On August 31, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsome approved AB 3088, also known as the Tenant Relief Act. This ordinance is designed to help tenants struggling to keep up with rent due to the effects from COVID-19. Read the full bill here.

What does AB 3088 do?

AB 3088 was enacted to limit a landlord’s ability to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent due from March 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021 if the tenant has experienced a financial hardship related to COVID-19. It bans evictions for tenants who were unable to pay their rent between March 1 and August 31 due to financial hardship caused by the pandemic.

Additionally, it bans evictions for those tenants through January 31, but only if the tenants pay at least 25% of their rent owed during that time. This can be paid monthly or all at once prior to January 31.

New and revised Judicial Council Forms

Filers should also note that effective October 5, 2020, the Judicial Council adopted four new Unlawful Detainer forms:

  • UD-101*: Plaintiff’s Mandatory Cover Sheet and Supplemental Allegations—Unlawful Detainer
  • UD-104: Cover Sheet for Declaration of Covid-19–Related Financial Distress
  • UD-104(A): Attachment—Declaration of Covid-19–Related Financial Distress
  • UD-105: Answer—Unlawful Detainer

* Adopted for Mandatory Use