Official city rental guidance: la-renter-protections

Official city rental guidance: la-renter-protections¶

Official source: https://housing.lacity.gov/renter-protections-2

Snapshot retrieved: 2026-09-26T16:51:26.223180+00:00

Renter Protections – LAHD

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What You Need to Know about LA's Renter Protections

Landlord & Tenant Updates

New RSO Rent Increase Information The City Council recently amended the annual allowable Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) rent increase formula to set the increase at 90% of the average Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than 100%. Effective February 2, 2026, the RSO annual rent increase formula may range from a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 4%, depending on the CPI. (Under the old rules, the floor was 3% and the ceiling was 8%.) LAHD will continue to publicize the annual allowable rent increase. The RSO annual rent increase remains at 3% from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027. Other changes include, effective February 2, 2026: The RSO annual rent increase must not include any additional percentage increase for utilities. Pending final Council approval, this will apply to annual rent increases effective on or after February 2, 2026. An additional 10% increase for an additional dependent added to the tenancy is no longer permitted. Refrigerator & Stove Required California Assembly Bill 628 (AB 628), effective January 1, 2026, requires landlords to provide and maintain operational stoves and refrigerators in all rental units. This requirement applies to all new, amended, or renewed leases. If a rental unit is found to be missing a stove or refrigerator, or if either appliance is non-functional or defective, an LAHD housing inspector will issue a Notice to Comply. Landlords will then have at least 30 days to resolve the identified issue. A landlord’s failure to resolve the Notice to Comply may result in an Administrative Hearing, a fine, and/or further penalties permitted by law.

Tenants’ Right to Counsel (RTC) If you are a residential tenant and receive a Los Angeles Court Document (Summons & Complaint- Unlawful Detainer (UD)), you may be eligible for legal services through the City’s Right to Counsel program in partnership with Stay Housed LA (SHLA) if you meet the following eligibility criteria. Please click here for more information on RTC. ATTENTION LANDLORDS: Beginning August 20, 2025, you must provide your tenant with a Notice of Right to Counsel in the following instances: Provide a Notice of Right to Counsel at the beginning of a tenancy in the tenant’s primary language. Find other languages at housing.lacity.gov/RTC. Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to a copy of any eviction notice ( served on the tenant. Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to any notice of termination of a rental housing subsidy (e.g., Section 8). Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to any rental housing subsidy administrative proceeding correspondence that may result in the termination of the tenant’s rental housing subsidy. Post the Notice of Right to Counsel in a conspicuous common area of the residential building where the tenant resides. Please click here for more information on RTC.

Non-Payment of Rent Eviction Protection for Tenants Impacted by the January 2025 WildfiresTenants are protected from eviction between Feb. 1, 2025, and July 31, 2025, if they lost actual wages due to one of the following: Your place of employment or business was destroyed or rendered uninhabitable due to the Wildfires or Your employer has laid you off or reduced working hours, or You had clients located in the Wildfires, which resulted in a loss of income.

You must also meet all of the following criteria: Provide your landlord with a self-certification notice within seven days of rent due for each month you cannot afford to pay rent. For February 2025 rent, a tenant must give notice to the landlord by March 4, 2025. You must have lived in the unit since before January 7, 2025. Loss of at least ten percent of your average monthly household income immediately before January 7, 2025. Enrolled in or have applied to a wildfire relief program and applied for unemployment benefits or other qualifying income assistance programs. Must have a 2024 household income equal to or less than 150% of the Area Median Income.

Income Limit Category 1 Person 2 Persons 3 Persons 4 Persons 5 Persons 6 Persons 7 Persons 8 Persons

Low Income 150% of Median

$103,150 $117,850 $132,600 $147,300 $159,100 $170,900 $182,700 $194,450

Rent not paid during this time must be paid to the landlord on or before July 31, 2026. Tenants are encouraged to work with their landlord on a payment plan and make partial payments if they can. For more information about this Los Angeles County law, click here.

Eviction Protection for Additional Tenants & Pets Due to the Wildfires

Effective February 24, 2024, the City Council approved eviction protection for those that have unauthorized persons or pets that were displaced due to the recent fires. In order to be protected from eviction, the tenant must notify their landlord in writing by March 25, 2025, and provide the following information:

Full names and date of birth of the displaced persons.

