Bell Gardens · Renting & eviction

Renting in Bell Gardens: the rules that apply

Bell Gardens adds its own rent stabilization, just-cause eviction, relocation pay, harassment and buyout rules on top of state law. The city has no rules of its own on repairs or landlord entry, so state law applies there.

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Key points

Rent increases: Under state law, increases on covered units are capped at 8.7% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027; city-approved increases never exceed it.
Just cause: City rule: after 12 months of continuous, lawful tenancy, a landlord needs a listed reason, such as unpaid rent after a 3-day demand.
Ending a tenancy: State law requires 60 days' notice to end a tenancy, or 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than 1 year.
Relocation pay: City rule: no-fault evictions require 3 months' rent, half within 15 days of the notice and the rest within 5 business days after move-out.
Below-market units: City rule: with department approval, a registered unit below 80% of fair market rent may rise up to 3% more, once per 12 months.
Buyouts: City rule: a tenant gets the draft buyout at least 45 days before signing and may cancel within 30 days after all parties sign.

Each rule below is marked Bell Gardens code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Rent increases

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Annual increase limit	Up to 3% more, on top of the regular annual increase. Applies: Only with department approval, for a registered covered unit renting below 80% of fair market rent; once per 12 months, never above the state cap. § 5.62.050 · code text a landlord may increase the rent, in addition to the annual rent increase allowed under BGMC § 5.62.040, by an amount not to exceed three percent subject to the following:
Floor or ceiling on the increase	80% of fair market rent. Applies: Applies to the extra below-market increase; approvals continue only until rent reaches this level. § 5.62.050 · code text The department shall only approve adjustments to rent increases under this subsection until the rent equals or exceeds 80 percent of fair market rent for a comparable unit.
How often rent can go up	Only 1 extra increase can be approved in any 12-month period. Applies: Applies to the extra below-market rent increase. § 5.62.050 · code text Only one additional rent increase may be approved in any 12-month period.
Petitions and pass-throughs	Landlord may seek more than allowed increases for a fair return; factors include capital improvements; never above the state cap. Applies: The landlord applies to the department and must prove the extra increase is needed. § 5.62.070 · code text The addition of capital improvements on the rental property.

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. Rent cap right now: 8.7% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.7% inflation) (Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), (g)). California's statewide rent cap — the full state rule →

Eviction and just cause

Bell Gardens code City rule: after 12 months of continuous, lawful tenancy, a landlord needs a listed reason, such as unpaid rent after a 3-day demand.

All 13 Bell Gardens rules on eviction and just cause, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Relocation payments

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Extra for protected tenants	one times the tenant's monthly rent in effect when the landlord served the notice to terminate the tenancy Applies: If any tenant in the unit is 62 or older, disabled, has a dependent child under 18 in the unit, is a lower-income household, or has lived there five years or more; all tenants share it, and the tenant must notify the landlord with proof within 10 days of the termination notice § 5.63.040 · code text If any tenant residing in the rental unit from which the tenants are to be displaced includes a qualified tenant, then all tenants living in the rental unit are collectively entitled to additional relocation assistance as follows:
Amount	3 months' rent, at the rate in effect when the termination notice was served. Applies: Permanent relocation after a no-fault eviction; shared proportionally when 2 or more tenants live in the unit. § 5.63.040 · code text The landlord shall pay a relocation assistance amount equal to three times the tenant's monthly rent in effect when the landlord served the notice to terminate the tenancy. The federal GSA per-diem lodging rate for Los Angeles County, updated yearly; may include occupancy taxes. Applies: Temporary displacement for work making the unit unlivable; owed up to 30 days, and 31+ days unless comparable lodging given; parties may agree otherwise. § 5.63.040 · code text Per-diem payment will be based on the Federal General Services Administration per-diem rate for lodging in the county of Los Angeles, which is updated on a yearly basis, unless otherwise agreed upon by the landlord and tenant, and may include any applicable transient occupancy taxes.
When it is paid	Half within 15 days after the termination notice is served; the rest within 5 business days after move-out. Applies: Permanent relocation assistance. § 5.63.040 · code text Landlord shall pay one-half of the relocation assistance due no later than 15 days following service of the termination of tenancy and the balance due no later than five business days after the tenant has vacated the rental unit.
When relocation is owed	A no-fault eviction; the landlord must give the relocation notice with it. § 5.63.040 · code text When relocation assistance must be paid to tenants who are evicted from their rental unit pursuant to BGMC § 5.63.030, the landlord must make the relocation assistance payment in accordance with this section. Repairs, rehabilitation, health and safety violations, toxic exposure, or other work making the unit unlivable or needing it vacant. Applies: When the tenant is temporarily displaced. § 5.63.040 · code text A landlord must provide temporary relocation assistance to tenants of a rental unit who are temporarily displaced due to repairs, rehabilitation of a rental unit, health and safety violations, or other work or activities that will make the rental unit an untenantable dwelling

