Los Angeles · Renting & eviction

Renting in Los Angeles: the rules that apply

Los Angeles adds 2 eviction laws to state law: the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) for rent-stabilized units and the Just Cause Ordinance for units not under rent stabilization, with exemptions. Under the Just Cause Ordinance, the city also requires relocation pay for no-fault evictions and for tenants who leave after large rent increases.

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Key points

Rent increases: State law caps covered units at 8.7%; city rule: RSO capital-improvement surcharges are at most $55 per month per unit unless agreed in writing.
RSO evictions: City rule: RSO eviction grounds include rent unpaid over 1 month of HUD fair market rent, uncured lease violations, nuisance and illegal use.
Eviction reasons: The city's Just Cause Ordinance applies to non-RSO units after 6 months of lawful occupancy or when the first lease ends, whichever comes first.
Rent-increase moves: Non-RSO tenants leaving after increases in 12 months above the lesser of CPI plus 5% or 10% get 3x fair market rent plus $1,411.
Notice filing: City rule: under the Just Cause Ordinance, every written termination notice must be filed with the Department within 3 business days of service.
Harassment: City rule: a tenant who wins a harassment case can get 3 times compensatory damages and a $2,000 to $10,000 civil penalty per violation.

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

Practical research questions and checklists

Rent increases

Los Angeles code State law caps covered units at 8.7%; city rule: RSO capital-improvement surcharges are at most $55 per month per unit unless agreed in writing.

All 10 Los Angeles rules on rent increases, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Eviction and just cause

Los Angeles code City rule: RSO eviction grounds include rent unpaid over 1 month of HUD fair market rent, uncured lease violations, nuisance and illegal use. The city's Just Cause Ordinance applies to non-RSO units after 6 months of lawful occupancy or when the first lease ends, whichever comes first.

All 42 Los Angeles rules on eviction and just cause, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Relocation payments

Los Angeles code Non-RSO tenants leaving after increases in 12 months above the lesser of CPI plus 5% or 10% get 3x fair market rent plus $1,411.

All 22 Los Angeles rules on relocation payments, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Notices

Los Angeles code City rule: under the Just Cause Ordinance, every written termination notice must be filed with the Department within 3 business days of service.

All 21 Los Angeles rules on notices, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Security deposits

Los Angeles code monthly or yearly At the same time and in the same manner as the security-deposit return

All 5 Los Angeles rules on security deposits, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Retaliation

CA state law Los Angeles has no rule of its own on this, so California law 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

Los Angeles code City rule: a tenant who wins a harassment case can get 3 times compensatory damages and a $2,000 to $10,000 civil penalty per violation.

All 25 Los Angeles rules on harassment and lockouts, with the code text and the state law underneath →

Repairs and habitability

CA state law Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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

Los Angeles code An RSO Disclosure Notice of tenant rights on the Department's form, dated and signed by landlord and tenant(s) Before making a Buyout Offer, the landlord must provide the tenant with the Department-authorized RSO Disclosure Notice of tenant rights, dated and signed by the landlord and tenant

All 15 Los Angeles rules on buyout agreements, with the code text →

Short-term rentals

Los Angeles code What Los Angeles's code adds
Permit or registration	The hotel permit application must include the Home Sharing Registration number. Applies: Low Occupancy Lodging and short-term rentals; the application also lists the main booking platforms. § 103.403 · code text For Low Occupancy Lodging and Short-Term Rentals, the primary platform(s) this property will be listed on and available for booking, and the Home Sharing Registration number;

Hotel and short-term rental tax

Los Angeles code What Los Angeles's code adds
Tax rate	The hotel tax is 14% of the rent. Applies: Taxable hotel stays after July 31, 1993; the listed exemptions apply. § 21.7.3 · code text and at the rate of fourteen percent (14%) thereafter. (Amended by Ord. No. 168,850, Eff. 8/1/93.)
Who collects it	The guest pays the tax to the hotel operator when paying the rent. § 21.7.3 · code text The transient shall pay the tax to the operator of the hotel at the time the rent is paid.

Other Los Angeles rules on this

Los Angeles's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.

Rent Stabilization Ordinance (§ 151.33)
Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (Ch. IV, Art. 5.3)
Rent Stabilization Ordinance (§§ 151.09–151.30)
Rent Escrow Account Program (§ 162.09) — units in the Rent Escrow Account Program only
Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance (§§ 165.03–165.11)

Who this affects

TenantsLandlordsProperty managers

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent out my home short-term in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles's code: The hotel permit application must include the Home Sharing Registration number. (Low Occupancy Lodging and short-term rentals; the application also lists the main booking platforms.) (§ 103.403).

What is the hotel tax on short-term rentals in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles's code: The hotel tax is 14% of the rent. (Taxable hotel stays after July 31, 1993; the listed exemptions apply.) (§ 21.7.3); The guest pays the tax to the hotel operator when paying the rent. (§ 21.7.3).

General information, not legal advice.

AI-assisted research · Source checks recorded

Los Angeles: Rental operations

Before changing rent, ending a tenancy, or changing a housing policy. Start with a question, collect the records, and follow the cited law.

City of Los Angeles; county and unincorporated areas require separate research. Source checks do not establish a property-specific outcome. Open questions appear in each verification record.

LA-R01 · Research pending