Evictions are notices sent to tenants notifying them of their landlord’s intent to terminate their lease or tenancy. In the City of Los Angeles, these notices are subject to two ordinances: the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO). Landlords have three (3) business days of service on the tenant to file the notice with the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD).

Rent Stabilization Ordinance: The RSO is the main ordinance that regulates rent increases and evictions in the City of Los Angeles. Approximately 624,000 units fall under this ordinance. Landlords are required to provide notification that the property is subject to the RSO and must register the unit annually with LAHD. Annual rent increases for rental units subject to the RSO are capped at 4% unless electric and/or gas is provided by the landlord, which raises the maximum by 1-2%. Regardless, state law mandates that the landlord must provide a written notice 30 days prior to any rent increase of less than 10% and the maximum allowable increase is 8.8% for properties that fall under AB 1482.

Just Cause Ordinance (JCO): The JCO, passed in January 2023 and covering most residential properties in Los Angeles that are not already regulated by the RSO, expanded on tenants rights and protections as an amendment to the RSO. This ordinance prohibits terminating tenancies without just-cause and requires relocation assistance (one month’s rent) for no-fault evictions. In addition, landlords must provide a Notice of Renters’ Protection to tenants. As part of the JCO, landlords can only evict tenants for non-payment if the amount owed exceeds one month of fair market rate rent for Los Angeles. 

Eviction notices are categorized into two groups: at-fault evictions and no-fault evictions. Legal reasons for at-fault evictions include, but are not limited to, non-payment of rent, violation of the rental agreement or lease, and damage to the rental unit. Legal reasons for no-fault evictions could include an owner moving into the unit, demolition, and withdrawal of the rental property from the rental housing market (see: Ellis Act Evictions). In 2023, the vast majority of evictions were for nonpayment of rent and came with a 3-day notice. Eviction notices could also present the tenant with a deadline to remedy an issue (“pay or quit” or “perform or quit”), or to simply move out. A tenant may also challenge the eviction in an Unlawful Detainer – an eviction case that has been officially filed at the court.

Certain tenant protections from the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted. Rent owed from October 2021 through January 2023 is now due. However, tenants cannot be evicted for nonpayment if they have returned a Declaration of COVID-19-Related Financial Distress to their landlord and paid a minimum of 25% of the owed balance.

Written by Caroline Ghanbary