Is your unit covered by LA rent stabilization?

Why coverage is the first question

Rent stabilization changes a great deal: how much rent can rise, what grounds are needed to end a tenancy, whether relocation assistance is owed. Two similar buildings on the same street can fall on opposite sides of the line.

Because coverage is address-specific, general information only goes so far — the definitive step is checking your own address against the relevant city's records.

What typically determines it

The city the property sits in — the City of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, several other cities and unincorporated LA County each have their own rules with different scope. The type of building and the number of units. The date of construction or of the certificate of occupancy. Whether the unit is a single-family home or a condominium.

In the City of Los Angeles, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) generally covers rental units in properties first built on or before October 1, 1978 — including apartments, duplexes, two or more houses on the same lot, and many ADUs — while the rent amount of condominiums and townhomes is not regulated for tenancies that began after December 31, 1995 (LAHD: RSO overview). Most other rental units in the city fall under the city's Just Cause Ordinance, which limits evictions but not rent (LAHD: Just Cause Ordinance). In unincorporated areas, the county's Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance applies (LA County DCBA).

State law also provides a separate baseline where a stricter local scheme does not apply: for many units, except those that received a certificate of occupancy within the last 15 years, annual increases are capped at 5% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower (Civil Code § 1947.12), and just cause is required after 12 months (Civil Code § 1946.2).

What coverage does and does not do

It generally limits annual increases and requires a stated ground to end a tenancy. Under the LA RSO, rent may be raised once every 12 months by the percentage LAHD publishes each year — 3% for the year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, unless the City Council amends it. Since February 2, 2026, the annual increase may not include any extra percentage for utilities the landlord provides (and the old 10% adder for a dependent added to the tenancy is gone), and future increases are set by a new formula: 90% of the relevant CPI, within a band of 1% to 4% (previously 3% to 8%). It does not freeze rent, does not prevent all evictions, and does not cover every dispute between landlord and tenant.

It also carries registration obligations on the landlord: LA RSO units must be registered with LAHD every year, and the landlord must give the tenant the annual registration statement. A landlord who has not registered can face consequences that are relevant to a dispute.

Common questions

Official sources

• LAHD RSO overview (updated 2026-08-20)
• LAHD JCO page (updated 2026-09-10)
• LA County DCBA Rent Stabilization Program
• Civil Code § 1947.12
• Civil Code § 1946.2
• Civil Code § 1953