Los Angeles County
Rent Control
& Tenant Rules

Culver City

For Rental Units built before February 1, 1995.

More info on Culver City Rent Control Ordinances:
One-Pager
Website

How rent control &
tenant rules affect you

Whether you are renting out your property to a tenant or are a renter, you can find resources on what the rent increase process is like, pass-throughs and surcharges, security and move-in transactions, legal assistance, and vacancy and eviction issues.

Resources

Enforcement Agency:

Culver City Housing Division

Rent.Control@culvercity.org
(310) 253-5790

Section 8 Assistance:

Culver City Housing Authority (CCHA)

housing@culvercity.org
(310) 253-5780

County
Resources:

LA County Consumer Business Affairs

rent@dcba.lacounty.gov
(833) 223-7368

Rent Control

Any Rent Cap? Yes, in no event shall the rent for a covered rental unit be increased by more than 5% within any 12-month period.
Current Maximum Rent Increase? 15.09.215
Currently 3.25%
Rent Increase Process
  • Rent may be increased in an amount that does not exceed the percentage change in CPI every 12 months.
  • If the percentage change in CPI is less than 2%, then the max rent increase is 2%.
  • A landlord can impose a rent increase sooner than 12 months after the last increase during a transitional period, but the total of both increases cannot exceed the maximum allowed. After this, future increases can only occur once every 12 months.
Rent Adjustments The city does not have a NOI-based Rent Adjustment program.
Pass-through and Surcharge definition
  • A pass-through is when the landlord passes on specific operating costs to the tenant as part of their rent.
  • A Landlord may file an application with the Department, on a form approved by the Department, to pass-through costs to Tenant in a Fully Covered Rental Unit.
  • A surcharge is a general term for any additional charge added on top of the base price, which could include passthrough costs but also other fees.
Registration Fee Pass-through Landlords may pass half of the registration fee to tenants, divided into 12 equal monthly portions.
Capital Improvements Pass through

50% of the approved cost of an eligible improvement may be passed on to the tenant. This includes, but are not limited to:

  1. Certain upgrades to rental units or common areas are allowed if they last at least five years.
  2. Major system upgrades like mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
  3. Hazardous material Removal
Routine repairs or maintenance do not count.
Utility Cost Pass through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for utility costs.
Expenditure Mandate Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Expenditure Mandates.
Additional Tenant Pass-through There are no additional pass-through ordinances mentioned.
Water service Penalty Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing pass-through for water service penalties.
Refuse Fee Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Refuse Fees.
Government Mandates Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Government Mandates.
Rehabilitation Work Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing pass-through for Rehabilitation Work.
Primary Renovation Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Primary Renovation Fees.
Relocation Assistance Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Relocation Assistance.
Application Fee Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing pass-through for Application Fees.
Replacement Key or security Card Fee Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Replacement fees.
Systematic Code Enforcement Fee The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Systematic Code Enforcement Fees.
Smoke detector fee The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Smoke Detector Fees.
Bounced check Fee Pass-through The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Bounced Check Fees.
Late Fee The RSO does not contain a section discussing a pass-through for Primary Renovation Fees.
Seismic Retrofit Seismic retrofits are not considered a capital improvement and have no pass-through.
Additional Pass-through details
  • You cannot include regular maintenance of landlord duties into this.
  • If the previous tenant who was paying the pass-through cost vacates, the landlord may not collect passthrough costs from the new tenant.
Registration Landlords must register their units by July 31 every year.
Security Deposits at transaction
  • Security deposits are capped at one month’s rent. However, small landlords, defined as those owning fewer than two residential properties with no more than four total units, may collect up to two months’ rent as a security deposit.
  • Landlords must provide itemized documentation for any administrative fees charged, which must align with the county’s regulatory framework.
Tenant move-In at transaction? Landlords are not required to pay interest on security deposit. The full amount must be returned within 21 days after vacancy.
Shared Legal Assistance for all Tenants? While there are no universally shared tenant legal assistance programs across all jurisdictions, many cities and the county participate in collaborative efforts like Stay Housed LA, which offers legal services for tenants facing eviction or housing disputes.
Does the City pay for legal assistance for tenants? No, it does not. You can reach out to the city’s housing department for questions but anything more will be referred to third party legal aid organizations. Tenants may access resources through the city’s housing department (source: Culver City Housing Division).
Relocation Assistance
Vacancy Decontrol?
  • Yes, a landlord can set a non-restricted rent only when the tenants voluntarily vacate by either being legally terminated by the landlord or the tenant has voluntarily vacated.
  • It will not apply if the vacancy was a result of conduct from the landlord that constitutes harassment, or vacancy was due to an eviction of the tenant within the first 12 months of renting.
Costa Hawkins

