LA County Rent Control
Rent control in Los Angeles
With buying out of reach for most Angelenos, residents face some of the highest rents in the nation. The City of Los Angeles attempts to make the cost of rental units more affordable by protecting tenants from excessive rent increases while allowing landlords to increase each year by a fair amount.
If your duplex, triplex or apartment building was built and occupied before October 1, 1978, it is subject to the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). The ordinance limits annual rent increases between 3 and 8 percent and is tied to the Consumer Price Index. In most cases, tenants can only be evicted when they are at fault – for instance, if they have missed payments or violated the terms of their lease agreement.
Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO)
Latest news & resources
LA rent control increases will climb to 4 percent in 2019 »
From our blog: Rent freeze in unincorporated LA communities »
From our blog: The Los Angeles restoration & lockout process
Overview of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance »
What is covered under the RSO »
Tenant Relocation Assistance »
Allowable Rent Increases »
Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance for Unincorporated Communities »
Map of Unincorporated Communities »
Landlords and fair housing »
Rent control in unincorporated Los Angeles communities
In areas which lie outside of the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County's 88 incorporated cities, rent increases for most rental units will be limited to 3 percent annually for the next six months, as officials muse on more permanent regulations.
The ordinance also offers renters protections from eviction without "cause."
The first algebraic equation to solve is whether the property is subject to the ordinance, and we refer you to this handy guide from the Los Angeles Almanac.
The temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance takes effect on December 20, 2018 for eligible rental units in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
The temporary ordinance includes:
• An annual cap of 3 percent on rent increases
• A provision requiring “just cause” for tenant evictions
• A process for property owners who believe they are not receiving a fair return on their property to increase rent above the annual cap
• A provision to allow small property owners (50 units or fewer) to pass through to renters the additional cost of Measure W parcel tax (approved by voters in the November 2018 election)
The County ordinance voids rent increases over 3 percent in effect on or after September 11, 2018.
The temporary ordinance will be in effect for 180 days from December 20, 2018. The Board of Supervisors can extend the temporary ordinance, as necessary, or vote to replace it with a permanent ordinance.
To find out if a property is in unincorporated Los Angeles County, visit the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk website at lavote.net/precinctmap and select “District Map Look Up By Address”.
More on the stop-gap measure
Rent control in Glendale
Glendale has taken an inventive approach to rent control. While there was a temporary freeze on rent increases above 5 percent, Glendale has finally come up with a permanent solution, dubbed "the right to lease ordinance."
In a 3-0 vote, the City Council approved new rules that do not limit rent hikes; however, if the landlord elects to raise the rent by more than 7 percent, the tenant is entitled to relocation payment assistance. Several exceptions apply - please consult with an attorney.
Latest news, insights, and rules
Santa Monica Rent Control
Summary of Regulations
Rent Control Law
Rent Control Charter Amendment
This is the original rent control law that Santa Monica voters approved in April 1979. It was amended by the voters in 1984, 2002 and 2010. Those amendments are also included. The regulations that follow were adopted by the Rent Control Board to implement and enforce the Rent Control Law.
Summary of Regulations
Chapter 1 - Rules for Board Meetings
Chapter 2 - Definitions: Words and phrases used in the Rent Control Charter Amendment or regulations such as: owner-occupied dwellings; principal place of residence; privileges as housing services and material terms; and healthcare providers.
Chapter 3 - General Rent Adjustments: Annual general rent adjustments from 1979 to the present; surcharges for school taxes, etc.; separate agreements; vacancy rent increases for controlled units (including TORCA units); base rent and registration of condominium units not sold separately; notice of maximum allowable rents; and new maximum allowable rents for tenants not in occupancy.
Chapter 4 - Individual Rent Adjustments: Procedures and standards for filing individual rent adjustment petitions including: increase petitions; decrease petitions (maintenance and construction related conditions, loss of housing services); and increase schedules in individual increase cases for severe economic hardship cases.
Chapter 5 - Removal Permits: Clarifies the scope of authority granted by a removal permit, the rent-controlled status of removed units, and the expiration of permits. Prior regulations regarding standards and procedures for obtaining a permit to remove controlled rental units from the rental housing market by demolition, conversion or other means have been suspended. See Rent Control Charter Amendment Section 1803(t).
Chapter 6 - Claims of Vested Rights: Standards and procedures to substantiate a claim to a vested right to be exempted from the removal permit requirements of Chapter 5.
Chapter 7 - Rent Rollback: Describes rent rollback required upon the passage of the Rent Control Charter Amendment in 1979. Also includes methods to calculate base rents for manager-occupied units.
Chapter 8 - Administrative Remedies for Rent Overcharges or Nonregistration: Standards and procedures to establish violations of the rent overcharge (excess rent) and registration provisions of the Charter Amendment.
Chapter 9 - Evictions: Clarification of the just causes for eviction contained in §1806(a) of the Charter Amendment. Detailed information on limitations, notice and "good faith" requirements for evictions for owner-occupancy (§1806(a)(8)).(h)).
Chapter 10 - Judicial Review: References to applicable Code of Civil Procedure sections for judicial review of final Rent Control Board decisions.
Chapter 11 - Registration Fee: Amount of annual registration fees from 1980 to the present as well as deadlines for payment, pass-through and notice requirements, and consequences of delinquent payments. Registration fee waiver requirements for owner-occupants, very low-income senior citizens; very low-income disabled tenants; and units participating in a government funded rent subsidy program (Section 8). Permanent fee waiver standards for single family dwellings and condominium units (including TORCA units).
