Los Angeles Tenant Rights Attorney

The RSO covers rental units in properties whose first certificate of occupancy was issued on or before October 1, 1978. That includes apartments, duplexes, condominiums, two or more houses on the same lot, accessory dwelling units, mobilehomes in mobilehome parks, and hotel or motel rooms once a tenant has lived there more than 30 days. Some units built after July 15, 2007 that replace demolished RSO units are also covered. You can check a property at zimas.lacity.org under the Housing tab.

Most rentals that are not under the RSO, including newer buildings and single-family homes, are covered by the City's Just Cause Ordinance (JCO) once the first lease ends or the tenant has lived there six months, whichever comes first.

RSO rents can go up once every 12 months by the annual allowable increase LAHD publishes. For increases taking effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the limit is 3%. Under a formula change effective February 2, 2026, the yearly increase is 90% of local inflation, with a floor of 1% and a ceiling of 4% (the old range was 3% to 8%). Landlords may no longer add extra percentages for paying gas or electricity, or for a dependent added to the household. A landlord cannot collect rent on an RSO unit without registering it and serving the tenant a copy of the registration statement. Landlords can apply to LAHD for added increases for things like capital improvements or to earn a fair return.

If your unit is not covered by the RSO, including newer buildings, condos, and most single-family homes, you are likely covered by the City's Just Cause Ordinance (JCO), which has applied to most non-RSO rentals since January 27, 2023. Protection starts when your first lease ends or after six months, whichever comes first. From then on, your landlord needs a legal reason to end your tenancy, and must pay relocation money for no-fault reasons like an owner move-in, demolition, or taking the unit off the rental market. The JCO does not cap rent, but state law (AB 1482) may.

Since August 4, 2025, a tenant who wins a JCO case is awarded three times compensatory damages (which can include emotional distress and unpaid relocation money), attorney's fees and costs, and a civil penalty of $2,000 to $10,000 per violation. Tenants over 65 or disabled can receive up to $5,000 more per violation. A few housing types are exempt, such as licensed care facilities, student housing, and renting a room in a home where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner.

Every residential tenant in the City of Los Angeles is protected by the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, whether or not the unit is rent controlled. Harassment means a landlord's bad-faith conduct aimed at a tenant that causes harm. Examples in the ordinance include cutting services like parking, failing to make required repairs, abusing the right to enter, threats, pressuring you to move with buyout offers, lying about whether you have to leave, refusing rent, asking about immigration status, and retaliating against tenant organizing.

Since December 29, 2024, a tenant who wins a TAHO case is awarded three times compensatory damages (including emotional distress), rent refunds for lost services, attorney's fees and costs, and a civil penalty of $2,000 to $10,000 per violation, with up to $5,000 more per violation for tenants over 65 or disabled. Punitive damages are possible in serious cases. You generally have three years to sue. For repair-related claims, the landlord must first get written notice and a reasonable chance to fix the problem, unless the conduct was intentional and willful.

When an LA landlord ends a tenancy for a reason that is not the tenant's fault, such as an owner or family move-in, demolition, an Ellis Act withdrawal, or a government order to vacate, the landlord must pay relocation assistance. This applies to both RSO and JCO units. The landlord must file a declaration with LAHD before serving the notice, and the money must be made available within 15 days after the notice is served.

From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the amounts per unit are $11,000 for tenants with less than 3 years in the unit, and $14,400 for tenants with 3 or more years or low household income. Qualified households, where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or has a minor dependent child, receive $23,150 or $27,400. Some small landlords pay less for owner move-ins ($10,550 or $21,250), and an individual owner of a JCO single-family home with few other properties may owe only one month's rent. The payment is per unit and split among the tenants, the landlord can subtract unpaid rent, and the amounts go up every July 1.

A landlord can offer an RSO tenant money to move out, but strict rules apply. Before making any offer, the landlord must give the tenant LAHD's RSO Disclosure Notice explaining the tenant's rights, signed and dated by both sides. The written agreement must be in the tenant's primary language and state, in bold, that the tenant can cancel within 30 days after signing. The landlord must file the notice and agreement with LAHD within 60 days.

You never have to accept a buyout, and you can talk to a lawyer first. If the landlord skips the required steps, you can cancel the agreement at any time within the statute of limitations, and you can sue for damages plus a $500 penalty. Offering an RSO tenant money to move without the disclosure notice also counts as harassment under the TAHO, and pressuring any LA tenant to leave with payment offers can be harassment whether or not the unit is rent controlled.