Rent Control Los Angeles – RSO

Everything about rent control Los Angeles can be found in the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, in Chapter XV of the Los Angeles Municipal Code.

Residential rental units covered by the RSO include:

• apartments
• condominiums
• town homes
• duplexes
• two or more dwelling units on the same lot
• mobile homes
• mobile home pads
• rooms in a hotel, motel, rooming house or boarding house occupied by the same tenant for 30 or more consecutive days [Changed from 60 to 30 days pursuant to Ordinance 176472, Adopted February 1, 2005; Effective March 26, 2005. Council File 03-1517.]

Properties exempt from the RSO are as follows:

1. Properties located in other municipalities or within unincorporated areas within the County of Los Angeles;
2. One detached single family dwelling on a lot;
3. Properties (except mobile homes and mobile home pads) with a first Certificate of Occupancy issued after October 1, 1978 (new construction), excluding replacement units built after July 16, 2007;
4. Mobile homes or mobile home pads when the park was issued a permit to operate after February 10, 1986;
5. Government owned properties;
6. Units occupied by an owner or family member where no rents are collected;
7. Vacant units (10 days to register upon rental of the property);
8. Luxury Housing Accommodations issued a Luxury Exemption Certificate;
9. Schools/Hospitals;
10. Hotel/Motels – with tenancy under 30 days [Changed from 60 to 30 days pursuant to Ordinance 176472, Adopted February 1, 2005; Effective March 26, 2005. Council File 03-1517.];
11. Affordable Housing Units, as per LAMC 151.02, which have been issued an approved Affordable Housing exemption letter from HCIDLA.

Even if a unit is not covered under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, renters and landlords still have rights and responsibilities under California law. For more information, see A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities published by the State of California – Department of Consumer Affairs.

The Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers four broad categories:

1. Allowable rent increases;
2. Registration of rental units;
3. Legal reasons for eviction;
4. Causes for eviction requiring relocation assistance payment to the tenant.

RSO-related informational publications produced by the LAHD include the Landlord-Tenant Handbook and bulletins on various Rent Stabilization Topics.