Chapter 12 - Exemptions and Coverage: Procedures and standards for obtaining an exemption from Rent Control. Includes standards and procedures for obtaining exemptions for three unit or less owner-occupied properties, hotels and motels, and extended medical care facilities. Also includes information on lapsing owner-occupied exemptions.
Chapter 13 - Registration: Requirements for landlord registration and re-registration of rent levels and amenities for controlled rental units; explanation of proper registration; and hearing procedures for determining and/or amending registered rents and amenities. Procedures to resolve disputes related to establishment of new rental rates pursuant to Civil Code Section 1954.53(c) (the "Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act"). Also includes certification of rent levels and post-certification rent level verification process.
Chapter 14 - Security Deposits: Definitions and standards for establishing security deposits.
Chapter 15 - Hearing Procedures: Standards and procedures for issuing subpoenas to compel attendance of material witnesses and production of relevant documents or other physical evidence at administrative hearings conducted by the Board or its hearing examiners. Standards and procedures for quashing or limiting subpoenas for the protection of witnesses.
Chapter 16 - Withdrawal of Accommodations: General provisions and procedures for withdrawal of accommodations from the rental business pursuant to California Government Code Sections 7060 et seq. (the "Ellis Act"). Restrictions on owners and successors in interest. Also, procedures to be followed upon re-rental of accommodations.
Chapter 17 - Incentive Housing Program: Establishes a program to secure the affordability of rental units for low and very low-income persons through regulatory agreements with participating landlords.
Chapter 18 - Reserved for future use.
Chapter 19 - Reserved for future use.
Chapter 20 - Partial Invalidity of Regulations
Rent Control Law
Santa Monica Rent Control
Indeed, City Council unanimously approved a permanent ordinance capping rental increases at 5% for the vast majority of rental housing units.
Some owners may have a little wiggle room to raise the rent - an 8% rent hike may be permissible when there are long periods of time when the landlord keeps rent below 80% of the median price. Rents would again be capped at 5% after reaching market rates. Improvements to the building costing $10,000 or more would also qualify for an 8% rent increase.
Inglewood's "just cause" eviction protections are triggered after two years of tenancy. Absent a just cause, landlords are mandated to doll out relocation fees equivalent to three months' rent.
Inglewood rent control fails to qualify for ballot
June 21, 2018
A rent control measure targeted for Inglewood’s fall ballot has failed to qualify, the city clerk’s office has confirmed.
Tenant advocates filed their petition for a rent control measure in October 2017, giving them six months to submit the approximately 10,000 valid voter signatures needed to qualify their measure.
In May, proponents submitted 14,000 signatures, however, the city clerk reports that an excessive number of those signatures were invalid, disqualifying the Inglewood Rent Control Petition for the fall ballot.
Rent control advocates with the group Uplift Inglewood say they are challenging the disqualification, which is expected to force a review period.
If the results stand, and the proponents want to pursue a similar initiative, they’ll need to start the process over.
“The public is aware of the detrimental effects of rent control on all aspects of society, and it shows in the lack of support for such failed and radical policies,” said Fred Sutton, vice president of public affairs for the California Apartment Association. “This is great news, but now more than ever, housing providers need to get organized, informed and continue to advocate for productive housing policy.”
Inglewood emergency measure limits rent increases, freezes evictions
It's been a beehive of activity lately in and around Inglewood. The NFL stadium at Hollywood Park is the new “must-see” entertainment destination and gathering spot, but there will be more ribbon cutting. The arrival of the Crenshaw/LAX rail line, a proposed arena for the Los Angeles Clippers and a development boom around LAX has created a lot of buzz and new faces to a neighborhood considered to be a respite from higher rents elsewhere.
Inglewood's close proximity to the beach cities of the South Bay and the flourishing tech hubs on the Westside is also making the city attractive to new buyers who are putting upward pressure on home values.
Most everyone likes a comeback story, and MT Evictions, for one, was elated to see a city wobbling on the edge of bankruptcy a few years ago experience a revival. While we were glad to see Inglewood get the respect it finally deserves as an emerging force in Los Angeles, not all enjoy a rags-to-riches story.
History has taught us that growth begets calls for rent control and the city has finally heard the chorus of tenant advocates after initially resisting pressure from residents to enact rent control. Although Inglewood kicked the can down the road to develop a more thought-through ordinance, its emergency measure leaves little doubt that the city is committed to keeping tenants planted in their current apartments.
Landlords are now caught in the crosshairs of Inglewood's growth after Councilmembers voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 5 to enact a 45-day moratorium on rent hikes above 5 percent and prohibiting evictions unless the underlying reason is for criminality or drug use.
The rules apply to apartment buildings, duplexes, and other rental units built prior to February 1, 1995. But pursuant to Costa Hawkins - a state law that survived repeal efforts last year - single-family homes and condos are exempt.
This sweeping ban on evictions without evidence of criminal activity in the rental unit is extraordinary. While many locales have enacted just cause eviction regulations that allow a landlord to evict in a limited set of circumstances, such as nonpayment of rent and other violations of the lease, Inglewood only allows removal of the tenant in the most egregious of circumstances.
There was a bit of confusion among our clients, as some media outlets reported that the city ushered in “just cause” eviction protections. Though criminal activity is clearly a just cause to evict, it is only one of many potential lease violations. As for other offenses that can serve as a reason to evict, well, they don't exist.
