Los Angeles Rent Control (RSO): The 2026 Guide for Tenants

Los Angeles rent control means the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, or RSO, which the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) runs for most apartments first built on or before October 1, 1978. Units the RSO does not reach are usually protected from no-cause eviction by the city’s Just Cause Ordinance, and many are also capped by the statewide limit in Civil Code 1947.12, explained in the AB 1482 rent cap guide. This page covers the City of Los Angeles only; other cities in Los Angeles County, such as Santa Monica, have their own rules.

Is my Los Angeles apartment covered by rent control?

LAHD states the basic test this way: “Generally, the RSO applies to rental properties that were first built on or before October 1, 1978.” The RSO also covers replacement units built under the city’s Ellis Act and replacement-housing rules. The building date is what counts. Your move-in date and your rent do not affect coverage.

To check a specific address, go to the city’s ZIMAS map at zimas.lacity.org, enter the address and open the Housing tab. It shows whether the property is under the RSO or the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO).

A small number of pre-1978 units are exempt. LAHD describes a “luxury exemption,” for which the landlord must prove the monthly rent charged on or before May 31, 1978. It also lists temporary exemptions. Neither applies automatically: the landlord has to apply to LAHD. If a landlord says your older unit is exempt, ask LAHD to confirm it.

Not under the RSO? The state rent cap probably covers you

A newer building in Los Angeles is not automatically uncapped. State law covers most rental housing whose certificate of occupancy is more than 15 years old. Los Angeles is in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area named in 1947.12(g)(1)(A), so the cap is:

• 8.7% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027;
• 8.0% for increases that took effect August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026.

LAHD’s own Renter Protections Notice gives the same two figures. The cap is measured from the lowest rent charged in the 12 months before the increase.

The state cap does not cover every unit. The main exemptions are:

• a unit with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years;
• a house or condo whose owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, if the tenant received the written exemption notice the statute requires;
• a duplex where the owner lived in the other unit when your tenancy began and still lives there;
• deed-restricted affordable housing.

RSO units are left out of the state cap because the RSO sets a lower limit (1947.12(d)(3)). To check a specific unit, see Is my California rental exempt from the rent cap? The regional figures are compared in the 2026 California rent increase limits.

How much can rent go up under Los Angeles rent control in 2026?

The allowable RSO increase is 3% for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. LAHD’s notice updated July 1, 2026 lists the recent rates:

The city changed how this rate is calculated, effective February 2, 2026. In LAHD’s words, the City Council “amended the annual allowable RSO rent increase formula to set the increase at 90% of the average CPI rather than 100%.” The result may now range from a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 4%, depending on the CPI. Under the old rules the floor was 3% and the ceiling was 8%. LAHD says the rate stays at 3% from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.

Four more RSO rules affect how much you pay:

• One increase every 12 months.
• No utilities add-on. Effective February 2, 2026, the annual increase “must not include any additional percentage increase for utilities.”
• No dependent surcharge. The extra 10% increase that was once allowed when a dependent joined the household is no longer permitted.
• No catch-up for the freeze. RSO increases were prohibited from March 2020 to January 2024. Landlords may not bank those skipped years or apply them retroactively.

Say you rent an RSO apartment for $2,000 a month and your landlord raises it effective September 1, 2026, at least 12 months after the last increase. The most they can add is 3%, or $60, for a new rent of $2,060. If the same $2,000 unit were in a newer building under the state cap instead, the ceiling would be 8.7%, or $174, for $2,174. The rent increase calculator does the state-cap math for any county.

Notice, registration and the Renter Protections Notice

Rent increase notice. Los Angeles does not require a longer notice period than state law. LAHD applies Civil Code 827, which requires at least 30 days’ written notice for an increase of 10% or less and 90 days for more than 10%. A lawful 3% RSO increase therefore needs at least 30 days’ notice. Mailed notices add time; see the rent increase notice guide.

Renter Protections Notice. Landlords must give the city’s Renter Protections Notice to tenants whose tenancy begins or is renewed on or after January 27, 2023. They must also post it in a common area of the property. LAHD says failure to post it is a misdemeanor and an affirmative defense to eviction.

Right to Counsel notice. Landlords must give a Notice of Right to Counsel at the start of a tenancy, attach it to any eviction notice, and post it in a common area.

Annual registration. Every rental unit in the city must be registered each year, and a landlord needs a current Registration Certificate to legally collect rent. The fee is billed in January and becomes delinquent after the last day of February. LAHD’s annual bill page lists $38.75 per RSO unit and $31.05 per JCO unit.

