While we've covered some California rules, we've seen a special interest in Santa Monica rent control laws. Santa Monica maintains some of California’s most robust rent control laws. Several new rules have been enacted or are under consideration this year.
Current Santa Monica Rent Control Laws for 2025
What is Santa Monica's Annual Rent Increase?
First, there are rules around the Annual Rent Increase (General Adjustment). For rent-controlled units, there is a maximum allowable increase. This went into effect on September 1, 2025. This increase is up to 2.3% with a cap of $60 per month for units where the current Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) is $2,587 or above. Depending on how landlords handle this change, it could be a problem for them. Keeping up with rising maintenance, insurance, and property tax costs through rent alone may be a challenge.
What Housing is Affected?
There is a level of eligibility to consider. Most multi-family buildings constructed before April 10, 1979, are rent-controlled. Units vacated and re-rented in recent years or properties sold/reassessed after March 1, 2018, may have a different rental baseline.
How are California's Notice Requirements Applied?
California's notice requirements are also applied. Landlords must provide tenants at least 30 days’ written notice of any lawful rent increase. It’s a mistake first-time landlords will occasionally make.
What are Pass-Through Fees?
Pass-through-fees are costs landlords can pass through to renters. For example, effective September 1, 2025, landlords may add $10/month to the rent to recoup half their unit registration fee. This is known as the "Pass-Through Fee". Additional surcharges may be allowed for older tenancies based on property tax bills, with a total cap. The registration surcharge landlords can recoup from tenants increased from $9.50, but many property owners fear that it does not offset the limits on rent growth or other rising expenses.
What are Santa Monica's Protections?
Santa Monica’s rules require relocation assistance for certain no-fault evictions and mandate strict “just cause” eviction requirements. These Relocation Assistance & Tenant Protections go above those in California’s AB 1482.
Santa Monica’s Recent Tenant Protection Updates (2024)
Santa Monica expanded its anti-discrimination and harassment rules with Ordinance 2776 in 2024. Under these changes, landlords cannot discriminate against tenants based on “housing status.” People experiencing homelessness, or those with an atypical rental history, are now protected from being denied housing for those reasons. The law also strengthens protections against retaliation and harassment. Penalties can reach up to $20,000 per violation.
The city also introduced stronger eviction protections for a different group. These are tenants who live in units not covered by traditional rent control. These rules make it harder for landlords to push tenants out. Unfair rent hikes or questionable eviction filings have legal ramifications. Even renters outside of strict rent-controlled buildings now have a legal defense against practices that might otherwise price them out or force them to move.
How Property Managers Help Owners Navigate These Rules
Santa Monica has some of the strictest rental laws in California. Keeping up with them can be tough. Across annual rent caps, pass-through rules, relocation payments, and anti-harassment protections, landlords have a lot to keep track of. A small mistake can mean fines, legal trouble, or strained relationships with tenants.
That’s where a property manager can make a big difference. A good management team stays on top of every change in the law, handles the paperwork, and makes sure notices are delivered the right way. They know how to calculate rent adjustments within the legal limits and how to apply pass-through costs without crossing any lines. Just as important, they work on keeping tenants happy and maintaining the property. These two things matter a lot when rent increases don’t always match rising expenses.
For Santa Monica property owners, the right management partner can make a huge difference. Full-service property managers can be what pushes a rental from barely covering costs to running profitably. The best property managers combine legal compliance with tenant satisfaction and proactive maintenance. This helps landlords protect their investments while adapting to one of California’s toughest regulatory environments.
