No-Fault Eviction in Los Angeles County: Reasons and Relocation Pay

A no-fault eviction in Los Angeles County is one where the landlord is not accusing you of doing anything wrong; instead, they are ending the tenancy for a reason the law specifically allows, such as moving in a family member, taking the building off the rental market, or performing a major remodel. Three overlapping laws govern the process: California’s Tenant Protection Act, the City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, and the Los Angeles County Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance for unincorporated areas. Each layer limits the allowed reasons, requires the landlord to pay relocation assistance, and imposes a strict order of steps. A landlord who skips a step or gets it wrong can lose the case entirely.

Which Law Covers Your Unit

Where the rental sits, and when it was built, decides which rules apply and how much money you are owed.

Inside the City of Los Angeles, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers most rental properties with a certificate of occupancy issued on or before October 1, 1978, including apartments, condominiums, townhomes, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and rooms in residential hotels occupied for more than 30 consecutive days.¹ Newer buildings and single-family homes inside city limits fall under the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, which doesn’t cap rent but still requires a legally recognized reason and relocation assistance for no-fault evictions.²

In unincorporated parts of the County, the Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance controls. Properties with two or more units and a certificate of occupancy issued on or before February 1, 1995 get both rent stabilization and eviction protections. Most other rentals in unincorporated areas, including single-family homes and condos, get eviction protections only.³

California’s Tenant Protection Act runs underneath both, covering most residential tenancies statewide once a tenant has lived in the unit for at least 12 months. It provides a floor: just cause protections and a minimum relocation payment of one month’s rent for no-fault evictions.⁴ When a local ordinance is stronger, the local rules control, and inside the City or unincorporated County they almost always are.

Reasons a Landlord Can Claim

The categories differ slightly between the three laws, but the core list is short.

Owner or Family Move-In

This is the most common no-fault reason. The landlord, or a qualifying relative, plans to move in as a primary residence. Under the City RSO, qualifying relatives are the landlord’s spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents. The landlord must own at least 25% of the property to reclaim a unit for personal use, or at least 50% to reclaim it for a family member.⁵ The new occupant must move in within three months and live there as a primary residence for at least two consecutive years.⁶

The County’s list is broader, adding registered domestic partners and dependent aunts or uncles.⁷ Under state law, qualifying relatives include the owner’s spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents, with a minimum occupancy of 12 continuous months.⁴

Ellis Act Withdrawal

The Ellis Act lets a landlord exit the rental business by withdrawing all units in a building from the market at once.⁸ It cannot be used to clear a single unit while others remain rented. The landlord files a Notice of Intent to Withdraw with the local housing department and gives tenants at least 120 days’ notice.⁹

Tenants who are 62 or older, or who have a disability, can extend that period to a full year from the filing date, but only if they notify the landlord in writing of their eligibility within 60 days of the filing.⁹

Demolition or Substantial Remodel

A landlord may evict to demolish the unit or perform a substantial remodel. Under state law, “substantial remodel” means replacing or significantly modifying a structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical system that requires a government permit and cannot be safely done while the tenant remains for at least 30 consecutive days.¹⁰ The landlord must have copies of the required permits before serving the notice.⁴

Inside the City of Los Angeles, this reason has been restricted. In March 2025 the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 188561, temporarily prohibiting evictions for substantial remodeling under the JCO through at least August 1, 2025, with the housing department recommending an extension through January 31, 2026.¹¹ Check with the Los Angeles Housing Department for the current status.

Government or Court Order

A landlord can also evict to comply with a government or court order requiring the unit to be vacated, typically after a building or health department has found the unit uninhabitable.⁴

How Much Relocation Assistance You Get

Every no-fault eviction triggers a mandatory payment. The amounts differ sharply between the three laws.

City of Los Angeles

Both the RSO and JCO split tenants into “eligible” and “qualified.” A qualified tenant is anyone who, on the date the notice is served, is 62 or older, has a disability, or has one or more minor dependent children. Everyone else is eligible, and their amount depends on length of tenancy and income.¹²

For the July 2023 through June 2024 schedule, payments were:

Eligible tenants with fewer than 3 years of tenancy: $9,900
Eligible tenants with 3 or more years: $12,950
Qualified tenants with fewer than 3 years: $20,850
Qualified tenants with 3 or more years: $24,650

These figures update each July, and the current schedule is available from the Los Angeles Housing Department.¹² Small “mom and pop” landlords (generally natural persons owning no more than four units plus a single-family home on a separate lot) may pay reduced amounts for owner-occupancy evictions. For a single-family home owned by a natural person under the JCO, the relocation payment is one month’s rent. When multiple tenants share a unit, they split the total equally. When more than one category applies, the landlord pays the higher amount.

Unincorporated Los Angeles County

Under the County RSTPO, payments are based on unit size rather than length of tenancy, with three tiers: standard tenants, seniors or tenants with a disability or minor children, and lower-income households. Recent published amounts were:

Studio: $7,654 (standard) to $10,980 (lower-income)
One bedroom: $8,662 to $12,688
Two bedrooms: $10,797 to $15,921
Three bedrooms: $13,115 to $18,971
Four or more bedrooms: $14,759 to $21,411

These are periodically adjusted; the LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs publishes current figures.¹³

State Law Minimum

For tenancies covered only by the state Tenant Protection Act, the landlord must either pay one month’s rent as relocation assistance or waive the final month’s rent, with payment made within 15 calendar days of serving the notice.⁴

When It Has to Be Paid

Under the City ordinances, the landlord should provide relocation assistance within 15 days after serving the written notice.⁵ Under the County RSTPO, payment must be made or deposited into escrow when the termination notice is served. No eviction can go forward until relocation assistance is paid or secured.

