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The rules ledger
Every figure the desk serves, with its formula, its effective window, its source, and the date we last verified it against that source. If a figure goes stale, the desk says so before you rely on it — a number without a date and a source is just a rumor.
City of Los Angeles · RSO
Applies inside City limits (most of the Valley included): certificate of occupancy on or before Oct 1, 1978, generally 2+ units on the lot. One increase per 12 months; no banking. Utility add-ons (+1% gas / +1% electric) eliminated for notices served on/after Feb 2, 2026 (Ord. 188795).
| Effective window | Max annual increase | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026 | 3% | Increases noticed on/after 2026-02-02 in this window: flat 3%, no utility add-on (Ord. 188795 interim clause). |
| Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 | 3% | First year under the 90%-of-CPI formula (floor 1%, ceiling 4%). |
Sources: LAHD — housing.lacity.gov (RSO increase; registration & SCEP fees) · LA City Ordinance 188795 (CF 23-1134) — new RSO formula, effective 2026-02-02 · LAMC §§ 151.05(a), 151.06.D, 151.10(a)
California · AB 1482 (LA region)
5% + regional CPI, ceiling 10%; covers most rentals 15+ years old that no local ordinance reaches. Resets every August 1. Buildings age into coverage on the 15th anniversary of their certificate of occupancy. Statute sunsets Jan 1, 2030 unless renewed.
| Effective window | Max annual increase | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2025 – Jul 31, 2026 | 8% | 5% + 3.0% (April 2025 CPI). |
| Aug 1, 2026 – Jul 31, 2027 | 8.7% | 5% + 3.7% (April 2026 CPI). |
Sources: Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12 (AB 1482 / SB 567) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov · LA County DCBA — RSTPO bulletin rev. 2026-03-02; AB 1482 regional figures
LA County · RSTPO (unincorporated)
Unincorporated areas only (Altadena, East LA, View Park, Hacienda Heights…): 2+ units or ADUs with certificate of occupancy on or before Feb 1, 1995. Formula: 60% of CPI, ceiling 3%. Luxury tier: ≤2 bedrooms in a 25+ unit structure renting ≥ $4,000 as of Sep 11, 2018.
| Effective window | Fully covered | Small landlord (self-certified) | Luxury tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2026 | 1.93% | 2.93% | 3.93% |
| Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 | 1.919% | 2.919% | 3.919% |
Source: LA County DCBA — RSTPO bulletin rev. 2026-03-02; AB 1482 regional figures
Own-ordinance cities
| City | Current window | Cap | Formula / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | Sep 1, 2025 – Aug 31, 2026 | 2.3% (max $60/mo) | |
| West Hollywood | Sep 1, 2025 – Aug 31, 2026 | 2.25% | |
| Culver City | Jun 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 | 3.25% | 100% CPI, floor 2%, ceiling 5%. |
| Inglewood | Jul 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 | 3.7% / 8.7% (1–4 units) | 5+ units: greater of 3% or CPI. 1–4 units: 5% + CPI (8.7%). Absolute ceiling 10%. ⚠ City page's effective-window label is stale; figures were posted 2026-05-12. Confirm on renewal. |
| Pasadena | Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026 | 2.25% | |
| Beverly Hills | Jun 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 | 3.6% | Formula: greater of 3% or CPI; city posts 3.6% (June 2026). ⚠ Whether the June-posted 3.6% governs a July 2026 notice or begins 2026-08-01 needs one call to the city program (AG chart listed 3% for 2025-26). |
Sources: City rent-program pages: santamonica.gov, weho.org, culvercity.gov, cityofinglewood.org, cityofpasadena.net, beverlyhills.org · CA Attorney General local rent-law chart (2025-08-01) + city pages
Smaller cities with their own ordinances
| City | Cap | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pomona (Ord. 4359) | 5% | Flat 5% cap; ordinance sunsets 2026-12-31 unless extended. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
| Baldwin Park RSO | 5% | 100% CPI, floor 1%, ceiling 5%; city publishes irregularly — confirm current figure. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
| Bell Gardens (Ord. 925) | 4% | Lesser of 50% CPI or 4% (≈1.5–2% recently); confirm current figure. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
| Cudahy (ch. 5.13) | 3% | 100% CPI, max 3%. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
| Maywood | 4% | 100% CPI, max 4%. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
| Commerce (ch. 9.95) | 10% | 5% + CPI, max 10% — roughly mirrors the state cap. (encoded at verify-confidence: these cities publish irregularly — confirm before serving.) |
Source: CA Attorney General local rent-law chart (2025-08-01) + city pages
Notices & City of LA fees
Rent-increase notice (Civ. Code 827 / CCP 1013): ≤10% cumulative in 12 months → 30 days; >10% → 90 days; +5 days if served by mail.