According to Mayor James T. Butts, the ban on evictions was not put on the table in the original proposal, but it was added to the final version after hearing from residents and succumbing to lobbying efforts by Uplift Inglewood Coalition, a group that has advocated for citywide rent control and tried unsuccessfully last year to put a rent control initiative on the city's ballot.
The crowd at Tuesday's hearing erupted in applause when the mayor took the bull by the horns in announcing the emergency measure ensures there will be no evictions other than for criminality.
To Councilmember Eloy Morales, the city is taking a time-out to draft a more thorough ordinance and get it right.
“The moratorium is a pause. We’re basically saying, ‘Hold everything,’” said Morales, yet time and time again, MT Evictions has seen temporary measures drag on as longer-term solutions are hashed out – according to its language, Inglewood's emergency measure can be extended for up to one year. Translation: landlords can be out of many cycles of rent.
It's not clear what Inglewood's final iteration of rent control will look like, but relocation payments are sure to enter the discussion. The city will get no shortage of input from the city's residents, nearly two-thirds of whom are renters, and an emboldened Uplift Inglewood Coalition. On its Facebook page, the group seemed to be basking in glory.
Organizing works! Since November 2015, our coalition has organized to address displacement issues in the City of Inglewood. Today, the City's leadership took an important first step and voted to adopt a temporary rent stabilization ordinance and just cause eviction protections. While it's only for 45 days, we believe that this offers a potential path forward to address the many concerns our neighbors have expressed over a number of years. Thank you to everyone who showed up to every single city council meeting, every rally, every workshop, every training, every phone banking meeting and even more, to speak truth to power.
"It always seems impossible, until it's done." –Nelson Mandela
We pledge to remain vigilant and continue to hold the City accountable while working to build a stronger community, together.
Inglewood is the latest laboratory in rent control and comes on the heels of Glendale's soul-searching, the focal point of our earlier article. Having first adopted an emergency measure of its own before resolving the quandary, Glendale's finalized "right to lease" ordinance has taken a more balanced approach in rent increase regulations by saying to landlords: raise the rents as much as your heart desires, but hikes over 7 percent will trigger relocation payments that must be dolled out to tenants who say the rent is too damn high.
Santa Monica Rent Control
Beverly Hills Municipal Code Section 4-5-6 affects most rental properties in the city with two or more dwellings, and one of our main takeaways is that the city wants transparency.
Landlords must contend with a complex set of rules relating to the registration of their units and tenant rights must be communicated and acknowledged in writing before the commencement of the rental relationship.
Rent increases can only be made once in a 12-month period and then, only at 3% or the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles area. Based on this inflation barometer, Beverly Hills landlords can use a 4% standard effective July of 2019. Of course, rent increases in any locale must be properly served, and MT Evictions can assist.
Tenants in Beverly Hills can be evicted with or without “just cause” with 60 days notice, but landlords who displace tenants without a just cause should expect to doll out relocation payments to provide a financial cushion for the uprooted tenant.
These no-fault evictions might include situations where the owner or a close relative wants to occupy the rental unit for their own use. Under an Ellis Act eviction, tenants can be transitioned out because of the owner's desire to demolish the building or withdraw it from the rental market, again considered a no-fault eviction triggering relocation payments.
Resources for Beverly Hills landlords
Santa Monica Rent Control
Long Beach heeds the call for tenant protections, advances forward forms of rent, eviction controls
The City Council voted 6-3 to move ahead crafting a controversial ordinance requiring landlords to pay two months’ rent to tenants who are displaced through no fault of their own, including tenants faced with a 10 percent or higher rent increase.
For years, tenant advocate groups have pushed Long Beach City Council to enact eviction and rent controls to no avail, but MT Evictions has long predicted that it was only a time before these efforts would gain more traction, as there was much chatter and study about the pain Long Beach renters were experiencing with rents on the uptick.
That time was Tuesday night on April 2nd when lawmakers advanced a proposal to require landlords to doll out relocation payment fees when the tenant is displaced because of rent hikes that exceed 10 percent, or because of an eviction owed to no fault of their own.
If entitled to relocation assistance, tenants in transit can expect two months rent on the way out. Exactly what this amount is will depend on the value fixed to the housing authority average fair market rental rates. This can fall anywhere between $2,706 for a studio apartment to $4,500 for a three-bedroom unit or higher, but the funds keep flowing.
Particularly vulnerable tenants like seniors and disabled persons would be the recipients of even more funds under the proposal, though landlords will not have to digger deeper into their pockets - city officials plan to find other, yet-to-be-determined sources to soften the landing for these protected groups.
Long Beach's lurch toward rent control has been an exercise in democracy with both landlord and tenants' right camps well represented Tuesday's raucous City Council's meeting. We won't get into the political wranglings or spirited discussion over what the city's final iteration of rent control will look like - you can get that in this Press-Telegram article. Our role at MT Eviction is not to legislate, but to communicate the rules landlords have to abide by.
We will keep you in the know as wrinkles are ironed out in Long Beach's impending ordinance and in the interim, it may be prudent for landlords to have a heart-to-heart conversation if current rents are sustainable, especially if they haven't raised rents in a long period of time. There may be a scarce window of opportunity to do so without the obligation of relocation payments.
Rent control in West Hollywood
Renters' rights in West Hollywood can be best delineated by three sections. One governs maximum allowable rent, while the eviction code enumerates specific reasons why a tenant can be evicted. To make it interesting, the eviction code includes a subsection that attempts to define what types of menacing actions by landlords could rise to the level of an illegal attempt to get a tenant to vacate the unit (Harassment Code).
