Landlord Atlas

Beverly Hills, California: Rent Stabilization Ordinance (Chapter 5 and Chapter 6)

Verified August 17, 2026 All California topics →

Beverly Hills limits rent increases to one every 12 months and sets the size of the increase differently for two groups of units.

Cited to Beverly Hills Municipal Code § 4-6-1 (Chapter 6 application and coverage) and 19 more sources · Verified August 17, 2026

For Chapter 6 units — most covered rentals — the limit is the greater of 3% or Los Angeles-area inflation, which means 3% is a floor rather than a ceiling; the city set that figure at 3.6% in June 2026 and recalculates it each June. For Chapter 5 units, the oldest buildings, put up before September 20, 1978 and first rented at $600 a month or less, the limit is 8% or inflation, whichever is lower; the city recalculates that figure every month and posted 3.35% on August 12, 2026. Single-family homes, most condominiums, and buildings issued a certificate of occupancy after February 1, 1995 sit outside the city's rules, though most of those newer buildings fall under California's statewide limit of 5% plus inflation, capped at 10%, once they are more than 15 years old. A tenancy in a covered unit may be ended only on one of twelve listed grounds, and the no-fault grounds require a relocation payment that rises each July 1 — from $8,636.20 for a studio to $17,283.53 for two or more bedrooms as of July 1, 2026, with $2,000 more where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or a minor. Owners must register every covered unit each year, by August 31 in 2026, and pay $74.00 per unit for the year; rent may not be raised while a unit is out of compliance.

Current published figures

Figure Value Applies to Source
Chapter 6 units - maximum annual rent increase 3.6% Set in June 2026; in effect until the city's next annual recalculation in June 2027 Official source
Chapter 5 units - maximum annual rent increase 3.35% Posted August 12, 2026; the city recalculates this figure monthly through 2026 and after Official source
Relocation payment - studio $8,636.20 ($10,636.20 where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or a minor) July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 Official source
Relocation payment - one bedroom $12,756.96 ($14,756.96 where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or a minor) July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 Official source
Relocation payment - two or more bedrooms $17,283.53 ($19,283.53 where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or a minor) July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 Official source
Rent control enforcement and administration fee $74.00 per unit per year Fiscal year July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 Official source

These figures change on a published cycle; each row states the window it applies to and links the source that published it. Confirm the current figure at the source before acting on it.

What is in force

In force today. Beverly Hills has capped rent increases since the City Council adopted its first rent regulations on September 19, 1978. The rules sit in two chapters of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code that work differently: Chapter 5 covers the oldest, lowest-rent buildings, and Chapter 6 covers everything else the ordinance reaches. Both were rewritten in 2017 and 2018. The most recent changes took effect January 3, 2025: one ordinance moved disruptive-tenant cases to a hearing officer, and a second closed the Rent Stabilization Commission. The program is now run by the Rent Stabilization and Housing Division of the Community Development Department, with hearing officers deciding petitions and applications. Neither chapter expires.

The rent increase limit

Rent may be raised once every 12 months, on at least 30 days' written notice, and 12 months must have passed since the last increase. The two chapters use opposite formulas. For Chapter 6 units, the limit is the greater of 3% or the change in the Los Angeles/Riverside/Orange County consumer price index from May 1 of the prior year to May 1 of the current year — so 3% is a floor, not a ceiling, and there is no upper limit. For Chapter 5 units, the limit is 8% or the consumer price index figure as of the date of the increase notice, whichever is lower — so 8% is a ceiling. The city calculates the Chapter 6 figure once a year in June and recalculates the Chapter 5 figure every month, and posts both on its Rent Stabilization Ordinance page. A skipped increase is lost: the city states that an owner may not catch up by applying two years' worth of increases in one year. A landlord who is not in substantial compliance with the registration rules may not demand, accept, or keep the annual increase. Water and refuse surcharges may be added on top of the cap, and Chapter 5 units may also carry a capital improvement surcharge spread over 60 months and limited to 4% of the base rent. A landlord seeking more than the allowed percentage may apply for a rent adjustment to reach a just and reasonable return based on net operating income, decided by a hearing officer after notice to the tenants.

What housing is covered

The ordinance reaches most residential rentals in Beverly Hills. Outside it are single-family residences, most condominiums, units in buildings issued a certificate of occupancy after February 1, 1995, hotel, motel, inn, and rooming-house stays of no more than 30 consecutive days, non-profit cooperatives owned and controlled by a majority of the residents, and units owned or operated by a government agency. Covered units fall into one of two groups. Chapter 5 units are in buildings constructed before September 20, 1978 whose original rent was $600 a month or less; that chapter also excludes units the tenant does not occupy as a primary residence. Every other covered unit is a Chapter 6 unit, and Chapter 6 reaches buildings of two or more units. Because the primary-residence exclusion belongs to Chapter 5 alone, a unit that is not the tenant's main home can still be a Chapter 6 unit.