Just cause eviction protections in Los Angeles

LAHD’s notice states that all renters in the City of Los Angeles have eviction protections: a landlord must give a legal reason to evict. The protection comes from two laws:

• RSO units are protected by the RSO itself.
• JCO units are those not under the RSO, including single-family homes and condos, covered since January 27, 2023. JCO protection starts at the end of the tenant’s first lease or 6 months after the lease begins, whichever comes first. The state’s own just cause law waits 12 months.

The JCO has exceptions, including:

• licensed care facilities;
• units where the tenant shares the home with the landlord as a roommate;
• transient hotels;
• some nonprofit homeless or short-term treatment facilities;
• properties owned by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.

The allowed reasons fall into two groups. At-fault reasons include nonpayment, lease violations and nuisance. No-fault reasons include move-in by the owner or a family member, a government order, and demolition or permanent removal of the unit from the rental market. Every no-fault eviction triggers the relocation payments below.

Filing with the city. Since January 27, 2023, any written notice terminating a tenancy must be filed with LAHD within three business days of service on the tenant. LAHD’s notice says a tenant can raise the landlord’s failure to file as an affirmative defense.

Nonpayment threshold. Since March 27, 2023, a landlord may not evict for unpaid rent unless the tenant owes more than one month of the HUD Fair Market Rent for the unit’s size. The amounts in effect from May 21 through September 30, 2026 are:

LAHD says new Fair Market Rent values apply from October 1, 2026. Check its site for the new figures after that date.

Los Angeles relocation assistance amounts for 2026–27

Relocation assistance is required for no-fault evictions from both RSO and JCO units. LAHD’s relocation bulletin sets these amounts for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027:

For no-fault notices served before July 1, 2026, the July 1, 2025 schedule applied:

The bulletin sets these payment rules:

• The payment is per unit, not per person, and is split pro rata among the tenants.
• It is due within 15 days of service of the notice, and it may be paid through escrow.
• The landlord may subtract unpaid rent the tenant owes, except when the government has ordered the unit vacated.

Say two adults have rented an RSO unit for four years and neither is a qualified tenant. The payment is $14,400 for the unit, or $7,200 each.

The lower “Mom and Pop” rate applies only to an owner or family move-in, and only if every condition is met:

• the building has four or fewer units;
• the landlord has not used the reduced rate in the previous three years;
• the landlord owns no more than four residential units and one single-family home on a separate lot in Los Angeles;
• the relative moving in owns no residential property in the city.

How local payments interact with the state’s one-month minimum is covered in California relocation assistance.

Buyouts and cash for keys in RSO units

A landlord who wants an RSO tenant to leave in exchange for money must follow the city’s Tenant Buyout Notification Program under LAMC 151.31. It applies to agreements from January 25, 2017 onward and has four requirements:

• Disclosure first. Before making any offer, the landlord must give the tenant LAHD’s RSO Disclosure Notice, signed and dated.
• Language. The agreement must be in the tenant’s primary language.
• Cancellation statement. Above the signature line, in 12-point bold type, the agreement must state that the tenant may cancel it any time up to 30 days after all parties have signed, without any obligation or penalty.
• Filing. The landlord must file the Disclosure Notice and the signed agreement with LAHD within 60 days of signing.

The tenant can cancel within 30 days. If the landlord skipped any requirement, the tenant can cancel at any time. Non-compliance is also an affirmative defense in an eviction case and may support a civil claim. How to weigh an offer against the relocation amount you would be owed is covered in cash for keys in California.

Where to get help in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Housing Department answers questions about RSO status, rent increases, registration and relocation:

• Hotline: (866) 557-7368, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Office: 1910 Sunset Blvd, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90026.
• Online: file a complaint or ask LAHD a question. The city’s renter protections page collects the current rules in one place.

Questions people ask

Is Los Angeles rent control 3% in 2026?

Yes. The allowable RSO increase is 3% for increases taking effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and it was also 3% for the year before. Under the formula in effect since February 2, 2026, future rates can range from 1% to 4%.

How do I know if my apartment is RSO in Los Angeles?

Look up the address on zimas.lacity.org and open the Housing tab, or call LAHD at (866) 557-7368. As a rule of thumb, a rental property first built on or before October 1, 1978 is usually covered.

Can my LA landlord add a utilities charge to the RSO increase?

No. Effective February 2, 2026, the annual RSO increase must not include any additional percentage for utilities.

Related California renter guides

• Santa Monica rent control and tenant rights
• San Diego tenant rights: rent increases, just cause and relocation
• California rent increase limits for 2026 by county
• Rent increase calculator: your maximum legal rent
• Just cause eviction rules under state law
• When a California landlord must pay you to move
• Cash for keys and tenant buyouts in California

This page explains what the cited California law says. It is not legal advice. Last verified September 28, 2026.