Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 151.09 is the rule that limits when a landlord can evict a tenant from a rent-stabilized unit in the City of Los Angeles. Instead of allowing a landlord to end a tenancy for any reason, LAMC 151.09 sets out a closed list of approved grounds — some based on tenant conduct (at-fault), others based on the landlord’s own plans for the property (no-fault) — and requires specific notices, filings, and, for no-fault cases, substantial relocation payments before a court can order you out.1Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.09 – Evictions
Whether Your Unit Is Covered
The section applies to units under the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance. That generally means multi-family rentals in buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued on or before October 1, 1978, plus certain replacement units built later under LAMC 151.28.2Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Overview If a building permit for residential use was issued on or before that date but the certificate of occupancy came later, the unit is still covered.
Several categories sit outside the ordinance under LAMC 151.02: single-family homes (unless two or more units share the parcel), buildings first occupied after October 1, 1978, hotel and transient rooms occupied fewer than 30 consecutive days, housing owned by the city housing authority or run by hospitals, schools, convents, monasteries, and licensed care facilities, and units with a luxury exemption certificate on file.3Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.02 – Definitions If your unit falls into one of those buckets, 151.09 doesn’t govern your eviction. California’s statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still offer just cause protections, but those rules run on their own track.
At-Fault Grounds
Subsection A of 151.09 lists seven at-fault grounds. The landlord must identify the specific one and be prepared to prove it.1Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.09 – Evictions
Nonpayment of rent. This is the most common ground, and it carries a threshold that catches many landlords out: the unpaid balance must exceed one month of fair market rent for a comparable unit in the Los Angeles metro area, as set annually by HUD. Below that line, nonpayment alone will not support an eviction.
Lease violations. A landlord can evict when a tenant breaks a lawful lease term and fails to cure after written notice. Unauthorized pets and using a residential unit for business are typical examples. The ordinance protects against certain occupancy-based evictions: a landlord cannot evict you for exceeding an occupancy limit when the added occupant is your first or second dependent child, or a single additional adult tenant the landlord unreasonably refused to approve. A landlord also cannot slip a new term into the lease and then evict you for breaking it unless you agreed to the change in writing.
Nuisance or damage. Creating a nuisance, damaging the unit or common areas, or unreasonably interfering with other residents’ comfort and safety supports eviction. The reach is wide: conduct anywhere within 1,000 feet of the property boundary counts, and the code specifically includes gang-related crime, violent crime, weapons offenses, and drug activity. Documented patterns commonly associated with drug dealing, such as steady foot traffic at odd hours or barricaded windows, can qualify.
Illegal use. Using the unit or common areas for any illegal purpose is a standalone ground under subsection A.4, broader than the nuisance provision. The landlord must support the allegations with evidence and go through a full court proceeding for a judgment.4Los Angeles Housing Department. Illegal Use of Rental Unit – Owners
Refusing to sign a similar new lease after the existing lease expires, denying reasonable access for repairs, inspections, or showings, and allowing an unapproved subtenant to remain after the original tenant’s lease ends round out the at-fault list.
Most at-fault grounds start with a three-day notice giving you a chance to cure or leave before the landlord files an unlawful detainer.5California Courts. Get a Notice Curing the violation inside that window typically ends the matter.
No-Fault Grounds
No-fault evictions are harder to run because the tenant has done nothing wrong. The paperwork is heavier, and the landlord must pay relocation assistance before proceeding. Subsection A of 151.09 recognizes three no-fault grounds.1Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.09 – Evictions
Owner or Family Occupancy
Under subsection A.8, a landlord who is a natural person can recover a unit as a primary residence for themselves or for a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent. The same provision covers moving in a required resident manager in buildings with 16 or more units. The landlord must hold at least a 50 percent recorded ownership interest and must genuinely intend to occupy the unit (or have their family member occupy it) as a primary home for at least two consecutive years.
Bad-faith use of this ground carries real exposure. A displaced tenant can sue for triple actual damages, exemplary damages, equitable relief, and attorney’s fees, and the city can bring its own civil action. A landlord who fails to file required statements owes $250 for every day the filing is late.6Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.30 – Evictions for Owner, Family, or Resident Manager Occupancy
Primary Renovation
Subsection A.9 allows eviction tied to major renovation that requires you to vacate. The landlord must have an accepted Tenant Habitability Plan on file with the Housing Department, and the eviction is only available when the tenant is unreasonably interfering with that plan by refusing temporary relocation or refusing to honor a permanent relocation agreement. Cosmetic upgrades do not qualify; the work must be significant enough to require a formal plan.
