Los Angeles Housing Department

RENT STABILIZATION ORDINANCE

The purpose of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance is to protect tenants from excessive rent increases, while at the same time allowing landlords a reasonable return on their investments. The Rent Stabilization Ordinance is Chapter XV of the Los Angeles Municipal Code.

Residential rental units covered by the RSO include:

To be subject to the RSO of the City of Los Angeles, a property must meet the following three criteria:

  1. The property must be within the City of Los Angeles; and
  2. There must be two or more units on the lot; and
  3. The building must have a Certificate of Occupancy issued on or before October 1, 1978. (In the case of mobile homes and mobile home pads, the park must have been issued a permit to operate before February 10, 1986).

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. Single family dwellings, used as such;
  3. Properties (except mobile homes and mobile home pads) with a Certificate of Occupancy issued after October 1, 1978 (new construction);
  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. Properties permanently removed from the rental market;
  9. Luxury Housing Accommodations issued a Department Certificate;
  10. Demolished RSO properties;
  11. Schools/Hospitals;
  12. 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.];
  13. Non-profit owner units, with certain qualifications.

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. 12 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.

A complaint can be filed by any tenant who believes that an owner/ manager/ agent has committed a violation of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. To file a complaint, use one of the following methods:

  1. Call the Housing Department's Public Information Hotline (toll-free) at 1-866-557-RENT and request that a form be mailed to you (the form can then be returned via U.S. Mail)
  2. Visit one of the Housing Department's Public Counters and complete the form.
  3. File a complaint online.

If you have questions or need additional information, please call our Public Information Hotline at (866) 557-RENT, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or visit one of our Public Counters.

rso.htm (rev 04.20.05)