Key Takeaways
- Los Angeles evictions rose over 40% year-over-year following the rollback of tenant protections.
- Office vacancies remain high at nearly 24%, dragging down the commercial sector.
- Adaptive reuse and workforce housing present growing opportunities for real estate investors.
Los Angeles is grappling with a troubling combination: evictions are surging while the commercial property sector continues to slump.
What’s behind the downturn—and how should real estate investors adjust their strategies in an increasingly volatile LA market?
In this article:
- The latest eviction and commercial market data for Los Angeles.
- What’s fueling instability across both residential and commercial sectors?
- How investors can navigate the shifting terrain.
Let’s break down the numbers—and the moves investors are making to stay ahead in LA.
Evictions Spike as Pandemic Protections Fade
According to new court filings and tenant advocacy reports, eviction filings in Los Angeles have risen more than 40% year-over-year as pandemic-era tenant protections continue to roll back.
Areas hardest hit include downtown LA, South Los Angeles, and Koreatown.
Major factors include:
- Rent inflation, pricing lower-income tenants out of previously affordable areas.
- Expired emergency protections, clearing a path for landlords to act on delinquent payments.
- Property owners are repositioning assets, particularly smaller multifamily operators seeking to upgrade or sell.
Commercial Real Estate: A Continuing Slide
Meanwhile, Los Angeles’s commercial real estate market remains under pressure. Office vacancies are hovering near 24%, and retail space absorption is weak, particularly in urban core areas.
Analysts cite persistent remote work trends, soft consumer spending, and high borrowing costs as major drags.
Institutional investors are largely sitting on the sidelines or focusing on distressed asset purchases, while smaller players are exploring adaptive reuse projects, particularly conversions of obsolete office properties into residential units.
Assessment
Los Angeles real estate is at a crossroads. Investors who cling to old playbooks risk missing the massive shifts underway.
Rising evictions signal deeper affordability issues that could dampen rental demand in some sectors, while the commercial downturn is creating cracks—and opportunities—for those ready to reposition or repurpose properties.
Investors willing to get creative, particularly in workforce housing and adaptive reuse, may find this chaotic environment surprisingly rich with opportunity.