Passed in 1995, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act was created to limit how far California cities can extend rent control policies by doing the following:

  • Single-family homes and condominiums are exempt from rent control policies.
  • Any property built after February 1, 1995 is exempt of rent control policies.
Landlords can set the initial rent for new tenants, a policy known as vacancy decontrol.
Just Cause eviction
  • No Fault Eviction: A landlord is evicting a tenant for a reason that is not the tenant's fault.
  • At Fault Eviction: Occurs when the landlord is evicting a tenant due to a specific action or inaction by the tenant.
Failure To Pay Rent The tenant has failed to pay rent within three days of written notice being served.
Violations Of Obligations The tenant has continued to violate their lawful obligation ten days after receiving written notice.
Maintenance Of Nuisances The tenant is causing or permitting damage to the rental unit or is interfering in the safety, comfort, or enjoyment of other residents in a 1,000 ft radius.
Illegal Uses The tenant is using or permitting the rental unit to be used for any illegal purpose.
Refusal To Execute Leases The Ordinance does not have any provision covering landlord refusal.
Refusal To Provide Access for Making Repairs The tenant has refused the landlord reasonable access, even after a written request.
Unapproved Subtenants The Ordinance does not have any provision involving unapproved Subtenants.
Use By Landlords
  • No Fault: The landlord seeks, in good faith, to recover possession of the unit for themselves, spouse, registered domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents, as a primary place of residence.
  • The unit must be the primary place of living and occupied within 90 days of tenant vacancy and reside in the property for 3 consecutive years.
  • Tenants must agree to the terms in writing, preferably in the rental agreement.
  • Tenants over 62, disabled, have lived in the unit for 10+, are terminally ill, low income, or an underage child enrolled in a local school cannot be vacated.
Change Of Building Managers The Ordinance does not have any provision involving a change in building managers.
Demolition No Fault: The landlord seeks, in good faith, to demolish the unit.
Condominium/Hotel Conversions The Ordinance does not have any provision covering condominium conversion.
Affordable Housing No Fault: The landlord needs to recover the rental unit to comply with legal agreements or requirements for affordable housing for low to moderate-income individuals or families.
(Ellis Act)

Under state law, landlords may withdraw units from the rental market:

  • Tenants must receive at least 120 days’ notice before withdrawal.
  • Tenants who are 62 years or older or disabled are entitled to a 1-year notice period, if they have lived in the unit for at least one year and properly notify the landlord of their status.
  • If the property is returned to the rental market within 5 years, the landlord must offer the unit back to the displaced tenant(s) at the same rent-controlled rate they previously paid.
If the property is returned to the market within 10 years, the landlord must still offer the unit back to the former tenant(s) (right of first refusal), but may charge market rent if it’s been more than 5 years since withdrawal.
Withdrawal from The Rental Market No Fault: The landlord in good faith, in accordance with the Ellis act, plans to remove the unit from the market. Relocation fees required.
Disruptive Tenant The Ordinance does not have any provision covering landlord refusal.
Income Limits The ordinance does not cover the following topic, please follow the county instructions.
Employee termination The Ordinance does not have any provision covering employment termination.
Renovation Work No Fault: The landlord seeks, in good faith, to recover possession of the unit for renovation work.
Refused by landlord The person in possession of the unit at the end of the lease has been refused by the landlord for reapproval.
Government order No Fault: The landlord needs to take back the rental unit due to a government or legal order requiring it to be vacated because of a code or law violation.
Additional Tenant The Ordinance does not have any provision covering additional tenants.
Temporary Absence The Ordinance does not have any provision covering landlord temporary absence.
Foreclosure The Ordinance does not have any provision covering foreclosure.
Medical No Fault: A landlord may recover possession of a rental unit if required because of a medical necessity as long as the unit has the same number of bedrooms required.
Approved Relocation Application The ordinance does not cover the following topic, please follow the county instructions.
Additional Eviction Information There are no additional eviction information in the Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
Shared Unlawful Detainer
  • An unlawful detainer is a lawsuit filed by a landlord to evict a tenant from a residential or commercial property in Los Angeles, California.
  • Unlawful detainers are handled by the superior court in Los Angeles County.
  • The legal process for an Unlawful Detainer is the same in all jurisdictions:
    1. The landlord must give a written 3, 30, 60, or 90-day notice for a just cause eviction.
    2. If the tenant does not take action, the landlord may file a lawsuit against the tenant.
    3. Tenants have 10 days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and all judicial holidays, after receiving a UD to file a written answer to the court.
    4. If a tenant does not respond to a UD, a default judgement will be entered against the tenant.
    5. Once entered, a sheriff will post a 5-day eviction notice on their door.
  • If the tenant still has not left the property,