Los Angeles tenant screening & landlord laws

Los Angeles doesn't get to weaken a state protection, but it can — and repeatedly has — gone further. The city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and Just Cause Ordinance (JCO) extend eviction protections and, in older buildings, rent-increase limits that are more specific than the statewide AB 1482 floor. At the same time, Los Angeles County runs a separate ordinance for unincorporated areas outside city limits, and a proposed city ordinance restricting criminal-history screening has been debated for several years without (as of this writing) being finalized into binding law. Because these layers depend on the building's age, location, and city-vs-county status, the details below matter more here than they typically do on a statewide overview.

California's FEHA regulations already require an individualized assessment before a criminal record can be used to deny housing statewide. Los Angeles has been considering going further with a dedicated Fair Chance Housing Ordinance that would restrict landlords from inquiring into or using an applicant's criminal history at all, but that ordinance has not been finalized as of this writing.

Here's exactly what the public record shows: the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion under Council File 22-0280 on April 9, 2024 (an 11-0 vote, finalized April 12, 2024), directing the City Attorney and the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) to draft a fair chance housing ordinance within 45 days. No subsequent ordinance text, city clerk record, or LAHD web page could be located showing that draft was ever adopted into a final, binding ordinance. The Council file's own tracking record lists an expiration date of April 9, 2026. A comprehensive industry year-in-review of Los Angeles-area housing ordinances passed during 2025 — which documented several other LA City ordinances in detail (a new non-RSO enforcement fee, a Right to Counsel program, and the RSO rent-formula change discussed below) — did not include a fair chance housing ordinance among them.

Given how much this would change for tenant screening if adopted, don't treat a Los Angeles criminal-history screening ban as currently in effect. Confirm the live status directly with LAHD or the LA City Clerk's Council File system before relying on it, and check back — this is exactly the kind of local ordinance that can move from "proposed" to "adopted" with little advance notice.

Beyond the statewide source-of-income protections under Government Code §12955 (SB 329) and SB 267's voucher-holder credit-history limits, the City of Los Angeles has its own local ordinance. Stemming from Council File 18-0462, the city added Article 5.6.1 to Chapter IV of the Los Angeles Municipal Code prohibiting landlords from refusing to rent to, or otherwise discriminating against, a prospective tenant because they intend to pay some or all of their rent using a housing voucher (such as Section 8) or other government rental assistance.

That local protection is reinforced by the city's newer Right to Counsel notice requirement: beginning August 20, 2025, landlords must attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to any notice terminating a rental housing subsidy (Section 8 is specifically named) and to related subsidy administrative proceedings — meaning voucher holders facing subsidy termination get an added layer of required notice on top of the underlying anti-discrimination rule.

Per LAHD's official RSO overview, the ordinance generally applies to rental properties first built on or before October 1, 1978 (plus certain replacement units under LAMC §151.28), including apartments, condominiums, townhomes, duplexes, two-or-more single-family dwellings on one parcel, hotel/motel/rooming-house rooms occupied by the same tenant more than 30 consecutive days, residential units attached to a commercial building, ADUs and JADUs, and mobilehomes/RVs in mobile home parks. Because municipal codes are amended periodically, confirm the current text at codelibrary.amlegal.com.

On the allowable increase itself, LAHD's current published guidance states the RSO annual rent increase is 3% for the cycle running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, with increases permitted once every 12 months. Separately, the City Council amended the underlying formula — effective February 2, 2026 — to calculate future annual increases as 90% of the average regional CPI rather than 100%, which LAHD describes as lowering the range from the old 3% floor/8% ceiling to a new 1% floor/4% ceiling. As part of the same change, landlords may no longer add a separate utility pass-through percentage, and the additional 10% increase previously allowed for a new dependent added to the tenancy has been eliminated (a 10% increase for a non-dependent additional tenant is still allowed, applied within 60 days of learning of the addition). Because this formula was mid-transition at the time of writing, confirm the current-year percentage using LAHD's RSO rent increase calculator before advising on a specific unit.

RSO properties must also register annually with LAHD (new owners have 45 days), complete the Rent Registry form, post required notices, and — for eviction notices — file with LAHD within three business days of serving the tenant. A handful of rent-increase pathways (capital improvements, primary renovation, seismic retrofit work, rehabilitation, and "just and reasonable" increases) require separate LAHD approval rather than falling under the standard annual percentage.

Effective January 27, 2023, the Just Cause Ordinance covers most Los Angeles rental properties that are not regulated by the RSO — in practice, this generally means buildings constructed after October 1, 1978, including single-family homes and condominiums. Protection kicks in once a tenant has lived in the unit for at least six months, or their original lease has expired, whichever comes first. LAHD lists specific carve-outs: transient hotels, licensed care facilities, fraternity/sorority houses, an owner's live-in roommate, certain cooperatives, some nonprofit homeless or short-term substance-abuse facilities, and HACLA-owned or government-subsidized properties.

