California State law requires your landlord to provide an advance 30-day written notice for rent increases of less than 10%. If the rent increase is more than 10%, your landlord must provide an advance 90-day written notice.
If You Live in the City of Los Angeles
Through February 1, 2026, landlords are permitted to raise rents for LARSO units by 3%, plus 1% if the landlord pays for gas, and 1% if the landlord pays for utilities.
Beginning February 2, 2026, landlords are permitted to raise rents for LARSO units by up to 3% for every 12 months. There is no more 1% increase for gas or electricity; that allowance has been phased out as part of the city’s recent update to the LARSO ordinance.
If your landlord is attempting to raise your rent beyond the legal allowable maximum, you can file a complaint with the Los Angeles Housing Department by clicking here.
Understanding LARSO
The Rent Stabilization Ordinance of Los Angeles (LARSO) protects tenants in the City of Los Angeles from excessive rent increases.
LARSO rights apply to all renters regardless of immigration status.
Not all properties are covered by LARSO. To qualify, your unit must:
- Be located in the City of Los Angeles
- Have been built before October 1, 1978
- Be part of a property with two or more units
If You Live in Unincorporated Los Angeles County
Beginning January 1, 2025, rents for most units covered by RSTPO cannot be raised more than 3% every 12 months. Landlords who qualify and self-certify with the Department of Business and Consumer Affairs as “small property landlords” can raise the rent an additional 1%, up to a max of 4%.
From July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, the maximum allowable rent increase in unincorporated areas is 1.93%.
- Landlords who qualify and self-certify with the Department of Business and Consumer Affairs as “small property landlords” can raise the rent an additional 1%, up to a max of 2.93%, and landlords of luxury units can raise the rent a maximum of 3.93%.
Understanding LA County RSTPO
LA County’s Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection Ordinance (RSTPO) protects tenants in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County from excessive rent increases.
RSTPO rights apply to all renters regardless of immigration status.
Not all properties are covered by LA County RSTPO. To qualify, your unit must:
- Be located in unincorporated Los Angeles County
- Have a Certificate of Occupancy issued on or before February 1, 1995
- Be part of a property with two or more units
Rent Stabilization for California
Assembly Bill 1482 gives tenants who live in the state of California some protection against excessive rent increases.
To qualify, your unit must have been built before January 1, 2005. Single-family homes are not covered unless owned by corporate landlords.
AB 1482 caps annual rent increases at 5%, PLUS a percentage (tied to the Consumer Price Index) for the region in which the property is located OR 10%, whichever is lower.
As of August 2025, the maximum allowable annual rent increase in the Los Angeles Area is restricted to 8% (5% + CPI of 3%)
Note that AB 1482 does not replace, amend, or remove Los Angeles City’s LARSO or Los Angeles County’s RSTPO laws. If your unit is already covered by local rent-stabilization protections, this statewide law does not apply.
Need to Check if Your Unit Is Rent Stabilized? Use Our OWN-IT! Tool
OWN-IT! is a mapping tool that shows all of the residential, commercial, and industrial properties in Los Angeles County. Users can click on individual buildings to find out when they were constructed, the number of units they contain, and whether they are covered by a city or county rent-stabilized ordinance.
