Summary of Regulations 

Rent Control Law    

Rent Control Charter Amendment 

This is the original rent control law that Santa Monica voters approved in April 1979. It was amended by the voters in 1984, 2002 and 2010. Those amendments are also included. The regulations that follow were adopted by the Rent Control Board to implement and enforce the Rent Control Law.

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 Summary of Regulations

Chapter 1 - Rules for Board Meetings

Chapter 2 - Definitions: Words and phrases used in the Rent Control Charter Amendment or regulations such as: owner-occupied dwellings; principal place of residence; privileges as housing services and material terms; and healthcare providers. 

Chapter 3 - General Rent Adjustments: Annual general rent adjustments from 1979 to the present; surcharges for school taxes, etc.; separate agreements; vacancy rent increases for controlled units (including TORCA units); base rent and registration of condominium units not sold separately; notice of maximum allowable rents; and new maximum allowable rents for tenants not in occupancy.

Chapter 4 - Individual Rent Adjustments: Procedures and standards for filing individual rent adjustment petitions including: increase petitions; decrease petitions (maintenance and construction related conditions, loss of housing services); and increase schedules in individual increase cases for severe economic hardship cases.

Chapter 5 - Removal Permits: Regulation has been suspended. See Rent Control Charter Amendment Section 1803(t). Standards and procedures for obtaining a permit to remove controlled rental units from the rental housing market by demolition, conversion or other means.

Chapter 6 - Claims of Vested Rights:  Standards and procedures to substantiate a claim to a vested right to be exempted from the removal permit requirements of Chapter 5.

Chapter 7 - Rent Rollback: Describes rent rollback required upon the passage of the Rent Control Charter Amendment in 1979. Also includes methods to calculate base rents for manager-occupied units.

Chapter 8 - Administrative Remedies for Rent Overcharges or Nonregistration: Standards and procedures to establish violations of the rent overcharge (excess rent) and registration provisions of the Charter Amendment.

Chapter 9 - Evictions: Clarification of the just causes for eviction contained in §1806(a) of the Charter Amendment. Detailed information on limitations, notice and "good faith" requirements for evictions for owner-occupancy (§1806(a)(8)).(h)).

Chapter 10 - Judicial Review: References to applicable Code of Civil Procedure sections for judicial review of final Rent Control Board decisions.

Chapter 11 - Registration Fee: Amount of annual registration fees from 1980 to the present as well as deadlines for payment, pass-through and notice requirements, and consequences of delinquent payments. Registration fee waiver requirements for owner-occupants, very low-income senior citizens; very low-income disabled tenants; and units participating in a government funded rent subsidy program (Section 8). Permanent fee waiver standards for single family dwellings and condominium units (including TORCA units).

Chapter 18 - Reserved for future use.

Chapter 19 - Reserved for future use.

Chapter 20 - Partial Invalidity of Regulations