Unlike the RSO, the JCO does not cap rent increases — it only requires a legal ("just") reason to end a tenancy and relocation assistance for no-fault evictions. Where a rent cap does apply to a JCO-covered building, it comes from the statewide AB 1482 formula (5% plus local CPI, capped at 10%, recalculated every August 1) if the property isn't otherwise exempt — not from a separate Los Angeles-specific ceiling. Because that percentage changes annually, don't quote a fixed AB 1482 number without checking the current year's bulletin from LAHD or the county.

Other JCO mechanics confirmed directly from LAHD: at-fault evictions require a 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit; no-fault evictions require 30- or 60-day written notice plus relocation assistance (with a lower, one-month's-rent relocation amount for single-family dwellings owned by a natural person with four or fewer units — condos don't qualify for this reduced amount); the Notice of Right to Counsel must be posted and provided starting August 20, 2025; a Renters' Protections Notice has been required since January 27, 2023; and, since March 27, 2023, a tenant can't be evicted for nonpayment unless the amount owed exceeds HUD's Fair Market Rent for the unit's bedroom size. Non-RSO ("JCO-only") properties are also subject to an annual enforcement/registration fee — $31.05 per unit as of the fee ordinance the City Council adopted in January 2025 — which is separate from RSO registration.

Outside city limits, unincorporated Los Angeles County runs its own Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance (RSTPO), codified at Chapter 8.52 of the County Code, plus a separate Mobilehome Rent Stabilization and Mobilehome Owner Protections Ordinance (MRSMOPO) (Chapter 8.57) for mobilehome park space rent. These are legally distinct from the City of Los Angeles's RSO and JCO and only apply to properties in the unincorporated county, not inside any city (including the City of Los Angeles itself).

The county ordinance splits coverage into two tiers: "fully covered" units, which get both a rent cap and just-cause eviction protection, and "partially covered" (just-cause-only) units, which get eviction protection but no rent ceiling. Per the county's own program materials, the permanent rent cap for fully covered units limits increases to the change in CPI, up to a maximum of 8% overall, with certain designated luxury units allowed an additional 2% (up to 10%). The county has also periodically layered temporary, lower caps on top of the permanent formula (for example, a 4% temporary cap the Board of Supervisors extended through the end of 2024), so treat the exact current-year percentage as something to verify against DCBA's current rent-increase bulletin rather than a fixed number. Fully covered properties must register through the county's rental registry, and a Rental Housing Oversight Commission adjudicates disputes.

To determine whether a property sits inside city limits or in unincorporated county territory, use the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's district map lookup (search by address), or the DCBA Rent Registry (enter the address or Assessor's Parcel Number to check RSTPO/MRSMOPO coverage directly). For properties confirmed to be inside the City of Los Angeles, LAHD's ZIMAS tool shows RSO status by address. If a property is inside a different incorporated city (Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, and others all run their own local ordinances), neither the City of LA's rules nor the county's RSTPO apply — check that city's own housing department instead.

Has Los Angeles banned criminal history screening for rental applicants?

The City Council adopted a motion in April 2024 directing staff to draft a fair chance housing ordinance. Confirm whether a final ordinance has been adopted directly with LAHD or the City Clerk before assuming criminal-history inquiries are restricted beyond what state FEHA regulations already require.

What's the age cutoff for Los Angeles's Rent Stabilization Ordinance?

Buildings first constructed on or before October 1, 1978 generally fall under the RSO (plus certain replacement units), while most residential properties built after that date fall under the separate Just Cause Ordinance instead.

Does the Just Cause Ordinance cap how much a landlord can raise rent?

No. The JCO governs eviction protections and relocation assistance only. Any rent cap on a JCO-covered building comes from statewide AB 1482, recalculated annually, not from a separate LA-specific ceiling.

How do I know if a Los Angeles rental is subject to the city's rules or the county's unincorporated-area ordinance?

Use the LA County Registrar-Recorder's district map lookup or the county's DCBA Rent Registry to confirm whether an address is inside city limits or unincorporated county territory; use LAHD's ZIMAS tool to check RSO status once you've confirmed a property is inside the City of Los Angeles.

Screening in Los Angeles means applying California's statewide rules together with the city's or county's local layer — whichever applies to the specific address. Checkr helps landlords and property managers run consistent, compliant tenant screening across every California jurisdiction. Get started with Checkr to build a screening workflow suited to your properties.

The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.