Santa Monica

For rental units built before April 10, 1979.

More info on Santa Monica Rent Control Ordinances:
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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:

Santa Monica Rent Control Board

rentcontrol@santamonica.gov
(310) 458-8751

Section 8 Assistance:

Santa Monica Housing Authority

voucherinfo@hacla.org
(310) 458-8740

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 general adjustment be less than 0% or more than 3%.
Current Maximum Rent Increase?	1803 Currently: 3% or $76 for units that cost more than $2,517 a month.
Rent Increase Process	It will be announced by the board by June 30 and implemented on September 1st. The adjustment will be based on 75% of the annual change in the CPI. The CPI will be rounded to the nearest tenth decimal. The Board may impose a dollar amount limit as well.
Rent Adjustments	The city does not have a NOI-based Rent Adjustment program.

Pass-Through Fees

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	Owners may pass up to 50% of the annual registration fee through to each tenant in equal monthly installments.
Capital Improvements Pass through	Property owners may sign a petition to increase the rent levels at their properties. Increase petitions can affect the rents for all units on a property at the same time and are often based on unusually high expenses, including capital improvements.
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 pass-through for expenditure mandates.
Additional Tenant Pass-through	Tenants are generally bound by whatever was agreed upon in their rental agreement.
Water service Penalty Pass-through	The RSO does not contain a section discussing a 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	Landlords can charge tenants a fee for five different property taxes but only if the lease started before March 1, 2018, and the property hasn’t been reassessed since then. Appliable Taxes: Community college bond, Unified school bond, stormwater management fee, clean beaches and ocean parcel tax, and School district special tax.
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	Landlords must pay the full fee when tenants are forced to permanently vacate their homes in certain situations.
Application Fee Pass-through	The RSO does not contain a section discussing a 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 detectors.
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 late fees.
Seismic Retrofit	The Rent Board has determined that owners may not pass through costs of seismic retrofit to tenants
Additional Pass-through details	There are no other additional Pass-through details mentioned in the RSO.

Registration

Registration	Landlords must register their property with the rent control board 30 days before a new tenant.
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?	No, Security deposit is subject to state and county limits.
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?	Not explicitly. The city’s attorney’s office has a consumer protection division that is available for tenants to reach out to for any legal issues regarding unlawful discrimination. The city also provides funding to nonprofit organizations for tenant legal assistance.
Relocation Assistance	Tenants displaced for no-fault evictions (e.g., owner move-in, Ellis Act) are entitled to relocation assistance. Amounts vary by unit size and tenant income.

Eviction

Vacancy Decontrol?	Yes, if the average annual vacancy rate for a group of rent-controlled units exceeds 5%, the Rent Control Board may remove rent controls for those units. However, if the vacancy rate later drops below 5%, rent controls must be reinstated.
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.
Violations Of Obligations	The tenant continues to breach their obligations even after a written warning.
Maintenance Of Nuisances	The tenant has failed to stop committing nuisance or causing substantial damage even after a written warning.
Illegal Uses	The tenant is using or permitting the rental unit to be used for an illegal purpose.
Refusal To Execute Leases	The tenant has refused to vacate the unit and does not sign an extension past the time limit of the housing agreement.
Refusal To Provide Access for Making Repairs	The tenant refuses to grant the landlord reasonable access to the unit for purposes of making repairs.
Unapproved Subtenants	The tenant holding the unit at the end of the term is a subtenant not approved by the landlord.
Use By Landlords	The landlord seeks to recover the unit for themselves or close family to live in. The occupant must move in within 60 days of the tenant vacating and live in the property for 2 consecutive years.
Change Of Building Managers	The Ordinance does not have any provision involving a change in building managers.
Demolition	The landlord seeks to recover the unit to demolish.
Condominium/Hotel Conversions	The Ordinance does not have any provision covering condominium conversion.
Affordable Housing	The Ordinance does not have any provision covering affordable housing conversion.
(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	The landlord in good faith, in accordance with the Ellis act, plans to remove the unit from the market. Must file with the rent control board. 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	The landlord seeks to recover the unit for maintenance to meet city permits.
Refused by landlord	The Ordinance does not have any provision covering landlord refusal.
Government order	The ordinance does not cover the following topic, please follow the county instructions.
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 medical termination.
Medical	The Ordinance does not have any provision covering medical termination.
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: The landlord must give a written 3, 30, 60, or 90-day notice for a just cause eviction. If the tenant does not take action, the landlord may file a lawsuit against the tenant. Tenants have 10 days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and all judicial holidays, after receiving a UD to file a written answer to the court. If a tenant does not respond to a UD, a default judgement will be entered against the tenant. Once entered, a sheriff will post a 5-day eviction notice on their door. If the tenant still has not left the property,