If you rent in San Pedro, you’re renting in the City of Los Angeles, and the San Pedro rent control laws that apply are the same ones that apply everywhere else in the city: the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO), and California’s statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482). At least one of those three almost certainly covers your unit. For RSO tenants, the allowable annual rent increase from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 is 3%.
Which Law Covers Your Unit
The three frameworks overlap, but they don’t apply to the same buildings.
The Rent Stabilization Ordinance
The RSO is the strongest of the three and covers residential units in buildings that received a certificate of occupancy on or before October 1, 1978. That reaches apartments, duplexes, condominiums, townhomes, and rooms in a hotel or boarding house occupied by the same person for 30 or more consecutive days. Accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs on RSO properties are covered too.1Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Overview
A narrow “luxury exemption” exists for units that charged unusually high rents before June 1978, but it only applies if the landlord holds a formal exemption certificate from the Housing Department.2Los Angeles Housing Department. Luxury Exemption Certificate
The Just Cause Ordinance
The JCO took effect on January 27, 2023 and pulled non-RSO rentals into the eviction-protection system for the first time. It covers non-RSO multi-family buildings along with single-family homes and condominiums, and it requires a valid legal reason to evict plus relocation assistance for no-fault evictions.3City of Los Angeles. Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Expanded Protections The JCO does not cap the annual rent increase the way the RSO does.
The California Tenant Protection Act
Units outside both city ordinances may still fall under AB 1482. The statewide law generally covers buildings at least 15 years old that aren’t already under a local rent control ordinance with a lower cap. Single-family homes are exempt unless owned by a corporation, a real estate investment trust, or an LLC with a corporate member. AB 1482 caps annual increases and requires just cause once a tenant has occupied the unit for 12 months.4California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12 The law is set to expire on January 1, 2030.
The tenants in San Pedro with essentially no protection are those in buildings less than 15 years old that are also exempt from the JCO. That is a narrow group.
How Much Your Rent Can Go Up
RSO Units
Through June 30, 2026, the allowable annual rent increase for an RSO unit is 3%.5Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Rent Increase Calculator The city resets that figure each year against the Consumer Price Index. Rent can only be raised once in any 12-month period, and only after the tenancy has lasted at least 12 months.
One change is coming. Starting February 2, 2026, landlords can no longer add the 1% surcharge that was previously allowed when the landlord paid for gas or electricity. A rent increase notice served on or after that date that includes the utility add-on is invalid.5Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Rent Increase Calculator
RSO landlords must register the property annually with the Housing Department and pay per-unit fees. Valid registration is a legal prerequisite for demanding or accepting rent, so a landlord who hasn’t registered cannot legally collect rent or serve a valid rent increase notice.6Los Angeles Housing Department. Billing Portal
Units Under AB 1482
Properties covered only by the statewide act face a different cap: 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower. The 10% figure is an absolute ceiling measured against the lowest rent charged for that unit in the prior 12 months. A landlord can split the increase into two increments during the year but cannot exceed the overall cap.4California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12
Notice Requirements
Every rent increase in California requires written notice. If the increase totals 10% or less of the current rent within a 12-month period, the landlord must give at least 30 days’ notice. If it exceeds 10%, the required notice jumps to 90 days.7California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 827 Because RSO increases rarely approach 10%, most San Pedro tenants will see 30-day notices, but check the math.
Separately, RSO landlords can apply for temporary surcharges to recover approved capital improvement or seismic retrofit costs, capped at $55 or $38 per unit per month respectively. Both require Housing Department approval before collection, so a surcharge appearing on your bill without a corresponding approval letter is worth questioning.8Los Angeles Housing Department. Capital Improvement Program
When You Can Be Evicted
A landlord in San Pedro cannot simply choose not to renew your lease. LAMC Section 151.09 requires a specific legal ground for any RSO eviction, and the JCO extends similar rules to non-RSO units. The grounds split into two categories.
At-Fault Grounds
A landlord can pursue eviction when a tenant fails to pay rent, violates a material lease term after written notice and a reasonable chance to fix it, commits a nuisance, uses the unit for illegal purposes, refuses reasonable access for repairs or inspections, or refuses to sign a lease renewal with substantially similar terms. For nonpayment, the amount owed must exceed one month of fair market rent for an equivalent-sized unit in the Los Angeles metro area, as set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.9Los Angeles Municipal Code. LAMC 151.09 – Evictions
No-Fault Grounds
No-fault grounds include an owner or qualifying family member moving into the unit, withdrawing the property from the rental market under the Ellis Act, and complying with a government order requiring the tenant to vacate.10Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Units – No Fault Evictions Every no-fault eviction triggers mandatory relocation assistance, and the landlord must file a Declaration of Intent to Evict with the Housing Department.