The Process the Landlord Must Follow

Order matters. Under both the City RSO and JCO, a no-fault eviction must be filed with the Los Angeles Housing Department before any notice is served on the tenant.¹⁴

First, the landlord files a Declaration of Intent to Evict with the appropriate housing authority, along with a Relocation Services Application and any supporting documents (for a substantial remodel, that includes copies of the secured permits).¹⁵ Failing to complete this filing before serving the tenant can invalidate the eviction.

Second, relocation assistance must be paid or placed in escrow. For City no-fault evictions, paid relocation is a prerequisite for the LAHD filing.¹⁶

Only then can the landlord serve a written notice of termination. The notice must state the specific no-fault reason, tell the tenant about the right to relocation assistance, and be served by personal delivery or another method permitted by California law. Required notice periods are:

Standard no-fault eviction: 60 days for tenants who have lived in the unit for a year or more; 30 days for tenants with less than a year.
Ellis Act withdrawal: 120 days from the date the Notice of Intent to Withdraw is filed.⁹
Ellis Act for elderly or disabled tenants: up to one year from the filing date, if the tenant provides written notice of eligibility within 60 days.⁹

Your Right to Return

Some no-fault evictions don’t end your connection to the unit permanently.

If a landlord who withdrew units under the Ellis Act puts them back on the rental market within two years, the landlord must first offer each unit to the tenant who was displaced from it. To preserve this right, you must have notified the landlord in writing within 30 days of displacement that you wanted to be considered, with a current mailing address.¹⁷

A broader right runs up to ten years. If the landlord re-offers units in that period, they must again offer to displaced tenants who requested notification within 30 days of the landlord’s filing with the housing department. A landlord who violates the ten-year re-rental obligation can be liable to the displaced tenant for punitive damages of up to six months’ rent.¹⁷

For RSO units in the City, a substantial renovation doesn’t have to be permanent displacement. The tenant can choose between accepting permanent relocation assistance or taking temporary relocation while the work is completed. Proposed 2025 amendments to the JCO would extend a similar right-to-return-at-the-same-rent to JCO tenants displaced for remodel work, including cases where the work is never completed.¹¹

If the Reason Looks Like a Pretext

Los Angeles has some of the stronger anti-abuse rules in the state. Under the City RSO, a landlord who recovers a unit for owner or family occupancy in bad faith is liable to the displaced tenant for three times actual damages, plus exemplary damages, equitable relief, and attorney’s fees. The City can also sue for equitable relief and exemplary damages.⁶

Bad faith can be inferred from what actually happens. If the owner or family member never moves in within three months, or doesn’t stay the required two years, that alone may serve as evidence.⁶ If you suspect a fabricated reason, document the unit’s status after you leave. A rental listing at a higher price a few months later is exactly the kind of evidence that supports a bad-faith claim.

Two Federal Protections Worth Knowing

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act bars a landlord from evicting an active-duty servicemember or their dependents without a court order, as long as the rental is the servicemember’s primary residence and the monthly rent falls below an annually adjusted threshold. The base amount was $2,400 in 2003 and is increased each year based on the CPI housing component, with the adjusted amount published annually in the Federal Register by the Department of Defense.¹⁸ The protection isn’t automatic; the servicemember must provide written notice and a copy of military orders to invoke it.

If a tenant files for bankruptcy while a no-fault eviction is pending, the automatic stay pauses collection and eviction activity the moment the petition is filed. The landlord must file a motion for relief from the stay in bankruptcy court before proceeding.¹⁹ It doesn’t permanently stop the eviction, but it can add weeks or months.

Taxes on the Relocation Payment

Relocation assistance is generally taxable income for federal purposes. If you receive $600 or more, plan to report it on your tax return, even if the landlord never issues a Form 1099. Los Angeles County no-fault payments routinely exceed that threshold by a wide margin, so tenants receiving five-figure amounts should set aside a portion for taxes and consult a tax professional.

1
Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Overview
2
Los Angeles Housing Department. JCO Units (non-RSO) – No Fault Evictions
3
Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Rent Stabilization Program
4
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1946.2
5
Los Angeles Housing Department. Landlord Occupancy – Owners
6
City of Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 151.30 – Evictions for Owner, Family, or Resident Manager Occupancy
7
Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. County of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance FAQs
8
California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code Title 1 Division 7 Chapter 12.75 Section 7060
9
City of Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 151.23 – Ellis Act Provisions – Required Notice
10
California Department of Justice. Landlord-Tenant Issues
11
Los Angeles City Clerk. Los Angeles Housing Department Report on Amendments to Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance
12
Los Angeles Housing Department. Relocation Assistance
13
Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Los Angeles County Relocation Assistance FAQs
14
Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Units – No Fault Evictions
15
Los Angeles Housing Department. How to File a Declaration of Intent to Evict
16
Los Angeles Housing Department. Eviction Notices
17
City of Los Angeles Municipal Code. Los Angeles Municipal Code SEC 151.27 – Ellis Act Provisions – Re-Rental Rights of Displaced Tenants
18
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3951 – Evictions and Distress
19
United States Bankruptcy Court Central District of California. Automatic Stay – Section 362 – Relief – Unlawful Detainer Apartment