Rent control in Baldwin Park, in plain English.

Baldwin Park rent stabilization reaches most older residential rentals in the city. Your unit is likely covered if:

• The building is inside the City of Baldwin Park.
• The unit was first built before January 1, 1995.
• It is not a single-family home or other exempt category.

If your building is newer than 1995, the local cap generally does not apply, but the statewide AB 1482 cap often does. Either way, there is usually a limit on your increase. We can tell you which one governs your unit.

Baldwin Park ties the allowable increase to inflation, with a floor of 1 percent and a ceiling of 5 percent. In a low-inflation year the number sits near the bottom of that band, and in a high-inflation year it stops at 5 percent no matter what.

• One increase every 12 months.
• Written notice in the right form.
• The increase stays inside the 1 to 5 percent band.

If your Baldwin Park increase came in above 5 percent on a covered unit, the amount over the ceiling is very likely invalid.

A Baldwin Park landlord needs a just-cause reason to end a covered tenancy. The reasons split into at-fault grounds, like unpaid rent or a serious lease violation, and no-fault grounds, like an owner move-in or a substantial remodel.

A no-fault eviction requires relocation assistance. The amount depends on your tenancy and category, and the notice has to spell it out. A no-fault notice with no relocation payment is a problem.

The Baldwin Park problems we see most:

• An increase above the 5 percent ceiling.
• A second increase inside the same 12 months.
• A no-fault notice with no relocation payment.
• A landlord claiming a pre-1995 unit is exempt when it is not.

1. Save the notice, the envelope, and your rent history.
2. Confirm the unit’s build date and status with the city.
3. Talk to a tenant attorney.