Santa Monica Rent Control, in plain English.

Santa Monica Rent Control applies if all of the following are true:

• The building is inside the City of Santa Monica (not LA, not Venice Beach in LA, not adjacent unincorporated county).
• The building has two or more rental units.
• Certificate of occupancy was issued before April 10, 1979.
• The unit is not otherwise exempt.

The most reliable check: look up the Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) database on smgov.net. Santa Monica’s Rent Control Board maintains a public database of every rent-controlled unit and its MAR.

The Santa Monica Rent Control Board sets the General Adjustment (GA) each year. It’s based on 75 percent of the change in the LA-area Consumer Price Index for the 12 months ending in March.

• General Adjustment: 2.3 percent.
• Hard cap: $60 per month. If 2.3% of your current rent is more than $60, the increase is capped at $60.
• Registration-fee pass-through: landlords may pass up to half the annual registration fee through. For 2025-2026 that’s $10 per unit per month, added to the GA.
• One GA per 12 months.
• Written notice required (30 days for increases under 10%, 90 days for 10%+).
• Notices on a Rent Control Board-approved form.

Santa Monica’s eviction rules are among the strictest in California. A landlord can only end a tenancy on a covered unit for a specific just-cause ground.

At-fault grounds include non-payment, lease violation, nuisance, illegal activity, refusing access.

No-fault grounds include owner move-in, withdrawal from the rental market (Ellis Act), demolition, and certain government-ordered actions.

No-fault evictions require relocation assistance. Santa Monica relocation amounts are published by the Rent Control Board and depend on tenant category and length of tenancy. For 2026, amounts range from roughly $11,000 to over $25,000.

Common violations:

• Rent increase above the General Adjustment.
• Notice that doesn’t use the Rent Control Board-approved form.
• A no-fault notice without proper relocation amount stated.
• A landlord claiming an exemption that doesn’t apply.
• Retaliation against a tenant who complained.

1. Save the evidence.
2. File a complaint with the Santa Monica Rent Control Board.
3. Talk to a tenant attorney.