Los Angeles City Housing Law:
INCREASES NOT REQUIRING APPROVAL/DECLARATION

  1. Annual allowable rent increase

    The annual rent increase is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim areas for a 12 month period ending September 30 of each year. This index is a percentage no lower than 3% and no higher than 8%.

    This percentage has been the next in the past few years:

    Date% Allowed
    1989-905%
    1991-925%
    1992-935%
    1993-943%
    1994-953%
    1995-963%

    The annual increase may be imposed only if 12 months or more have elapsed since your last rent increase. Landlords are required to give tenants a written 30-day notice before the increase may be collected.

  2. Registration Fee

    Only during the month of June can the landlord recover $7 of the $14 Registration fee from the tenant. The landlord must give the tenant a 30 day written notice before collecting this annual surcharge.

  3. Aditional tenant

    The maximum rent may be increased by an amount not to exceed 10% for each additional tenant that joins the occupants of the rental unit. However, the rent may not be increased for the first minor dependent child.

    When the additional tenant vacates the unit, the remaining tenant must notify the landlord in writing, and the rent shall be reduced by a dollar amount equal to the increase.

  4. Smoke Detectors

    All landlords are required by law to install permanently wired smoke detectors in all dwelling units in the City of Los Angeles by August 1, 1983.

    Calculating the surcharge: The landlord can assess a $3 per detector per month surcharge until the cost, including installation of the detectors, is recovered. A 19.6% interest charge may be added to the total cost. The landlord must give a tenant a 30-day notice, within 2 months after installation, showing the actual purchase and installation cost and the month and year the surcharge will terminate. Eligible costs are detailed in the Smoke Detector guidelines.

  5. Additional Services Contract

    A landlord and tenant may enter into a contract for a housing service which was not part of the original terms of tenancy. A valid additional services contract must:


    Moneys paid for an additional service are not considered rent. Additional services contracts are voluntary, and neither the refusal of a tenant to enter into such agreement nor the breach of such a contract by the tenant shall be grounds for eviction.