Are you under Los Angeles' Rent Control?
It's a simple question with a complex answer. The answer is YES, UNLESS your unit comes within one of the exceptions. These exceptions are listed under the definition of "Rental Unit" in LAMC 151.02. If you are under rent control, you have at least eviction protections, relocation assistance, and security deposit interest. The landlord is supposed to send you an annual Rent Registration Certificate, but usually they only post it at the building office, bulletin board, or similar area. If your rent increases have been about 3% per year, that is due to rent control. You can also call the Housing Department and ask if your place is "registered," so if it is registered, you ARE under rent control, but if it is not registered, it could still be an unregistered unit, that actually IS under rent control. Are you in Los Angeles?
First, you have to know whether you live in City of Los Angeles. What we commonly call "LA" is a collection of cities, but the City of Los Angeles itself is a huge area covering neighborhoods we know by name, which are so large that we think of them as cities: Westchester, San Pedro, Hollywood, Northridge, Encino, Woodland Hills, Van Nuys, Sunland, Canoga Park, Eagle Rock, etc. [See the Map] There are other cites in the area that have rent control, like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood. Los Angeles City Council passed rent control in 1978 and has maintained it ever since. If you are NOT in the City of Los Angeles, this page does not apply to you. If you are in one of the many communities within Los Angeles, you MAY have rent control.
|