Type of pet and physical description of the pet.

The property address of the displaced persons or pets.

The reason and proof the displaced persons/pets have been displaced such a due to an evacuation order, damage or destruction due to the fire.

Rent for rental units covered under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) cannot be increased for additional tenants and/or pets added to a tenancy if displaced due to the wildfires.

English – LAHD Template Letter

Spanish – LAHD Template Letter

Chinese (Cantonese) – LAHD Template Letter

Chinese (Mandarin) – LAHD Template Letter

Armenian – LAHD Template Letter

Farsi – LAHD Template Letter

Korean – LAHD Template Letter

Russian – LAHD Template Letter

Tagalog – LAHD Template Letter

Just Cause Ordinance Property Determination Notice Sent to Property Owners An informational letter was recently mailed to City of Los Angeles residential properties (including rented single-family homes) with information regarding the new Just Cause Ordinance (JCO), recently approved by the City Council. This ordinance provides eviction protections for tenants who reside in rental units not covered under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). If you received this letter, you will soon (mid-March – April) receive an annual registration bill of $31.05 per rental unit. If your property is not used as a rental unit, you do not need to pay the registration fee but must complete and submit the enclosed exemption form that will be included with the registration bill indicating the property is owner-occupied or that no rent is being collected. This process may also be completed online by following the instructions on the bill. An exemption form is valid only for the current calendar year. You received this informational letter because your mailing address differs from the property address in the Los Angeles Assessor Tax Collector’s database. Click here for more information about the JCO. Click here for more information about the fees.

Protections Notice All landlords of residential properties must provide a Notice of Renters’ Protections to tenants who begin or renew their tenancy on or after January 27, 2023. This notice must also be posted in an accessible common area of the property. Click here to download the Protections Notice.

RSO Annual Rent Increase Unless amended by the City Council, the annual rent increase for rental units subject to the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, is 3%. State law requires landlords to provide 30-day written advance notice for rent increases of less than 10%. To determine if your unit is subject to the RSO, click here (zimas.lacity.org). Enter your address, click the Housing tab, and the RSO status for the property will be indicated. For questions, please call the LAHD hotline at 866-557-7368.

RSO rent increases are permitted once every 12 months.

Notice to Terminate Tenancy/Eviction Filing Effective January 27, 2023, any written notice terminating a tenancy for a tenant at-fault legal reason must be filed with the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) within three (3) business days of service on the tenant per Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.09.C.9 & 165.05.B.5. At-fault eviction notices can be uploaded here. All no-fault evictions must be filed with LAHD, submit required fees, and pay the tenant relocation assistance. Please click here for the Declaration of Intent to Evict forms required for all no-fault reasons and information on how to submit the forms.

Just Cause Tenant Eviction Protections Effective January 27, 2023, eviction protections now apply to most rental properties in the City of Los Angeles, including single-family homes, and condominiums. Rental units built after October 1, 1978, that are not currently covered by the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) are covered by the City’s Just Cause Eviction Protections Ordinance. Tenants become protected at the end of their first lease, or 6 months after a new lease, whichever comes first. The new protections require that landlords must have a legal reason to evict a tenant. Tenant no-fault evictions require the payment of relocation assistance such as owner occupancy, government order, demolition, or withdrawal of the rental property from the rental housing market. Click here for a list of at-fault legal reasons for eviction. Click here for a list of no-fault legal reasons for eviction.

State Law on Non-Payment of Rent Eviction Protections Tenants who provided their landlord with a COVID-19 Related Declaration of Financial Distress Form by the 15-Day deadline for rent owed from March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020, cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent from that period. A landlord can pursue a court action in small claims court for this rent. Tenants who provided their landlord with a COVID-19 Related Declaration of Financial Distress Form by the 15-Day deadline AND paid 25% of their rent to the landlord for rent owed from September 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent from that period. A landlord can pursue a court action in small claims court for this rent.

Evictions for Non-Payment of Rent Effective March 27, 2023, landlords may not evict a tenant who falls behind in rent unless the tenant owes an amount higher than the Fair Market Rent (FMR). The FMR depends on the bedroom size of the rental unit. For example, if a tenant rents a 1-bedroom unit and the rent is $1,500, the landlord cannot evict the tenant since the rent owed is less than the FMR for a 1-bedroom unit.

