Landlord Atlas

Santa Monica, California: Rent Control Law (City Charter Article XVIII)

Verified August 16, 2026 All California topics →

Santa Monica limits rent increases on controlled apartments to 2.6% — at most $70 a month — for the year running September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.

Cited to Santa Monica City Charter § 1801 (definitions; controlled rental units and exemptions) and 17 more sources · Verified August 16, 2026

The limit comes from Article XVIII of the City Charter, adopted by voters in 1979: each year the elected Rent Control Board sets the increase at 75% of local inflation, never more than 3%, and may cap it in dollars. Buildings constructed after April 10, 1979 are outside the Charter, though most fall under California's statewide limit of 5% plus inflation (10% maximum) once their certificate of occupancy is more than 15 years old. Landlords may set a new rent when a unit turns over, controlled tenancies may be ended only on ten listed grounds with relocation payments for owner move-in, demolition, and Ellis Act evictions, and every controlled unit and new tenancy must be registered with the Board, which charges an annual per-unit fee that is half passable to tenants.

Current published figures

Figure Value Applies to Source
Annual General Adjustment (controlled units) 2.6%, capped at $70 per month (units with a maximum allowable rent of $2,674 or more get $70) September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 Official source
Permanent relocation fee (owner move-in, demolition, Ellis Act) $20,500 single / $28,300 one-bedroom / $39,350 two or more bedrooms; $21,450 / $30,200 / $41,900 for households with a senior, disabled person, or minor From July 1, 2026 (adjusted each July 1) 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. Santa Monica voters adopted rent control as Article XVIII of the City Charter on April 10, 1979, and have amended it eight times since, most recently by Measure RC in November 2022 (effective December 6, 2022), which capped the annual increase at 3% and tightened owner move-in evictions. An elected five-member Rent Control Board administers the law and issues its own regulations.

The rent increase limit

Rents on controlled units may rise once a year, on September 1, by the General Adjustment the Rent Control Board announces by June 30. The adjustment is 75% of the change in the Los Angeles-area consumer price index over the 12 months ending in March, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, and can never be less than 0% or more than 3%. The Board may also set a dollar ceiling on the increase using a formula in the Charter, and it has done so every year since 2023. The increase applies only to tenancies that began before September 1 of the prior year, in properly registered units, with all registration fees paid, no uncorrected code violations, and written notice that carries the required no-violations statement. A separate Board rule limits any rent increase to 10% of the rent charged in the prior 12 months.

What housing is covered

All residential rental units in the city, including mobilehome and trailer spaces, unless the Board has granted an exemption. Exempt on application: buildings constructed after April 10, 1979 (a line state law fixes in place; converted units do not qualify); owner-occupied properties of three or fewer units while the owner lives there; hotel and motel rooms rented to transients for under 14 days; hospitals, extended-care facilities, convents, non-profit homes for the aged, and college dormitories; government-owned or subsidized units only where federal or state law specifically exempts them; and units used for non-profit child care or social services. Single-family homes not rented on July 1, 1984 are automatically exempt, and other single-family homes and condominiums may be permanently exempted after two years of owner occupancy; state law also lets owners of separately owned houses and condominiums set their own rents.

What happens on vacancy

Since January 1, 1999, when a tenant leaves voluntarily or is evicted for cause, the landlord may set any starting rent for the next tenancy, and that rent becomes the unit's new base — the unit stays under the Charter and future increases run from the new figure. No reset is allowed when the landlord ended the prior tenancy with a no-cause notice or a change of terms, after an Ellis Act withdrawal, or where the owner agreed with a public agency to limit rents. Each new tenancy must be registered with the Rent Control Board.

Eviction and termination rules

A landlord may end a controlled tenancy only on one of ten grounds listed in the Charter: nonpayment; a continuing material lease breach after written notice; nuisance or substantial damage after written notice; conviction for illegal use of the unit; refusal to sign a like renewal; continued refusal of lawful access; an unapproved holdover subtenant; owner or close-relative move-in (the owner must hold at least a 50% interest, move in within 60 days, and live there at least two years, and long-term senior, disabled, and terminally ill tenants are protected); demolition or removal after all city permits; and withdrawal under the Ellis Act. Every termination notice must state the cause and, except a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, be filed with the Rent Control Board within three days of service. Under the city's separate relocation ordinance, owner move-in, demolition, and Ellis Act terminations require a permanent relocation payment set by City Council resolution and adjusted every July 1, with higher amounts for households that include a senior, a person with a disability, or a minor child.

Registration and filings

Every controlled unit must be registered with the Rent Control Board, and each new tenancy must be registered; a landlord who has not properly registered may not raise the rent. The Board charges an annual per-unit registration fee for its fiscal year running July 1 through June 30, due July 1 and payable by August 1; the Charter caps the fee at $288 per unit. Half of the fee paid may be passed through to the tenant in twelve equal monthly installments once the fee is paid in full. Owner-occupied units, units of very-low-income senior or disabled tenants, and Section 8 units may qualify for fee waivers.

Other requirements

Security deposits must be kept in an interest-bearing account, may not exceed one month's rent for most landlords, and once set cannot be raised during the tenancy — the annual increase does not apply to them. Property-tax pass-throughs are limited to five ballot-measure line items, only for tenancies that began before March 1, 2018 on parcels not reassessed since, and are capped at the lesser of 4% of the maximum allowable rent or $35 a month. Before offering a tenant money to move out, a landlord must give a city disclosure form (right to refuse, right to a lawyer, 30 days to cancel) and file the signed agreement with the Rent Control Board. Landlords must give new tenants the Board's information sheet at lease signing, and the city maintains a separate tenant-harassment ordinance.

Notes and caveats

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Santa Monica, California: Rent Control Law (City Charter Article XVIII) (verified August 16, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/california/santa-monica/" — 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.