City protections
Los Angeles renter rules
Two overlapping systems: the city's RSO for older buildings, statewide caps for most of the rest.
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Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO)
Buildings first occupied before October 1978 fall under the city's RSO: annual increases are capped by a city-set percentage tied to inflation, and evictions require just cause.
Statewide backstop
Most newer buildings still get California's statewide cap (5% + inflation, max 10%) and just-cause rules once you've lived there a year.
Relocation assistance
For no-fault evictions (owner move-in, demolition), covered tenants are owed relocation payments that scale with tenure, age, and income.
The state layer underneath
City rules sit on top of California state law - deposits, entry notice, and eviction process still come from the state.