Owner Move-In Rules
Owner move-in evictions carry tight restrictions. Only the landlord, their spouse, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or a resident manager qualifies as the occupant. The landlord must hold at least 50% legal title, and each eligible person can only be the basis for one such eviction per rental complex.11Los Angeles Housing Department. Landlord Occupancy – Owners
Once the tenant leaves, the qualifying occupant must move in within three months and stay for at least two consecutive years as their primary residence. The city tracks compliance through mandatory declarations, one within three months of the tenant leaving and additional ones due 30 days before each anniversary. Bad-faith failures can require allowing the displaced tenant back at the old rent and paying damages.
Relocation Assistance for No-Fault Evictions
If your landlord uses a no-fault ground, you’re entitled to a relocation payment. The amounts for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 depend on how long you’ve lived in the unit and whether you belong to a protected category:
- Standard tenants, under 3 years: $10,650
- Standard tenants, 3 or more years: $13,950
- Qualified tenants, under 3 years: $22,450
- Qualified tenants, 3 or more years: $26,550
“Qualified” tenants are those 62 or older, disabled, or with minor children in the household. These amounts apply to both RSO and JCO evictions for households above low-income thresholds.12Los Angeles Housing Department. Relocation Assistance Bulletin Low-income households displaced by new development face a separate, higher payment schedule.
A small landlord exception applies to owners with four or fewer rental units plus one single-family home who pursue owner or family occupancy evictions. Their payments are modestly lower, and they can only use this category once every three years.
Buyout Offers
Some landlords will offer cash to a rent-controlled tenant in exchange for voluntarily giving up the unit. Los Angeles regulates those deals closely. Before making any offer, the landlord must give you a signed RSO Disclosure Notice. The buyout agreement itself must be written in your primary language and must include a bold-print notice directly above the signature line stating that you can cancel without penalty within 30 days of all parties signing.13Los Angeles Housing Department. Tenant Buyout Notification Program
That 30-day rescission period is the core protection. Whatever the agreement says, you have a full month to change your mind. If the landlord skipped the disclosure notice or left out the cancellation language, you can cancel at any time with no penalty. The landlord must file a copy of the signed disclosure and executed agreement with the Housing Department within 60 days.
You are never required to accept a buyout. A tenant who feels pressured can report it to the Housing Department, and a landlord who violates the buyout rules may face an affirmative defense in any later eviction lawsuit.
Security Deposits
California law caps security deposits at one month’s rent, furnished or unfurnished. A narrow exception lets small landlords collect up to two months’ rent if they are a natural person, or an LLC of natural persons, own no more than two rental properties, and those properties contain no more than four units combined. The exception does not apply to service members.14California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1950.5
After you move out, the landlord has 21 days to either return your full deposit or send an itemized statement explaining each deduction plus any balance owed. If repairs aren’t finished within that window, the landlord can send a good-faith estimate within the 21 days and then must provide actual receipts within 14 days of completing the work.15California Courts. Guide to Security Deposits in California
California has no fixed statutory cap on late fees, but courts treat them as liquidated damages that must reflect the landlord’s actual administrative costs. Fees around 5% of monthly rent are commonly upheld when landlords can justify the amount, and daily-penalty structures are regularly struck down. A tenant cannot be evicted solely for unpaid late fees.
If the Unit Isn’t Habitable
The city inspects RSO buildings on a regular cycle through the Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP). Inspectors look for defective plumbing, missing smoke detectors, broken windows, exposed wiring, lack of heat, and unpermitted alterations.16Los Angeles Housing Department. The Systematic Code Enforcement Program Bulletin When violations are found, the landlord gets a timeline to fix them.
A landlord who ignores those violations can have the property placed in the Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP). Tenants in a REAP building receive a rent reduction of 10% to 50% depending on the severity of the problems, and the reduced rent goes into an escrow account rather than to the landlord.17Los Angeles Housing Department. What Is REAP – Renters The property stays in REAP until violations are corrected, inspectors verify the work, and the City Council approves removal.
Outside of REAP, you can file a complaint with the Housing Department if the landlord cuts back on services that were part of the deal when you moved in, such as removing laundry machines, reducing parking, or letting common areas deteriorate. The department’s Rent Investigations Unit can order a corresponding rent reduction going back up to three years from the complaint date.18Los Angeles Housing Department. Reduction in Housing Services Rent Adjustment Commission Regulations If the landlord restores the service within a reasonable time after getting notice, the reduction may not apply.
How to Check Your Unit’s Status
The fastest way to confirm what protections apply is the Housing Department’s online RSO Property Search, which accepts any address in the city.19Los Angeles Housing Department. RSO Property Search You can also text “RSO” to 1-855-880-7368 for a quick check.20Los Angeles Housing Department. Is My Rental Unit Subject to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance The city’s ZIMAS mapping system flags whether a parcel is subject to the RSO or has been withdrawn from the rental market under the Ellis Act. If your building isn’t RSO, you likely still have JCO or AB 1482 protection, so contact the Housing Department when the answer isn’t clear.