City of LA annual bill (billed January, delinquent after the last day of February): RSO registration $38.75/unit (passthrough $1.61/mo) · JCO registration $31.05/unit · SCEP $67.94/unit (passthrough $2.83/mo), inspections ~every 4 years. Unregistered RSO units cannot lawfully demand rent (LAMC 151.05(a)).
Sources: Cal. Civ. Code § 827; CCP § 1013 — notice periods · LAHD — housing.lacity.gov (RSO increase; registration & SCEP fees)
Banking of skipped increases (verified Jul 17, 2026)
Can a landlord who skipped a year's increase apply it later, on top of this year's? In eight of nine LA rulebooks: no. The one exception is Santa Monica, where adjustments accrue into the unit's Board-certified Maximum Allowable Rent.
| Rulebook | Banking? | The rule | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of LA (RSO) | No | No banking or retroactive increases — a skipped year is gone permanently (LAHD's own notice states it directly). | LAMC 151.06(D); LAHD Renter Protections Notice |
| LA County (RSTPO) | No | Expressly prohibited: an unused increase — whole or partial — is WAIVED for the remainder of the tenancy. (The prohibiting subsection is literally titled "Rent Banking.") | LACC 8.52.050(J), Ord. 2024-0060 (eff. 1/1/2025) |
| State cap (AB 1482) | No | Structurally impossible: the cap is measured against the LOWEST rent charged in the trailing 12 months, so skipped years never accumulate — catch-up beyond one year's cap cannot happen. | Civ. Code 1947.12(a)(1) |
| Santa Monica | Yes | The ONLY local exception: each year's General Adjustment accrues into the unit's Board-certified Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) whether or not you raise, and charged rent may later rise toward the MAR — but catch-ups are phased at ≤10% per 12 months (Board rule adopted at its October 2025 public hearing, per the Board's own newsletter). Look up the unit's official MAR with the Rent Control Board before relying on any banked amount. | SM Charter §§1804(b),1805; Board Reg. 3035 (Oct 2025 amendment) |
| West Hollywood | No | No banking for tenancies starting on/after Jan 1, 1996 — an adjustment not taken in its year is forfeited. Legacy banked rent (frozen as of 8/31/1996) may exist for pre-1996 tenancies: catch-up capped at the lesser of 10% or the MAR per 12 months and conditioned on code/appliance/service compliance — manual review for those tenancies. | WHMC 17.32.010(1)(2), 17.32.060, 17.36.050 |
| Culver City | No | Not authorized — no banking provision exists, and the hard 5%/12-month ceiling precludes stacking. (Web claims that Culver City allows banking confuse it with other cities' formulas.) | CCMC 15.09.215(B) |
| Pasadena | No | Expressly prohibited by the City Charter: an AGA not taken within its Oct 1–Sep 30 window "shall not be eligible to defer implementation... in a later year." | Pasadena Charter Art. XVIII §1808(a)(4) |
| Inglewood | No | Not authorized — the ordinance is silent on banking and its cap (measured against the lowest rent in the trailing 12 months) leaves no room for catch-up. | IMC Ch. 8 Art. 10, §8-127 |
| Beverly Hills | No | No banking under either chapter — the city states it plainly: an owner "may not 'catch up' by applying two years' worth of rent increases in one year." | BHMC 4-5-303 / 4-6-3; beverlyhills.org RSO page |
Santa Monica's 10%-per-12-months phasing of banked catch-ups is confirmed by the Rent Control Board's own Fall 2025 newsletter (adopted at the Board's October 2025 public hearing); the exact amended subsection number in the consolidated Chapter 3 text is still pending the Board's updated publication — look up any unit's official MAR with the Board before relying on a banked amount.
How this stays current
An automated watcher checks the primary sources daily and flags any change for human re-verification; figures are additionally re-verified monthly, and always at the July (City/County), August (State), and September–October (Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena) resets. If the verification date at the top of this page ages past 45 days, the desk visibly degrades its own answers rather than radiating false confidence.