The first algebraic equation to solve is whether your building is subject to regulations. Rent control applies to properties with more than one dwelling unit that received their original Certificate of Occupancy before July 1, 1979. It also applies to properties with only one dwelling unit whose original Certificate of Occupancy was issued before July 1, 1979, and whose current tenants moved in before January 1, 1996. Yet, there are some properties that are covered only by the Ordinance's Eviction and Harassment Sections.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE RENT?
The Rent Stabilization Department administers the Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) for rent-stabilized units in the City of West Hollywood. Each unit has its own specific Maximum Allowable Rent. The MAR sets limits on how much a landlord may charge for rent and when the rent may be raised each year. RSHD may also adjust the MAR for individual rental units to reflect increases or decreases based on hearing decisions, increases or decreases at vacancy, and increases or decreases based on the addition or removal of housing services. The calculation of the MAR for a unit varies depending on when the tenancy began.
There are three types of MARs depending on when the current tenant moved into a rent-stabilized unit:
• Tenants who moved in before 1996;
• Tenants who moved in between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1998;
• Tenants who moved in on or after January 1, 1999
Read the section of the three listed above that applies to the time period when the current tenant moved into the unit in question.
If you want to confirm the current Maximum Allowable Rent for a rent-stabilized unit, or the amount of the registration fee pass-through, contact an Information Counselor at the City's Rent Stabilization Department. The counselor cannot answer any questions about the MAR for a unit unless you have the following information available:
• Tenant's move-in date;
• Amount of rent the tenant is currently paying;
• Date and amount of the tenant's last rent increase.
If a tenant is being charged rent above the MAR, you should talk to an Information Coordinator about the process for correcting the overcharge or for filing a rent overcharge complaint
Rent Stabilization Guide »
Maximum allowable rent »
Just cause evictions permitted »
Rent Stabilized Rents Will Jump 3% in September, the Largest Increase in Years »
Pasadena Rent Control
Pasadena broadens its tenant protection ordinance, provides aid to certain vulnerable individuals
Some locales throughout Southern California have stopped short of full-blown rent control, but dangle carrots and sticks for landlords to prolong the life of the tenancy. Pasadena is one such municipality that discourages premature termination of a tenancy by requiring landlords to cough up relocation funds and moving expense allowances when they part ways with tenants, without tinkering with how much rent can be raised or under what conditions a tenant can be evicted.
Pasadena already has the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) on its books, obligating landlords to provide relocation benefits to displaced tenants under limited circumstances, but this law has been recently amended to require relocation payments in more instances.
So, while Pasadena City Council has not had an appetite to consider draconian rent control measures, the Crown City has said to landlords: If you evict a tenant through no fault of the tenant or demand a huge rent increase, it will come with a price. The pot is sweetened for seniors, the disabled, or households with dependents, and so what we have, essentially, is a group of "protected classes" carved out by the new rules in Pasadena.
When relocation and moving expense allowances are triggered
» Demolition or permanent removal of the unit from the rental market (Ellis Act eviction).
» Occupancy by landlord or landlord's family member (Owner move-in or Relative-move-in eviction).
» Landlord's compliance with a Government Order to Vacate
» Change in ownership with an ensuing termination or "large rent increase" within 18 months of ownership changing hands.
Relocation and moving expense allowance amounts
Landlords will payout to the tune of two and one half (2 1/2) months fair market rate rents as established by HUD for a rental unit of similar size.
If applicable, landlords must additionally soften the landing for the tenant by paying out moving expense allowances, specifically $1,306 for adult households or $3,935 for households with dependents, disabled, or senior members. This amount will be adjusted annually, pegged on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Los Angeles-Long Beach).
However, the ordinance seems to recognize that long-term tenants will have a particularly hard time being uprooted. If otherwise qualified, tenants who have stayed planted for 10 or more years will be entitled to additional money.
IN THE MEDIA: Tenant Claims Landlord Denying Tenant Protection Funds
Who qualifies, anyway?
Pasadena extends these protections to tenants who are in "good standing" who live at or below 140% of the median income, by household size. MT Evictions punctuates this point because it's entirely possible that some well-to-do tenants exceed this income threshold and are not entitled to relocation assistance.
Many other nuances apply
Transitioning tenants out of the rental unit require carefully choreographed steps under ordinary circumstances, but in light of newly minted relocation payments and convoluted math, it is prudent to seek the help of experts
Culver City Rent Control
Culver City pursues 3% cap on rent increases, explores other tenants’ protections
We've seen this movie before, most recently in Inglewood.
An influx of tech companies and jobs always spawns calls for rent control, and Culver City has not defied this rule. Already a hub for studio film production, Culver City has become a prime destination for high tech and streaming Goliaths expanding their presence near Hollywood and L.A.’s “Silicon Beach.”
Burning the midnight oil, City Council recently voted 4-1 to move forward on implementing a temporary rent freeze of 3%, but also consider permanent caps on rent hikes. The city’s finalized ordinance will be up for a vote in August.
Listen to the podcast: Culver City looks at stabilizing rent
If the council votes affirmative, the ordinance would have a retroactive effective date of June 24.
It doesn’t stop there.
Culver City is also flirting with a “just cause” eviction requirement and relocation payment schemes - the council asked staff to conduct further research. A popular idea floating is relocation assistance of $1,000 and three months’ rent, though nothing is yet carved in stone.
City personnel will also look into how to implement a rent registry and assemble a committee to review further regulations.
