Los Angeles Landlord Compliance Guide
The City of Los Angeles adds its own requirements on top of California eviction law. Before you raise rent, serve a notice or file an eviction for a property inside City limits, check each of the rules below. Missing one of them is one of the most common reasons Los Angeles eviction cases are dismissed.
The key City of Los Angeles rules
Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO)
Covers most rental units first built on or before October 1, 1978. Rent may be raised once every 12 months by the allowable percentage: 3% for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with no extra percentage for utilities since February 2, 2026. Evictions require just cause.
Just Cause Ordinance (JCO)
Covers most other rentals in the City, including newer buildings and many single family homes and condos, once the tenant has been there six months or the first lease ends. No City rent cap, but every termination needs a listed just cause.
File every notice with LAHD
A copy of every notice terminating an RSO or JCO tenancy, including a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit, must be filed with the Los Angeles Housing Department within three business days of service. A missed filing can be raised as a defense in the eviction case.
Relocation assistance
No fault terminations, such as owner move in or withdrawal from the rental market, require relocation assistance paid within 15 days of serving the notice. For 2026 to 2027 the base amounts range from $11,000 to $27,400 per unit.
Nonpayment threshold
No nonpayment eviction unless the tenant owes more than one month of HUD fair market rent for the unit size. The Court of Appeal upheld this rule in 2026. Fair market rents update every October 1.
Registration and the Rent Registry
RSO and JCO units must be registered with LAHD every year, and owners must report rent and tenancy information to the City's Rent Registry by the last day of February. LAHD warns that an RSO owner without a valid registration cannot legally demand and accept rent.
Ellis Act withdrawals
Owners leaving the rental business follow a state law procedure through LAHD: a recorded memorandum, a Notice of Intent to Withdraw, a 120 day notice (one year for qualifying senior or disabled tenants), relocation and later re-rental limits.
Owner move in and buyouts
Owner move in terminations must meet both state and City rules, and buyout agreements for RSO units require a City disclosure and filing. Sometimes a negotiated move out is the better route.
A quick checklist before any Los Angeles notice
- Confirm the property is inside the City of Los Angeles.
- Check RSO or JCO coverage in ZIMAS and on your LAHD registration bill.
- Confirm the units are registered and the Rent Registry is complete.
- For nonpayment, compare the unpaid rent with one month of fair market rent for the bedroom count.
- For a no fault reason, file the Declaration of Intent to Evict and arrange relocation within 15 days of service.
- Serve the notice correctly, then file it with LAHD within three business days and keep the confirmation.
Unincorporated Los Angeles County
Outside city limits, the County's Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance applies, enforced by the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA). It has a different nonpayment threshold, its own notice filing rule and its own relocation schedule. See the County's two month rent threshold.
Get help with a Los Angeles eviction
We represent landlords throughout the City and County of Los Angeles. Our online eviction notices are $150 each, and full attorney representation for an uncontested residential eviction is an $850 flat fee, plus court, process server and sheriff fees paid to those agencies. Learn more on our Los Angeles eviction lawyer page.
Updated October 2026. General information about City of Los Angeles and California law, not legal advice for your situation. Figures change: the RSO percentage and relocation amounts each July 1, and fair market rents each October 1.