Whether or not your property is subject to the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (“LARSO”), the name for Los Angeles’ rent control ordinance, is important to know. The City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department provides a list of whether or not a property is subject to the LARSO which can be found here.
First and foremost, the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance only controls properties that are within the city limits of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a big city and includes diverse neighborhoods all over Los Angeles County, including Sunland, Sylmar, San Pedro, and Chatsworth. However, neighborhoods that are not covered include County of Los Angeles areas such as East Los Angeles, City Terrace, La Crescenta-Montrose or Willowbrook and other cities such as Huntington Park, Maywood, Burbank, Pasadena, or Carson.
Second, the Los Angeles Stabilization Ordinance applies to nearly every multi-family residence within the City of Los Angeles. This means it includes duplexes, two homes on a lot, and properties where the owner lives in one unit and rents another unit out. The only properties it does not apply to are single family homes; however, if you are renting your single family home to multiple tenants (renting rooms or beds), your single family home may now fall within the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
Newer buildings also do not all within the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Buildings with a certificate of occupancy after October 1, 1978 do not fall within the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
It is important to know whether or not your property is subject to the Los Angeles Stabilization Ordinance because the LARSO controls reasons you can evict a tenant, the legal limits to raise the rent, and controls other issues related to the landlord-tenant relationship. For example, relocation assistance (described in detail in the previous blog entry) would not apply to a property that does not fall within the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance. If you have questions regarding an eviction in a property subject to the LARSO, please contact Anthony Marinaccio at (818) 839-5220 or through my website at www.marinacciolaw.com.