Rent Control by Cities
Rent control in Los Angeles
With buying out of reach for most Angelenos, residents face some of the highest rents in the nation. The City of Los Angeles attempts to make the cost of rental units more affordable by protecting tenants from excessive rent increases while allowing landlords to increase each year by a fair amount.
If your duplex, triplex or apartment building was built and occupied before October 1, 1978, it is subject to the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). The ordinance limits annual rent increases between 3 and 8 percent and is tied to the Consumer Price Index. In most cases, tenants can only be evicted when they are at fault – for instance, if they have missed payments or violated the terms of their lease agreement.
Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO)
Latest news & resources
LA rent control increases will climb to 4 percent in 2019 »
From our blog: Rent freeze in unincorporated LA communities »
From our blog: The Los Angeles restoration & lockout process
Overview of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance »
What is covered under the RSO »
Tenant Relocation Assistance »
Allowable Rent Increases »
Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance for Unincorporated Communities »
Map of Unincorporated Communities »
Landlords and fair housing »
Rent control in unincorporated Los Angeles communities
In areas which lie outside of the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County's 88 incorporated cities, rent increases for most rental units will be limited to 3 percent annually for the next six months, as officials muse on more permanent regulations.
The ordinance also offers renters protections from eviction without "cause."
The first algebraic equation to solve is whether the property is subject to the ordinance, and we refer you to this handy guide from the Los Angeles Almanac.
The temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance takes effect on December 20, 2018 for eligible rental units in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
The temporary ordinance includes:
• An annual cap of 3 percent on rent increases
• A provision requiring “just cause” for tenant evictions
• A process for property owners who believe they are not receiving a fair return on their property to increase rent above the annual cap
• A provision to allow small property owners (50 units or fewer) to pass through to renters the additional cost of Measure W parcel tax (approved by voters in the November 2018 election)
The County ordinance voids rent increases over 3 percent in effect on or after September 11, 2018.
The temporary ordinance will be in effect for 180 days from December 20, 2018. The Board of Supervisors can extend the temporary ordinance, as necessary, or vote to replace it with a permanent ordinance.
To find out if a property is in unincorporated Los Angeles County, visit the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk website at lavote.net/precinctmap and select “District Map Look Up By Address”.
More on the stop-gap measure
Rent freeze in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County »
Rent Control Brochure by County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs »
Find out if your property is in unincorporated Los Angeles County »
Download Rent Stabilization Fact Sheet »
Rent control in Glendale
Glendale has taken an inventive approach to rent control. While there was a temporary freeze on rent increases above 5 percent, Glendale has finally come up with a permanent solution, dubbed "the right to lease ordinance."
In a 3-0 vote, the City Council approved new rules that do not limit rent hikes; however, if the landlord elects to raise the rent by more than 7 percent, the tenant is entitled to relocation payment assistance. Several exceptions apply - please consult with an attorney.
Latest news, insights, and rules
Santa Monica Rent Control
Summary of Regulations
Rent Control Law
Rent Control Charter Amendment
This is the original rent control law that Santa Monica voters approved in April 1979. It was amended by the voters in 1984, 2002 and 2010. Those amendments are also included. The regulations that follow were adopted by the Rent Control Board to implement and enforce the Rent Control Law.
Summary of Regulations
Chapter 1 - Rules for Board Meetings
Chapter 2 - Definitions: Words and phrases used in the Rent Control Charter Amendment or regulations such as: owner-occupied dwellings; principal place of residence; privileges as housing services and material terms; and healthcare providers.
Chapter 3 - General Rent Adjustments: Annual general rent adjustments from 1979 to the present; surcharges for school taxes, etc.; separate agreements; vacancy rent increases for controlled units (including TORCA units); base rent and registration of condominium units not sold separately; notice of maximum allowable rents; and new maximum allowable rents for tenants not in occupancy.
Chapter 4 - Individual Rent Adjustments: Procedures and standards for filing individual rent adjustment petitions including: increase petitions; decrease petitions (maintenance and construction related conditions, loss of housing services); and increase schedules in individual increase cases for severe economic hardship cases.
Chapter 5 - Removal Permits: Clarifies the scope of authority granted by a removal permit, the rent-controlled status of removed units, and the expiration of permits. Prior regulations regarding standards and procedures for obtaining a permit to remove controlled rental units from the rental housing market by demolition, conversion or other means have been suspended. See Rent Control Charter Amendment Section 1803(t).
Chapter 6 - Claims of Vested Rights: Standards and procedures to substantiate a claim to a vested right to be exempted from the removal permit requirements of Chapter 5.
Chapter 7 - Rent Rollback: Describes rent rollback required upon the passage of the Rent Control Charter Amendment in 1979. Also includes methods to calculate base rents for manager-occupied units.
Chapter 8 - Administrative Remedies for Rent Overcharges or Nonregistration: Standards and procedures to establish violations of the rent overcharge (excess rent) and registration provisions of the Charter Amendment.
Chapter 9 - Evictions: Clarification of the just causes for eviction contained in §1806(a) of the Charter Amendment. Detailed information on limitations, notice and "good faith" requirements for evictions for owner-occupancy (§1806(a)(8)).(h)).
Chapter 10 - Judicial Review: References to applicable Code of Civil Procedure sections for judicial review of final Rent Control Board decisions.
Chapter 11 - Registration Fee: Amount of annual registration fees from 1980 to the present as well as deadlines for payment, pass-through and notice requirements, and consequences of delinquent payments. Registration fee waiver requirements for owner-occupants, very low-income senior citizens; very low-income disabled tenants; and units participating in a government funded rent subsidy program (Section 8). Permanent fee waiver standards for single family dwellings and condominium units (including TORCA units).