Demolition or Withdrawal From the Rental Market
Subsection A.10 covers demolition and permanent withdrawal, the local implementation of California’s Ellis Act. The landlord must withdraw every unit in the building; picking off a few tenants while keeping others is not permitted. The full procedure lives in LAMC 151.22 through 151.28 and adds its own notice periods, filing requirements, and tenant protections.
Evictions ordered by a government agency, such as those following an uninhabitability finding, fall under the no-fault umbrella and trigger the same relocation duties.
Declaration of Intent Before Serving No-Fault Notice
For a no-fault eviction, the landlord must file a Declaration of Intent to Evict with the Los Angeles Housing Department before serving you with any termination notice. LAHD processes the filing and its relocation consultant sets the assistance amount; only then can the landlord serve the notice.7Los Angeles Housing Department. Declaration of Intent to Evict in Order to Comply With a Government Agency’s Order You must also receive a copy of the declaration at or before service of the termination notice. Skipping this filing makes the eviction itself a violation of the RSO, which stands as a complete defense in court.
Relocation Payments Owed to You
Every no-fault eviction requires the landlord to pay relocation assistance. Amounts depend on how long you have lived in the unit and whether you are a “qualified” tenant, meaning that on the date the notice is served you are 62 or older, have a disability, or have one or more minor dependent children.1Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.09 – Evictions
From July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, LAHD has set these amounts for households above low-income thresholds:8Los Angeles Housing Department. Relocation Assistance Bulletin
- Eligible tenant, under 3 years: $10,650
- Eligible tenant, 3 or more years: $13,950
- Qualified tenant, under 3 years: $22,450
- Qualified tenant, 3 or more years: $26,550
Reduced “mom and pop” rates apply when a landlord owns four or fewer rental units plus one single-family home in Los Angeles and is evicting for owner or family occupancy: $10,200 for eligible tenants and $20,600 for qualified tenants, limited to once every three years. When two or more tenants share a unit, each receives an equal share of the total.
The landlord must make these funds available within 15 days of serving the eviction notice. Missing that deadline is one of the fastest ways to get an eviction case dismissed; courts treat payment as a condition precedent, not an afterthought.
What the Notice Must Say and Where It Must Go
Under LAMC 151.09(C), the written termination notice must state the specific ground for eviction. A vague reference to “lease violations” without identifying the subsection and the underlying facts will not survive a court challenge. Service must follow California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162: personal delivery, substituted service with a mailing if the tenant is absent, or posting on the property plus mailing as a last resort.9California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1162 – Manner of Service of Notice
Within three business days of serving you, the landlord must file a copy of the notice with LAHD.10Los Angeles Housing Department. Eviction Notices For no-fault cases, that filing also includes the Declaration of Intent, applicable fees, and proof of relocation assistance. Filing can be done through LAHD’s online portal using an Angeleno Account or by mailing an Eviction Notice Filing Cover Sheet with a copy of the notice. If the landlord misses this filing, you can raise it as an affirmative defense in the unlawful detainer case, and dismissals on that ground are common.
If the Landlord Cuts Corners
The penalties built into 151.09 and its companion sections are meant to sting. For bad-faith owner move-in evictions, a displaced tenant can recover triple actual damages, exemplary damages, equitable relief, and attorney’s fees, and the city can bring its own action for equitable relief and exemplary damages.6Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code 151.30 – Evictions for Owner, Family, or Resident Manager Occupancy A landlord who fails to file required sworn statements or notices under Section 151.30 owes $250 for every day the filing is late.
Procedural defects are just as consequential. A missing LAHD filing, an unpaid or late relocation payment, an unspecific notice, or a no-fault case served before the Declaration of Intent has been processed each give you an affirmative defense.10Los Angeles Housing Department. Eviction Notices Judges in Los Angeles routinely dismiss unlawful detainer cases over these defects, and it is usually the first thing a tenant’s attorney checks.