Under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (“LARSO”), a residential landlord must pay relocation costs to a tenant if a landlord is evicting a tenant for a condominium conversion or for “no fault.”
There are several instances that are considered “no fault” evictions, including:
- The landlord seeks in good faith to recover possession of the rental for use and occupancy by the landlord; the landlord’s spouse, children, parents, grandparents, or grandchildren; or a resident manager. In order to properly evict a tenant under this reason, a landlord must own at least 25% of the property and may only do it once per property. LAMC § 151.09(A)(8)
- The landlord seeks in good faith to recover possession of the rental unit to demolish the rental unit or to remove the rental unit permanently from rental housing use. LAMC § 151.09(A)(10).
- The landlord seeks in good faith to recover possession of the rental unit in order to comply with a governmental agency’s order to vacate, order to comply, order to abate, or any other order that necessitates the vacating of the building housing the rental unit as a result of a violation of the Los Angeles Municipal Code or any other provision of law. LAMC § 151.09(A)(11)
In addition to pay for relocation fees, the above reasons for an eviction also require a landlord to file a declaration, called “Landlord Declaration of Intent to Evict” with the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Development Department.
The relocation fees are as follows:
| Tenants | Tenants with Less Than 3 Years | Tenants with More Than 3 Years | Income Below 80% of Area Median Income |
| Eligible Tenant | $7,600 | $10,050 | $10,050 |
| Qualified Tenant | $16,100 | $19,000 | $19,000 |
There are different sets of relocation fees for eligible and qualified tenants. An eligible tenant is any tenant that a landlord is evicting. A qualified tenant includes any tenant who is over 62 years old, is handicapped, or who has minor dependent children.
There is also a narrow exception to pay reduced relocation fees for “mom and pop” landlords evicting a tenant in order to move in to a unit or for a qualified family member to move in (see above for who qualifies as a family member). A mom and pop landlord may pay a reduced relocation fee to a tenant ($7,350 for an eligible tenant and $14,750 for a qualified tenant) if the following apply:
- The building and property contains four units or less;
- The Mom and Pop Landlord has not used this provision for the past three years;
- The Mom and Pop Landlord owns no more than one other single family home on a lot in the City of Los Angeles; and
- The eligible family member moving into the tenant does not own residential property within the City of Los Angeles.
Evictions under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization can be complicated and more involved than a simple eviction in another jurisdiction. Attorney Anthony Marinaccio has extensive experience in evictions under the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance and can represent you on a residential eviction for a flat fee. Please contact Anthony at (818) 839-5220 for a free initial consultation.