Chapter 12 - Exemptions and Coverage: Procedures and standards for obtaining an exemption from Rent Control. Includes standards and procedures for obtaining exemptions for three unit or less owner-occupied properties, hotels and motels, and extended medical care facilities. Also includes information on lapsing owner-occupied exemptions.
Chapter 13 - Registration: Requirements for landlord registration and re-registration of rent levels and amenities for controlled rental units; explanation of proper registration; and hearing procedures for determining and/or amending registered rents and amenities. Procedures to resolve disputes related to establishment of new rental rates pursuant to Civil Code Section 1954.53(c) (the "Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act"). Also includes certification of rent levels and post-certification rent level verification process.
Chapter 14 - Security Deposits: Definitions and standards for establishing security deposits.
Chapter 15 - Hearing Procedures: Standards and procedures for issuing subpoenas to compel attendance of material witnesses and production of relevant documents or other physical evidence at administrative hearings conducted by the Board or its hearing examiners. Standards and procedures for quashing or limiting subpoenas for the protection of witnesses.
Chapter 16 - Withdrawal of Accommodations: General provisions and procedures for withdrawal of accommodations from the rental business pursuant to California Government Code Sections 7060 et seq. (the "Ellis Act"). Restrictions on owners and successors in interest. Also, procedures to be followed upon re-rental of accommodations.
Chapter 17 - Incentive Housing Program: Establishes a program to secure the affordability of rental units for low and very low-income persons through regulatory agreements with participating landlords.
Chapter 18 - Reserved for future use.
Chapter 19 - Reserved for future use.
Chapter 20 - Partial Invalidity of Regulations
Rent Control Law
Santa Monica Rent Control
Indeed, City Council unanimously approved a permanent ordinance capping rental increases at 5% for the vast majority of rental housing units.
Some owners may have a little wiggle room to raise the rent - an 8% rent hike may be permissible when there are long periods of time when the landlord keeps rent below 80% of the median price. Rents would again be capped at 5% after reaching market rates. Improvements to the building costing $10,000 or more would also qualify for an 8% rent increase.
Inglewood's "just cause" eviction protections are triggered after two years of tenancy. Absent a just cause, landlords are mandated to doll out relocation fees equivalent to three months' rent.
Inglewood rent control fails to qualify for ballot
June 21, 2018
A rent control measure targeted for Inglewood’s fall ballot has failed to qualify, the city clerk’s office has confirmed.
Tenant advocates filed their petition for a rent control measure in October 2017, giving them six months to submit the approximately 10,000 valid voter signatures needed to qualify their measure.
In May, proponents submitted 14,000 signatures, however, the city clerk reports that an excessive number of those signatures were invalid, disqualifying the Inglewood Rent Control Petition for the fall ballot.
Rent control advocates with the group Uplift Inglewood say they are challenging the disqualification, which is expected to force a review period.
If the results stand, and the proponents want to pursue a similar initiative, they’ll need to start the process over.
“The public is aware of the detrimental effects of rent control on all aspects of society, and it shows in the lack of support for such failed and radical policies,” said Fred Sutton, vice president of public affairs for the California Apartment Association. “This is great news, but now more than ever, housing providers need to get organized, informed and continue to advocate for productive housing policy.”
Inglewood emergency measure limits rent increases, freezes evictions
It's been a beehive of activity lately in and around Inglewood. The NFL stadium at Hollywood Park is the new “must-see” entertainment destination and gathering spot, but there will be more ribbon cutting. The arrival of the Crenshaw/LAX rail line, a proposed arena for the Los Angeles Clippers and a development boom around LAX has created a lot of buzz and new faces to a neighborhood considered to be a respite from higher rents elsewhere.
Inglewood's close proximity to the beach cities of the South Bay and the flourishing tech hubs on the Westside is also making the city attractive to new buyers who are putting upward pressure on home values.
Most everyone likes a comeback story, and MT Evictions, for one, was elated to see a city wobbling on the edge of bankruptcy a few years ago experience a revival. While we were glad to see Inglewood get the respect it finally deserves as an emerging force in Los Angeles, not all enjoy a rags-to-riches story.
History has taught us that growth begets calls for rent control and the city has finally heard the chorus of tenant advocates after initially resisting pressure from residents to enact rent control. Although Inglewood kicked the can down the road to develop a more thought-through ordinance, its emergency measure leaves little doubt that the city is committed to keeping tenants planted in their current apartments.
Landlords are now caught in the crosshairs of Inglewood's growth after Councilmembers voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 5 to enact a 45-day moratorium on rent hikes above 5 percent and prohibiting evictions unless the underlying reason is for criminality or drug use.
The rules apply to apartment buildings, duplexes, and other rental units built prior to February 1, 1995. But pursuant to Costa Hawkins - a state law that survived repeal efforts last year - single-family homes and condos are exempt.
This sweeping ban on evictions without evidence of criminal activity in the rental unit is extraordinary. While many locales have enacted just cause eviction regulations that allow a landlord to evict in a limited set of circumstances, such as nonpayment of rent and other violations of the lease, Inglewood only allows removal of the tenant in the most egregious of circumstances.
There was a bit of confusion among our clients, as some media outlets reported that the city ushered in “just cause” eviction protections. Though criminal activity is clearly a just cause to evict, it is only one of many potential lease violations. As for other offenses that can serve as a reason to evict, well, they don't exist.
