraying was hazardous chemicals nor did they advise the tenant to leave the unit during the repairs. So the tenants were coughing, gagging, eyes watering, headache. We asked the maintenance and owner and code enforcement what hazardous chemicals were being used. No one has responded. Recently a tenant died in unit #17. He was Black. No one thought to ask was that tenant targeted or was the target another let’s say white tenant. No one answers those questions either. If you are naive, health and safety is not that important. We asked code enforcement, “You wouldn’t care if every tenant in there was harmed.” Code enforcement did not answer.
HCIDLA – and Rent Control
Report property violation
http://hcidapp.lacity.org/Property/Pages/PropActivity
LA County environmental health department
(888) 700-9995
http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/index.htm
You can probably contact the city or the county if you have a health and safety concerns. If you have holes in your walls, if there is any kind of leak in the ceiling from another apartment. There should not be holes in any walls, should not be crawling insects, should not be any plumbing or electrical fixtures that need repair. If the owner seems slow to make repairs (within 10-35 days) I would report the conditions right away. A habitability complaint against one apartment can make the entire building declared to be uninhabitable.
Be forewarned, code enforcement inspection may not be fair, consistent, truthful, or thorough, so be patient but determined. It is your health and peaceful and quiet enjoyment at stake.