HUD has issued updated Fair Market Rent (FMR) values for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, HUD Metro Area. FY 2027 is valid from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. FY 2026 is valid from May 21, 2026, to September 30, 2026.

Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance On June 23, 2021, the Los Angeles City Council adopted the Tenant Anti- Harassment Ordinance (TAHO) #187109 which prohibits landlords from harassing tenants by actions such as removing housing services, withholding repairs or refusing to accept rent payments. The Ordinance applies to ALL residential units in the City of Los Angeles. For more information, click here.

Stay Housed LA Service

Stay Housed L.A. is a partnership between Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles and local community and legal service providers. The program provides free legal assistance to tenants facing wrongful eviction. Income eligible tenants receive the legal help they need to stay in their homes. For more information, visit https://www.stayhousedla.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

JUST CAUSE ORDINANCE (JCO) Q: What units are covered by the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO)? A: The Just Cause Ordinance (JCO) covers most residential properties in the City of Los Angeles that are not regulated by the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance. In order to apply for a tenancy, it requires that the tenant either has lived in the same unit for 6 months or that their initial original lease expired, whichever comes first. There are other specific exceptions to the JCO such as licensed care facilities, landlord roommates, transient hotels, some non-profits facilities for the homeless or short term treatments related to substance abuse, HACLA owned properties and government paid for rent to help homeless. The JCO requires a legal reason to terminate tenancy and requires relocation assistance for no-fault evictions but does not regulate rent increases. Q: Are single-family dwellings (SFD) covered by the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO)? A: Yes, SFDs are covered under JCO. However, the relocation assistance amount varies. If the owner of the SFD is a natural person, including natural persons who hold properties in a trust or registered legal entity controlled by a natural person, who owns no more than four dwelling units and a SFD on a separate lot in the City of Los Angeles, the relocation assistance amount is one month’s rent that was in effect when the landlord served the written notice to terminate the tenancy. Q: Does the Just Cause Ordinance regulate rent increases? A: No, the JCO only provides legal reasons for eviction. However, AB 1482 may regulate the rent amount in buildings that are at least 15 years or older. Effective August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025, the maximum allowable increase is 8.9%. (The percentage may change every year. Annual rent increases are limited to no more than 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living for the region in which the property is located, or 10% whichever is lower). PROTECTIONS NOTICE Q: I am a landlord and my tenant moved in two years ago, do I still have to post the new Notice since it was before January 27, 2023? A: Yes, you must post the Notice on the property and only issue the Notice to the tenant if they moved in or renewed their tenancy on or after January 27, 2023. The Notice must be posted in an accessible common area of the property. If a common area does not exist, post it where it is visible to the tenant(s). Q: I noticed the Protections Notice has been updated. How often is it updated? A: The Protections Notice is updated at least twice a year. It is updated every July 1st, since the RSO annual rent increase percentage and relocation amounts will change. The Notice is also updated if there are new laws or charts that need to be updated. EVICTION NOTICES Q: I am a landlord and want to know if I have to file the eviction notice with LAHD after I serve the tenant a 3-Day Notice or when I file the Unlawful Detainer in Court. A: In this case, the 3-Day Notice must be filed with LAHD within 3 business days of being provided to the tenant. Q: I am a tenant. How do I know if my landlord filed the 3-day Notice with the Department? A: To determine if a Notice has been filed with LAHD, please use this link to look up property information. RELOCATION ASSISTANCE Q: I noticed relocation assistance for a Single-Family Dwelling (SFD) is lower for a no-fault eviction for properties subject to JCO. Is a condominium the same as an SFD? A: No, a condominium is not a Single-Family Dwelling. Therefore, a condominium would not be eligible for the lower relocation amount for a no-fault eviction under JCO or for economic displacement. View the relevant ordinance here. Q: What is the difference between eligible and qualified tenants for relocation assistance? A: The amount of relocation assistance depends on whether the tenant is Eligible or Qualified, the length of the tenancy, and the tenant’s income. You may learn more about relocation assistance here.

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