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. No-fault eviction relocation assistance: One month's rent (as relocation payment or rent waiver), paid within 15 calendar days of the notice (Civ. Code § 1946.2(d)(3)(A)). Relocation under California's just-cause law — the full state rule →

Notices

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
What a notice must say	A notice of tenant rights under the city's rent stabilization rules. Applies: Covered units: given before or at signing, attached to the lease, again at renewal, and with every rent increase or decrease notice. § 5.62.100 · code text Landlords must provide to each tenant, prior to, or at the time of, agreeing to rent or lease a covered rental unit, a notice of tenant rights under this chapter. The tenant rights notice in English and in the language the lease was negotiated or written in. Applies: When the lease was negotiated or written in a language other than English. § 5.62.100 · code text If the rental agreement is negotiated or written in a language other than English, the landlord must also provide the form notice of tenant rights in English and the language in which the rental agreement was negotiated or written. A notice of tenant rights under the city's eviction protection rules. Applies: Given before or at signing, attached to the written lease, and again at renewal. § 5.63.070 · code text Landlords must provide to each tenant, prior to or at the time of agreeing to rent or lease a rental unit, a notice of tenant rights under this chapter. A statement that the tenant may owe pass-through costs and fees the department reviewed and approved. Applies: Must be in the rental agreement. § 5.62.100 · code text A landlord shall include language in the rental agreement that tenant may be subject to pass-through costs and fees that have been reviewed and approved by the department.

CA state law The statewide rule underneath
Notice of a rent increase	At least 30 days' notice for an increase of 10% or less; at least 90 days for an increase of more than 10% Applies: The 10% is measured against the rent charged at any time in the 12 months before the increase, counting all increases in that period together. Civ. Code § 827(b)(2), (b)(3)(A)
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy (landlord)	60 days' notice; 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than one year Applies: Where the unit is covered by just cause (Civ. Code § 1946.2) or a local ordinance, the notice must also state a qualifying cause. Civ. Code § 1946.1(b), (c)
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy (tenant)	At least as long as the rental period (one month for a month-to-month tenancy) Civ. Code § 1946.1(b)
30-day notice when the unit is sold to an owner-occupant	30 days' notice when a separately sellable unit is in escrow to a natural person who will live there for at least a year Applies: Notice within 120 days of opening escrow, given once, and all § 1946.1(d) conditions met. Civ. Code § 1946.1(d)
Notice to pay rent or quit	3 days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays, stating the amount due and how to pay Applies: May be served any time within one year after the rent became due. Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(2)
Notice to cure a lease violation or quit	3 days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays, to perform the broken lease term or leave Code Civ. Proc. § 1161(3)
No fee for serving notices	A landlord may not charge the tenant a fee for serving or posting a notice Civ. Code § 1946.1(i)

Security deposits

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Deposit limit	Can rise only with the annual rent increase, stated in that notice, and never above the state maximum. Applies: Covered units, unless state law or the written lease forbids an increase. § 5.62.080 · code text Any increase in the security deposit shall be clearly stated in the written notice of the annual rent increase and shall not exceed the maximum amount authorized by state law.

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. Security deposit cap: One month's rent, on top of the first month's rent (Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(6)). Deposit return deadline: 21 calendar days after the tenant moves out, with an itemized statement of any deductions (Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)). California security deposit law — the full state rule →

Retaliation

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Protected activities	Asserting or using rights under the city's eviction protection rules. Applies: The eviction bar applies only if the tenant isn't behind on rent; there is no time limit between the act and retaliation. § 5.63.060 · code text A tenant may assert retaliation affirmatively or as a defense to the landlord's action regardless of the period of time which has elapsed between the tenant's assertion or exercise of rights under this chapter and the alleged act of retaliation. Organizing with other tenants and acting together for mutual aid and protection. § 5.63.060 · code text Interfere with the right of tenants to organize as tenants and engage in concerted activities with other tenants for the purpose of mutual aid and protection; provide property access to tenant organizers, advocates, or representatives working with or on behalf of tenants living at a property; convene tenant or tenant organization meetings in an appropriate space accessible to tenants under the terms of their rental agreement; or distribute and post literature in common areas, including lobby areas and bulletin boards, informing other tenants of their rights and of opportunities to involve themselves in organized tenant activit
Remedies	A tenant can raise retaliation as a claim or as a defense to the landlord's case. Applies: Retaliation claims can be brought only in court. § 5.63.060 · code text A tenant may assert retaliation affirmatively or as a defense to the landlord's action regardless of the period of time which has elapsed between the tenant's assertion or exercise of rights under this chapter and the alleged act of retaliation.

