WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - When Sherrise Reich first moved into her West Hollywood apartment, Ronald Reagan was president and gas cost 86 cents a gallon.  She remembers celebrating her 21st birthday here.

"I cannot imagine like not living here," she said.

For more than 33 years, she’s racked up quite a few memories and saying goodbye seems almost impossible.

"I was basically devastated to find out we’re getting kicked out of the building," she said.

Especially when it’s not her fault.

The landlords say they want to redevelop the rent-controlled property and under the Ellis Act, she has four months to move. 

She's one of eight tenants who will all have to find new homes eventually, but she has been here the longest.  Reich pays less than $700 a month for around 675 square feet. Similar apartments in her neighborhood are going for triple that amount.

"Where am I supposed to even live? Could you even find an apartment for this kind of rent, anywhere, even in a crappy, sketchy neighborhood? I don’t know. Probably not," Reich said.

She works in retail and qualifies for low-income housing. The law does require the landlord to compensate tenants with set relocation fees when properties are pulled off the rental market. Reich got a check for around $10,000, which she says is not nearly enough.

"When you think about how much I pay for rent here, having to have first and last and God knows how much rent is going to be and a moving expense, the money is going to go like that," she said.

"We have to stop these evictions. We have to protect tenants from losing their homes, and that way we will prevent homelessness," said Jane Demian, an affordable housing advocate and volunteer with the LA Tenants Union.  

She says it's unbelievable that homelessness has increased 16 percent throughout LA and 12 percent in L.A. County.

Since 2001…

"In Los Angeles, we’ve lost 25,000 units to the Ellis Act of rent-controlled apartments," Damien said.

She says in many cases, rent-control landlords are abusing the rules by offering individual tenants less money than required to get them to leave, a practice known as "cash for keys."

"It’s used as a threat. It could be used to intimidate, and a lot of tenants have no idea what their rights are," Demian said.  

"I think their needs to be a wake up call on all levels, not just let’s build more stuff. Let’s protect housing."

Meanwhile, Reich is already considering her options, but she was told there’s likely not much the City of West Hollywood can do. The owners are within their rights.

"How could you do this to us? Really. How could you do this to us?"

We reached out to the landlord for comment, but have not heard back. The L.A. City Council is already exploring the idea of a "Right to Counsel" ordinance.  

It would help ensure renters facing harassment or eviction would have access to a lawyer.