The Los Angeles City Council gave final approval on May 27 to a measure to protect items kept in rented storage units, prohibiting companies from removing belongings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The ordinance reflects existing eviction protections for apartments, in this case protecting items kept in storage from being destroyed or sold at auction if a tenant can’t pay rent on a storage unit.

“Working people are facing bill after bill right now when so many have lost their job,” said Councilman David Ryu, 4th District, who authored the measure. “Any opportunity we have to reduce that burden, we should take. I’m proud to see Los Angeles pass this protection. Angelenos should be focused on their health and their families, not worried about losing their belongings.”

The law makes Los Angeles the first major U.S. city to specifically prohibit storage unit evictions during the pandemic. It allows occupants of a rented self-storage unit to defer rent payments during the coronavirus emergency, and for three months following the end of the emergency order.

Tenants are required to inform the storage unit company within seven days of rent being due if they cannot pay due to coronavirus-related impacts, which can include loss of work or income, increased childcare costs and caring for a family member with COVID-19. The law also requires storage unit companies to provide written notice of the new protection, in English and Spanish, to each occupant.

The motion was approved with an urgency clause, allowing it to take effect as soon as it’s signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Ryu first introduced the motion on April 23 after receiving reports of rising rents and late fees on rented storage units from people who were having difficulty protecting their belongings from disposal.