It’s been a year and a half since the Beverly Hills City Council enacted an urgency ordinance to give renters additional protections. But consensus between landlords and tenants over issues including annual rent increases, no-cause evictions and relocation fees remains elusive as the council seeks to amend its rent stabilization measures to work for both sides.

The City Council heard a presentation from the consulting firm HR&A about these issues at its Aug. 7 meeting, and arranged for additional study sessions for both sides to bridge the gap.

“The goal has always been to help the good people on both sides,” Councilman John Mirisch said.

The saga began in January 2017, when Councilwoman Lili Bosse declared “renters will have rights” as a result of the urgency ordinance the council adopted. The ordinance limited annual rent increases to 3 percent (since raised to 4.1 percent), made no-cause evictions reviewable by the city, and established a rental registry for the city to monitor the number of rental units and track their rents.

Before the urgency ordinance, landlords could raise rents 10 percent each year, and the city was unable to track evictions due to the lack of a registry. No-cause evictions were among the council’s biggest impetus for passing the urgency ordinance, with a portion of renters complaining about being evicted on a whim with no relocation assistance and, in some cases, being forced to move from the city with a lack of housing options affordable for them.

The City Council has received backlash from landlords throughout the city, several of whom have spoken at City Hall against the additional renter protections. They have argued that restricting rent increases inhibits them from making enough revenue to adequately maintain their properties, and that no-cause evictions are necessary for removing problem tenants. Landlords have also said the most vulnerable tenants, such as the elderly and disabled, do not constitute the majority of their tenants.

“The vast majority of tenants do not fit that category,” said Harvey Miller, a property owner who has addressed the council multiple times over the past 18 months on this issue.

He said many of his tenants are more affluent and aren’t in need of the protective measures in the urgency ordinance.

The city enlisted Sukhsimranjit Singh, an assistant professor at Pepperdine University, to host a series of mediation sessions last year between tenants and landlords. Three more sessions will be held over the next two months at City Hall.

Bosse said the council will look to “tighten up” the city’s rent stabilization with feedback from the sessions.

“I do think we will get to a win-win,” she said.

Beverly Hills adopted a Rent Control Ordinance in 1978, and rent stabilization has been in effect in Beverly Hills since 1979. Approximately 60 percent of Beverly Hills residents are renters, according to a city staff report.

Many renters have said they felt the City Council acted on their concerns for the first time by passing the urgency ordinance, and asked council members to maintain a channel to hear their ongoing issues.

“Tenants need an advocate in City Hall,” Beverly Hills resident Mark Elliot said. “I don’t believe we have that today.”

Mayor Julian Gold said he would like to complete the process by the end of this year.