Rent Control Petitions
Tenants whose rental units need repair or maintenance, or whose housing services or amenities have been reduced, may petition to have their monthly rent decreased. A rent decrease stays in effect until the necessary repairs have been made or amenities restored.
A decrease petition may also be filed by a property owner who wishes to remove a service or amenity in exchange for a decrease in rent.
If a tenant has paid more than the maximum lawful rent (or other forms of excess rent as defined in Chapter 8), he or she may file a complaint to recover the amounts determined to have been overcharged. A complaint may also be filed by a tenant if the property owner has failed to properly register the property.
Rent Control Board Regulation 4400, titled “Rent Decreases for Construction Impacts,” provides a remedy for declines in services or maintenance, or interferences with occupancy, resulting from construction activity.
Petition for Determination of a Tenant Not-in-Occupancy
A property owner who believes that a rental unit is not being used as the tenant’s principal place of residence may file this petition to seek a determination that the tenant is "not in occupancy." If approved, a one-time increase in the rent level will be authorized by the Rent Control Board.
Property owners may petition to increase rent levels at a property. Increase petitions are generally filed for all units on a property at the same time. Petitions are often based on unusually high operating expenses not covered by annual general adjustments, including completed or planned capital improvements.
Property owners must demonstrate they are not receiving a fair return to obtain an individual rent increase.
Base Rent/Amenities Petition
This petition may be filed by a property owner or a tenant (under limited circumstances) to establish or correct the base rent and/or base amenities for a unit. Please call (310)458-8751 or send an email to rentcontrol@santamonica.gov for more information, including eligibility requirements, and the petition form.
What is a petition? When are they filed and how? Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.
The Rent Control Board provides free mediation services to resolve rent-control related issues between tenants and landlords. Mediation is often used in the petition process and is effective in most cases, eliminating or reducing the need for hearings to resolve issues.
Request for Compliance Determination
If a decision is issued on a rent decrease petition that reduces the rent for a unit, the owner may file this form to have the rent restored once they have made appropriate repairs or restored services. A compliance determination will then be made.