According to Mayor James T. Butts, the ban on evictions was not put on the table in the original proposal, but it was added to the final version after hearing from residents and succumbing to lobbying efforts by Uplift Inglewood Coalition, a group that has advocated for citywide rent control and tried unsuccessfully last year to put a rent control initiative on the city's ballot.
The crowd at Tuesday's hearing erupted in applause when the mayor took the bull by the horns in announcing the emergency measure ensures there will be no evictions other than for criminality.
To Councilmember Eloy Morales, the city is taking a time-out to draft a more thorough ordinance and get it right.
“The moratorium is a pause. We’re basically saying, ‘Hold everything,’” said Morales, yet time and time again, MT Evictions has seen temporary measures drag on as longer-term solutions are hashed out – according to its language, Inglewood's emergency measure can be extended for up to one year. Translation: landlords can be out of many cycles of rent.
It's not clear what Inglewood's final iteration of rent control will look like, but relocation payments are sure to enter the discussion. The city will get no shortage of input from the city's residents, nearly two-thirds of whom are renters, and an emboldened Uplift Inglewood Coalition. On its Facebook page, the group seemed to be basking in glory.
Organizing works! Since November 2015, our coalition has organized to address displacement issues in the City of Inglewood. Today, the City's leadership took an important first step and voted to adopt a temporary rent stabilization ordinance and just cause eviction protections. While it's only for 45 days, we believe that this offers a potential path forward to address the many concerns our neighbors have expressed over a number of years. Thank you to everyone who showed up to every single city council meeting, every rally, every workshop, every training, every phone banking meeting and even more, to speak truth to power.
"It always seems impossible, until it's done." –Nelson Mandela
We pledge to remain vigilant and continue to hold the City accountable while working to build a stronger community, together.
Inglewood is the latest laboratory in rent control and comes on the heels of Glendale's soul-searching, the focal point of our earlier article. Having first adopted an emergency measure of its own before resolving the quandary, Glendale's finalized "right to lease" ordinance has taken a more balanced approach in rent increase regulations by saying to landlords: raise the rents as much as your heart desires, but hikes over 7 percent will trigger relocation payments that must be dolled out to tenants who say the rent is too damn high.
Santa Monica Rent Control
Beverly Hills Municipal Code Section 4-5-6 affects most rental properties in the city with two or more dwellings, and one of our main takeaways is that the city wants transparency.
Landlords must contend with a complex set of rules relating to the registration of their units and tenant rights must be communicated and acknowledged in writing before the commencement of the rental relationship.
Rent increases can only be made once in a 12-month period and then, only at 3% or the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles area. Based on this inflation barometer, Beverly Hills landlords can use a 4% standard effective July of 2019. Of course, rent increases in any locale must be properly served, and MT Evictions can assist.
Tenants in Beverly Hills can be evicted with or without “just cause” with 60 days notice, but landlords who displace tenants without a just cause should expect to doll out relocation payments to provide a financial cushion for the uprooted tenant.
These no-fault evictions might include situations where the owner or a close relative wants to occupy the rental unit for their own use. Under an Ellis Act eviction, tenants can be transitioned out because of the owner's desire to demolish the building or withdraw it from the rental market, again considered a no-fault eviction triggering relocation payments.
Resources for Beverly Hills landlords
Santa Monica Rent Control
Long Beach heeds the call for tenant protections, advances forward forms of rent, eviction controls
The City Council voted 6-3 to move ahead crafting a controversial ordinance requiring landlords to pay two months’ rent to tenants who are displaced through no fault of their own, including tenants faced with a 10 percent or higher rent increase.
For years, tenant advocate groups have pushed Long Beach City Council to enact eviction and rent controls to no avail, but MT Evictions has long predicted that it was only a time before these efforts would gain more traction, as there was much chatter and study about the pain Long Beach renters were experiencing with rents on the uptick.
That time was Tuesday night on April 2nd when lawmakers advanced a proposal to require landlords to doll out relocation payment fees when the tenant is displaced because of rent hikes that exceed 10 percent, or because of an eviction owed to no fault of their own.
If entitled to relocation assistance, tenants in transit can expect two months rent on the way out. Exactly what this amount is will depend on the value fixed to the housing authority average fair market rental rates. This can fall anywhere between $2,706 for a studio apartment to $4,500 for a three-bedroom unit or higher, but the funds keep flowing.
Particularly vulnerable tenants like seniors and disabled persons would be the recipients of even more funds under the proposal, though landlords will not have to digger deeper into their pockets - city officials plan to find other, yet-to-be-determined sources to soften the landing for these protected groups.
Long Beach's lurch toward rent control has been an exercise in democracy with both landlord and tenants' right camps well represented Tuesday's raucous City Council's meeting. We won't get into the political wranglings or spirited discussion over what the city's final iteration of rent control will look like - you can get that in this Press-Telegram article. Our role at MT Eviction is not to legislate, but to communicate the rules landlords have to abide by.
We will keep you in the know as wrinkles are ironed out in Long Beach's impending ordinance and in the interim, it may be prudent for landlords to have a heart-to-heart conversation if current rents are sustainable, especially if they haven't raised rents in a long period of time. There may be a scarce window of opportunity to do so without the obligation of relocation payments.
Rent control in West Hollywood
Renters' rights in West Hollywood can be best delineated by three sections. One governs maximum allowable rent, while the eviction code enumerates specific reasons why a tenant can be evicted. To make it interesting, the eviction code includes a subsection that attempts to define what types of menacing actions by landlords could rise to the level of an illegal attempt to get a tenant to vacate the unit (Harassment Code).
