As of today, updated rent increase rules take effect for apartments covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (“RSO”). Any multifamily apartment building in the City of Los Angeles that was built before 1978 is covered by the RSO. The changes, which the Council adopted in November, create a clearer and more predictable system for how annual rent increases work, after decades of rules that allowed increases to stack up in ways many renters experienced as sudden and destabilizing. 

Under the old system, landlords raised rent between 3 and 8 percent each year based on inflation. On top of that base increase, landlords added 1 or 2 percent for utilities in master-metered buildings, even when actual utility costs were lower. Another adult moving in or the birth of a second child triggered an additional 10 percent allowable increase. These separate charges often stacked together, meaning a household could potentially see rent jump up to 20 percent in a single year. Increases at that level push families out of their homes and often out of their communities. 

Starting today, the rules change. Annual rent increases for RSO units now track 90 percent of inflation, with a built-in floor of 1 percent and a cap of 4 percent. The City also eliminated the utility surcharges and the add-on increases for additional adults or children. Renters will now see one clear annual increase they can better plan around, instead of a mix of separate charges. This update acknowledges that property owners are seeing real cost increases while avoiding the sharp spikes that put tenants at risk. 

This is the first major update to the City’s rent stabilization rules in more than forty years. It builds on other protections the Council adopted over the last couple of years to keep people housed, including just cause eviction standards, relocation assistance, right to counsel for tenants facing eviction, and funding for rent relief and tenant protections. Together, these policies aim to reduce rent shocks, prevent avoidable displacement, and give renters and responsible landlords a stable set of rules they can rely on. Visit housing.lacity.org or call 866-557-7368 for more information. 

All my best,

Katy

Last week, my office coordinated with LAPD’s Wilshire and Pacific Divisions and the LA Bureau of Sanitation to address encampments in Council District Five. Outreach teams engaged with people living at these locations ahead of cleanup and offered available housing, services, and support.

One location at Detroit Street and 3rd Street sat within 50 feet of a school. In that case, outreach teams successfully connected individuals to housing, and Sanitation completed a full cleanup of the site. My office will continue monitoring these locations to prevent re-encampment. The focus stays on clean and safe neighborhoods, paired with real pathways into housing and services.