CA state law Underneath, California law still applies. Retaliation protection period: For 180 days after a tenant complains about habitability (to the landlord or an agency), the landlord may not evict, raise rent or cut services in retaliation (Civ. Code § 1942.5(a), (b)). Retaliatory eviction in California — the full state rule →

Harassment and lockouts

Bell Gardens code Yes. Cutting off or failing to provide required housing services, or threatening to; or violating Civil Code §§ 789.3 and 1940.2.

All 24 Bell Gardens rules on harassment and lockouts, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Repairs and habitability

CA state law Bell Gardens has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Duty to keep the unit habitable: The landlord must deliver a unit fit to live in and repair conditions that make it untenantable (Civ. Code § 1941). Repair and deduct: A tenant may make a repair the landlord neglects and deduct the cost from rent, up to one month's rent, no more than twice in any 12 months (Civ. Code § 1942(a)). Habitability and repair-and-deduct — the full state rule →

Landlord entry

CA state law Bell Gardens has no rule of its own on this, so California law applies. Landlord entry notice: Reasonable written notice, presumed to be 24 hours, and entry only during normal business hours (Civ. Code § 1954(d)(1), (e)). Landlord entry notice in California — the full state rule →

Buyout agreements

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Required disclosure	Yes — written disclosure on a department-approved form, in English and the tenant's primary language (translated at the landlord's expense), stating the tenant may refuse to negotiate, may consult an attorney, may rescind within 30 days after full execution, and may contact the department; with a space to sign and date § 5.63.050 · code text At the time a proposed buyout agreement is provided, the landlord shall provide each tenant in the rental unit a written disclosure, on a form approved by the department, in English and in the tenant's primary language if other than English translated at the landlord's expense, that shall include all of the following:
Filing with the city	Yes: file the signed buyout agreement and proof of the disclosure notice with the department within 10 days after signing. § 5.63.050 · code text Landlord shall also file with the department a copy of the executed buyout agreement, along with proof of service to the tenant of the disclosure notice as required in this section, within 10 days after the buyout agreement is executed by all parties.
Required terms	In English and the negotiation language at landlord's cost; tenants get the draft at least 45 days before signing. § 5.63.050 · code text Be in writing in English and the language in which the buyout agreement was negotiated if other than English translated at the landlord's expense. The landlord shall give each tenant a copy of the proposed buyout agreement at least 45 days before it is executed by the parties. In bold 12-point type near the tenant's signature: the tenant may cancel in writing before the 30th day after all parties sign; has a right not to enter a buyout agreement; and may consult an attorney (the community development department may have information about other buyouts) § 5.63.050 · code text Include the following statement in bold letters in at least 12-point boldface type in close proximity to the space reserved for the signature of the tenant:
Time to cancel	30 days. Applies: Counted from when all parties sign; the tenant cancels by hand delivery, email or certified mail to the landlord. § 5.63.050 · code text A tenant shall have the right to rescind a buyout agreement for up to 30 days after its execution by all parties.

Hotel and short-term rental tax

Bell Gardens code What Bell Gardens's code adds
Tax rate	8% of the rent. § 3.24.030 · code text For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of eight percent of the rent charged by the operator.
Who collects it	The operator collects the tax from each guest at the same time as the rent. § 3.24.060 · code text Each operator shall collect the tax imposed by this chapter to the same extent and at the same time as the rent is collected from every transient.

Who this affects

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Frequently asked questions

How much can rent go up in Bell Gardens?

Under state law, increases on covered units are capped at 8.7% from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027; city-approved increases never exceed it. City rule: with department approval, a registered unit below 80% of fair market rent may rise up to 3% more, once per 12 months.

Does a Bell Gardens landlord have to pay relocation?

City rule: no-fault evictions require 3 months' rent, half within 15 days of the notice and the rest within 5 business days after move-out.

How much notice does a Bell Gardens landlord have to give?

State law requires 60 days' notice to end a tenancy, or 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than 1 year.

How much can a Bell Gardens landlord charge for a security deposit?

Bell Gardens's code: Can rise only with the annual rent increase, stated in that notice, and never above the state maximum. (Covered units, unless state law or the written lease forbids an increase.) (§ 5.62.080). State law: One month's rent, on top of the first month's rent (Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(6)).

What is the hotel tax on short-term rentals in Bell Gardens?

Bell Gardens's code: 8% of the rent. (§ 3.24.030); The operator collects the tax from each guest at the same time as the rent. (§ 3.24.060).

General information, not legal advice.

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