News & Announcements

Staff Recommends 1.54% General Adjustment for 2012

The Rent Control Board welcomes you to a Public Hearing scheduled for June 14^th to discuss the proposed 1.54% General Adjustment for 2012 and consideration of a $26 ceiling to rent increases. The meeting will be held at 7:00pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. If adopted, the General Adjustment will affect MARs as of September 1st of this year. Interested tenants and property owners can review the 40-page staff report here.

Rent Control Agency Releases 2011 Annual Report 

Significant developments affecting rent-controlled units in the past year are highlighted in a report being presented to the Rent Control Board at its meeting on May 10^th. Among the other information reported is a statistical overview of the work of the Rent Control Agency. The Agency’s community outreach activities are also mentioned as are significant legal proceedings in the past year. For a quick overview of Rent Control Agency activities in 2011, read the report.

Stay Informed! Read our
 Spring 2012 Newsletter    

The Rent Control newsletter is mailed twice a year to every rent-controlled household as well as to property owners and managers of rent-controlled properties.

Among the topics we cover in this issue: upcoming seminars, roommates and the rent control law, additional guidance on the reasonable warning requirement prior to starting eviction action, carbon monoxide detectors and restrictions on short-term rental housing. 

The Ellis Act’s Impact 2011 

The 2011 Ellis Report was recently presented to the Board.  This report surveys Ellis activity from inception of the Ellis Act in 1986, through December 2011.  Salient points include:

• 55 units were withdrawn in 2011
• 2,621 units have been withdrawn from the rental market since 1986.
• 665 units have returned to the market under rent control since 1986.
• 1,946 units remain withdrawn as of December 2011.

Guidelines for Reasonable Warning Periods    

Santa Monica’s Rent Control Law requires owners to give tenants a reasonable amount of time to correct alleged violations of a rental agreement, nuisance issues or denied access to a rental unit before they issue any notice to cure or quit. While it will be up to a judge in an eviction case whether an appropriate amount of time was provided, the Rent Control Board has developed guidelines regarding what is reasonable in typical situations. Read or download the information sheet here.