By SAJE Staff 

January 20, 2026

Following Keep L.A. Housed’s win revising the L.A. Rent Stabilization Ordinance (LARSO) in 2025, we’re excited to share a few key updates for Los Angeles–area renters in the new year!

For Rent Stabilized Tenants in L.A. City

• The L.A. Rent Stabilization Ordinance (LARSO) applies to units that are located in the City of Los Angeles, were built before October 1, 1978, and are part of a property with two or more units. You can check the status of your unit at https://zimas.lacity.org/.
• Through February 1, 2026, landlords are permitted to raise rents for units protected by LARSO by up to 3% every 12 months, plus an additional 1% if the landlord pays for gas and 1% if they pay for electricity.
• Beginning February 2, 2026, landlords are only 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. Additionally, landlords may also no longer increase rents by 10% for additional dependents added to the lease.

For Rent Stabilized Tenants in unincorporated L.A. County

• The Rent Stabilization and Protection Ordinance (RSTPO) applies to units that are located in unincorporated L.A. County, have a Certificate of Occupancy on or before February 1, 1995, and are part of a property with two or more units.
• From July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, the maximum allowable rent increase for most rent stabilized units in unincorporated areas is 1.93%.
• Eligible landlords who 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%.

For Other Tenants Around the City and County

• The Tenant Protection Act (TPA) of 2019 (AB1482) gives tenants who live in the state 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. You can check the status of your unit at https://zimas.lacity.org/, and learn more about property ownership using our OWN-IT! tool.
• As of January 2026, the maximum allowable annual rent increase for units subject to the TPA in the Los Angeles Area is restricted to 8% (5% + CPI of 3%).
• Note that the TPA does not pre-empt L.A. City’s LARSO or L.A. County’s RSTPO laws. That means that, if your unit is already covered by stronger, local rent-stabilization protections, this statewide law does not apply. You’re always covered by the strongest RSO policy you’re eligible for, based on where you live.

Remember: California State law still requires landlords to provide 30-day written notice for all rent increases less than 10%. If the rent increase is for more than 10%, you must be given a 90-day written notice—and you’ll definitely want to make sure it’s legal! Many rent increases bigger than 10% are not.

In other news, as of the new year, renters across L.A. County are more protected under new laws than they were last December. (And big thanks to the Coalition for Economic Survival for compiling this detailed list of gains in their most recent e-newsletter! Sign up for that here.)

Landlords must provide most tenants with working refrigerators and stoves.

One of our state’s strangest rites of passage is no more! Landlords are now provided to provide most tenants in California with working refrigerators and stoves (AB628). Most rentals without these appliances will be considered uninhabitable (although you’re of course still welcome to bring your own, contingent on landlord approval). Certain housing types—including supportive housing—unfortunately remain exempt.

Tenants who depend on social security benefits to pay rent are better protected from eviction.

Experiencing delays or reductions to the Social Security benefits you rely on to pay rent? Fear not. The state’s Social Security Tenant Protection Act (AB246) now allows you to use “Social Security hardship” as an affirmative defense in an eviction case based on nonpayment of rent. Evidence is required, and the law does not eliminate the tenant’s responsibility to pay back rent. This law will remain in effect until January 20, 2029.

California’s antitrust laws are modernizing to take on algorithmic price fixing.

A new law (AB325) closes loopholes in California’s Cartwright Act that allowed corporations to use pricing algorithms to harm tenants. Historically, these tools had been used by corporations to secretly coordinate prices and raise the cost of rent, housing, and other essentials. 

Tenants facing eviction have a stronger right to access paperwork in their preferred language.

Another new law (AB863) mandates that landlords issue a single, multilingual eviction summons form in order to improve language access for tenants. If a tenant prefers to communicate in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, and makes sure to notify the landlord of this preference, then the landlord must provide translated copies of all related notices and complaints, as well. Together, these changes will allow tenants to respond to issues quickly and comprehensively, with reduced delay and confusion throughout the process.

Tenants can now recover security deposit refunds electronically.

Landlords who originally received rent and/or a deposit electronically can now return security deposits electronically, unless the tenant agrees to another method in writing (AB414). This will help expedite the return process and reduce delays. Landlords are also required to notify tenants in writing of this newly expanded right.

Tenants can no longer be forced into exclusive internet service provider arrangements. 

Although landlords may continue to offer bulk billing internet service options to tenants, renters now have a right to refuse and select their own service (AB1414). If the landlord won’t honor this request, tenants may deduct the cost of their preferred internet plan from the rent. Tenants who exercise this right will also be protected from retaliation. Importantly, this law helps restore access to affordable internet programs and discounts that provide needed economic relief in households with low-income residents, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Landlords—not tenants—must handle disaster mitigation.

As we barrel deeper into the climate crisis, tenants can rest easier knowing that landlords are responsible for removing debris caused by natural disasters—and for mitigating hazards resulting from said disasters (such as mold, smoke, residue, ash, asbestos and water damage). Tenants are also not required to pay rent during the period of a mandatory evacuation order issued due to a disaster (SB610).

So long as disaster debris remains present on a rental property, the property is deemed uninhabitable unless a local public health agency declares the debris is not toxic. The landlord is also required to complete the required remediation within a “reasonable time” after the property is damaged, although the new code doesn’t clarify what length of time is considered “reasonable.”

As part of our work as SAJE, and in coalition with organizations across the city, we’ll continue working towards a world where all tenants know and assert their rights and are able to enjoy the healthy, dignified comfort of their homes.