The purpose of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) is to protect tenants from rent increases.

Residential rental units covered by the Los Angeles RSO include:

• Apartments
• Condominiums
• Town homes
• Duplexes
• Two or more dwelling units on the same lot
• Mobile homes
• Mobile home pads
• Rooms in a hotel, motel, rooming house or boarding house occupied by the same tenant for 30 or more consecutive days.

To be subject to the RSO of the City of Los Angeles, a property must meet the following three criteria:

• The property must be within the City of Los Angeles; and
• There must be two or more units on the lot; and
• The building must have a Certificate of Occupancy issued on or before October 1, 1978. (In the case of mobile homes and mobile home pads, the park must have been issued a permit to operate before February 10, 1986).

Properties exempt from the RSO are as follows:

• Properties located in other municipalities or within unincorporated areas within the County of Los Angeles;
• Single family dwellings, used as such;
• Properties (except mobile homes and mobile home pads) with a Certificate of Occupancy issued after October 1, 1978 (new construction);
• Mobile homes or mobile home pads when the park was issued a permit to operate after February 10, 1986;
• Government owned properties;
• Units occupied by an owner or family member where no rents are collected;
• Vacant units (10 days to register upon rental of the property);
• Properties permanently removed from the rental market;
• Luxury Housing Accommodations issued a Department Certificate;
• Demolished RSO properties;
• Schools/Hospitals;
• Hotel/Motels - with tenancy under 30 days
• Non-profit owner units, with certain qualifications.

The Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers four broad categories:

• Allowable rent increases;
• Registration of rental units;
• 12 legal reasons for eviction;
• Causes for eviction requiring relocation assistance payment to the tenant.