The first algebraic equation to solve is whether your building is subject to regulations. Rent control applies to properties with more than one dwelling unit that received their original Certificate of Occupancy before July 1, 1979. It also applies to properties with only one dwelling unit whose original Certificate of Occupancy was issued before July 1, 1979, and whose current tenants moved in before January 1, 1996. Yet, there are some properties that are covered only by the Ordinance's Eviction and Harassment Sections.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE RENT?
The Rent Stabilization Department administers the Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) for rent-stabilized units in the City of West Hollywood. Each unit has its own specific Maximum Allowable Rent. The MAR sets limits on how much a landlord may charge for rent and when the rent may be raised each year. RSHD may also adjust the MAR for individual rental units to reflect increases or decreases based on hearing decisions, increases or decreases at vacancy, and increases or decreases based on the addition or removal of housing services. The calculation of the MAR for a unit varies depending on when the tenancy began.
There are three types of MARs depending on when the current tenant moved into a rent-stabilized unit:
• Tenants who moved in before 1996;
• Tenants who moved in between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1998;
• Tenants who moved in on or after January 1, 1999
Read the section of the three listed above that applies to the time period when the current tenant moved into the unit in question.
If you want to confirm the current Maximum Allowable Rent for a rent-stabilized unit, or the amount of the registration fee pass-through, contact an Information Counselor at the City's Rent Stabilization Department. The counselor cannot answer any questions about the MAR for a unit unless you have the following information available:
• Tenant's move-in date;
• Amount of rent the tenant is currently paying;
• Date and amount of the tenant's last rent increase.
If a tenant is being charged rent above the MAR, you should talk to an Information Coordinator about the process for correcting the overcharge or for filing a rent overcharge complaint
Rent Stabilization Guide »
Maximum allowable rent »
Just cause evictions permitted »
Rent Stabilized Rents Will Jump 3% in September, the Largest Increase in Years »
Pasadena Rent Control
Pasadena broadens its tenant protection ordinance, provides aid to certain vulnerable individuals
Some locales throughout Southern California have stopped short of full-blown rent control, but dangle carrots and sticks for landlords to prolong the life of the tenancy. Pasadena is one such municipality that discourages premature termination of a tenancy by requiring landlords to cough up relocation funds and moving expense allowances when they part ways with tenants, without tinkering with how much rent can be raised or under what conditions a tenant can be evicted.
Pasadena already has the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) on its books, obligating landlords to provide relocation benefits to displaced tenants under limited circumstances, but this law has been recently amended to require relocation payments in more instances.
So, while Pasadena City Council has not had an appetite to consider draconian rent control measures, the Crown City has said to landlords: If you evict a tenant through no fault of the tenant or demand a huge rent increase, it will come with a price. The pot is sweetened for seniors, the disabled, or households with dependents, and so what we have, essentially, is a group of "protected classes" carved out by the new rules in Pasadena.
When relocation and moving expense allowances are triggered
» Demolition or permanent removal of the unit from the rental market (Ellis Act eviction).
» Occupancy by landlord or landlord's family member (Owner move-in or Relative-move-in eviction).
» Landlord's compliance with a Government Order to Vacate
» Change in ownership with an ensuing termination or "large rent increase" within 18 months of ownership changing hands.
Relocation and moving expense allowance amounts
Landlords will payout to the tune of two and one half (2 1/2) months fair market rate rents as established by HUD for a rental unit of similar size.
If applicable, landlords must additionally soften the landing for the tenant by paying out moving expense allowances, specifically $1,306 for adult households or $3,935 for households with dependents, disabled, or senior members. This amount will be adjusted annually, pegged on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Los Angeles-Long Beach).
However, the ordinance seems to recognize that long-term tenants will have a particularly hard time being uprooted. If otherwise qualified, tenants who have stayed planted for 10 or more years will be entitled to additional money.
IN THE MEDIA: Tenant Claims Landlord Denying Tenant Protection Funds
Who qualifies, anyway?
Pasadena extends these protections to tenants who are in "good standing" who live at or below 140% of the median income, by household size. MT Evictions punctuates this point because it's entirely possible that some well-to-do tenants exceed this income threshold and are not entitled to relocation assistance.
Many other nuances apply
Transitioning tenants out of the rental unit require carefully choreographed steps under ordinary circumstances, but in light of newly minted relocation payments and convoluted math, it is prudent to seek the help of experts
Culver City Rent Control
Culver City pursues 3% cap on rent increases, explores other tenants’ protections
We've seen this movie before, most recently in Inglewood.
An influx of tech companies and jobs always spawns calls for rent control, and Culver City has not defied this rule. Already a hub for studio film production, Culver City has become a prime destination for high tech and streaming Goliaths expanding their presence near Hollywood and L.A.’s “Silicon Beach.”
Burning the midnight oil, City Council recently voted 4-1 to move forward on implementing a temporary rent freeze of 3%, but also consider permanent caps on rent hikes. The city’s finalized ordinance will be up for a vote in August.
Listen to the podcast: Culver City looks at stabilizing rent
If the council votes affirmative, the ordinance would have a retroactive effective date of June 24.
It doesn’t stop there.
Culver City is also flirting with a “just cause” eviction requirement and relocation payment schemes - the council asked staff to conduct further research. A popular idea floating is relocation assistance of $1,000 and three months’ rent, though nothing is yet carved in stone.
City personnel will also look into how to implement a rent registry and assemble a committee to review further regulations.