What happens on vacancy

When every tenant moves out voluntarily, or when tenants are evicted for nonpayment of rent, a lease violation, nuisance, illegal use, refusing the landlord access, or an unapproved subtenant, the landlord and the next tenant may agree on any starting rent. That agreed amount becomes the new base rent and the yearly cap applies from there. A move-out does not count as voluntary if the landlord caused it, if the landlord ended the tenancy by notice, or if it followed a change in the terms of the tenancy other than a lawful change in rent or fees. There is no reset after the no-fault grounds — an owner or manager move-in, a demolition or condominium conversion, a withdrawal from the rental market, or a refusal to sign a renewal lease — and none after a disruptive-tenant eviction, where the ordinance says the rent charged to the next tenant may not exceed what the departing tenant paid. A unit emptied for demolition or conversion stays under the ordinance if it is rented again, and the landlord must tell the new tenant in writing what the controlled rent is. At least 24 hours before a lease is signed, the landlord must give the new tenant written notice of the ordinance, including the allowed annual increase, and keep the tenant's signed acknowledgment for the whole tenancy; skipping that notice carries a $500 penalty.

Eviction and termination rules

A landlord may end a tenancy in a covered unit only on one of twelve grounds. Seven are tenant-fault grounds: nonpayment of rent, violating an obligation of the tenancy after written notice and a chance to fix it, nuisance or damage, illegal use, refusing reasonable access, an unapproved subtenant in possession at the end of a lease, and a hearing officer's finding that the tenant is disruptive. The rest are no-fault grounds that require a relocation payment: refusing to sign a renewal on the same terms, a move-in by the owner or the owner's spouse, children, or parents, a change of building manager, demolition or condominium conversion, and withdrawal of the property from the rental market. An owner move-in needs 90 days' written notice naming the person moving in, filed with the city before it is served, no comparable vacant unit in the building during those 90 days, and the unit taken must be the one held by the most recent tenant among comparable units; tenants who are 65 or older or handicapped may not be displaced if another comparable unit exists. Only one unit per property may be recovered this way, and bad faith is presumed if the occupant does not move in within 30 days and stay 12 months. Demolition and conversion need 90 days' notice approved by the city, all permits already issued, and the relocation payment made or placed in escrow. A withdrawal from the rental market must cover every unit on the property, needs 120 days' notice filed with the city and recorded with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, and stretches to a full year for tenants who are 62 or older or disabled and have lived there at least a year. A disruptive-tenant case requires a written warning with 10 days to stop, a written offer of mediation with 30 days to respond, and then a hearing where the landlord carries the burden of proof. Relocation payments rise every July 1 with inflation; as of July 1, 2026 they are $8,636.20 for a studio, $12,756.96 for a one-bedroom, and $17,283.53 for two or more bedrooms, with $2,000 more where a tenant is 62 or older, disabled, or a minor. The payment is due when the tenant moves out, is owed even if the landlord never uses the unit as the notice said, and a landlord may instead move the tenant into a comparable unit and cover the actual cost up to the same limits.

Registration and filings

Owners of covered rentals must register every unit with the city and report the rent for each one, and must register again each year — the deadline for 2026 is August 31, 2026. A unit must be registered within 30 days of the city's notice that registration is required, within 30 days after an exemption ends, within 30 days of being rented again after a vacancy, and within 30 days of a change in ownership, management, or contact details. Registration counts as complete only when all information is in and all outstanding fees and penalties are paid. Owners must also give their Beverly Hills business tax registration number and upload a current business tax certificate. Rent may not be raised, accepted, or kept while a unit is out of compliance. After each yearly cycle the city mails tenants a notice of the rent their landlord reported, and a tenant who thinks the figure is wrong may file a rent appeal using the identification number in that notice. The city charges a rent control enforcement and administration fee of $74.00 per unit per year for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Other requirements

Landlords and tenants may not agree to waive the ordinance or to a larger increase than it allows. A new tenant must receive the Beverly Hills Tenant Landlord Handbook at least 24 hours before signing, with both sides signing to confirm it was given. For Chapter 5 units, a security deposit may be raised by the same percentage as the rent at the time the rent is recalculated. Landlords who file must pay city fees set each fiscal year: for 2026-27, $1,024.00 to request a disruptive-tenant hearing, $1,139.00 per unit to petition for a rent adjustment or a capital improvement, $1,139.00 to file eviction notices for a building of ten units or less when withdrawing from the rental market plus $143.00 for each unit above ten, and $100.00 per building to file tenancy-termination notices for a demolition or conversion plus $10.00 for each unit above ten. The city also runs a construction plan review for work affecting occupied rent-stabilized buildings, a replacement unit determination for new multi-family projects, and points tenants to a free legal clinic.

Notes and caveats

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Beverly Hills, California: Rent Stabilization Ordinance (Chapter 5 and Chapter 6) (verified August 17, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/california/beverly-hills/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

This page records local law. Statewide rules — deposits, notice periods, late fees, entry, evictions — live on the California hub, and the state-level position on local rent regulation appears there with its own citations and verification date.