Landlords, Wake Up: The City Just Tightened the Screws (Again)
It’s official—you can run, but you can’t hide anywhere within the City of Los Angeles. If you’re a landlord or homeowner, brace yourself because Los Angeles has revised the Just Cause Ordinance yet again, adding new fees and registration requirements that will impact how you operate. If you’ve been blissfully unaware, now’s the time to stop playing ostrich with your head in the sand and take a good, hard look at what’s happening.
Let’s break it down before we all find ourselves tangled in another web of regulations designed—by design—to control rental housing further.

What Is the Just Cause Ordinance?
The Just Cause Ordinance in Los Angeles was initially put in place to provide tenants with protection from arbitrary evictions. Under this law, landlords must provide a just cause—such as non-payment of rent, lease violations, or a landlord removing a unit from the rental market—before they can evict a tenant.
Sounds fair, right? Well, in practice, this ordinance has continued to evolve in ways that make property ownership an increasingly bureaucratic and costly nightmare.
And now, with the latest revisions, the City of Los Angeles has decided that wasn’t quite enough. Time for more fees, more registration, and more control.
What Has Changed? New Fees and Registration Requirements
The latest revision to the ordinance has introduced new fees and registration requirements that every landlord must comply with. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Mandatory Rental Unit Registration
Landlords are now required to register their rental units with the city—yes, even if you’re not part of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). The City has taken a page out of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) playbook by rolling out a “free” first-year registration. But let’s be real—this is just the first step before they start charging you annually.
Remember when they said the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance wouldn’t impact small landlords? How did that turn out?
Mark my words, this will follow the same trajectory: free to register now, and in a year or two, a mandatory fee with additional restrictions will magically appear.
2. New Fees for RSO and Non-RSO Properties
If you thought you were safe from new fees because your property isn’t under RSO, think again. Los Angeles has added new fees for all rental units, whether RSO or not. Here’s a breakdown:
- New Annual Registration Fees: The City has hinted at implementing recurring charges for rental unit registrations. Currently, landlords pay a $38.75 per unit fee for RSO properties. Expect similar charges for all properties soon.
- Inspection Fees: Officials are pushing for periodic inspections to ensure compliance, which could come with additional costs for landlords.
- Eviction Processing Fees: Any eviction action might now require additional administrative fees, making it even more difficult to remove problematic tenants.
Do you see where this is going? A new wave of restrictions, hidden behind an ever-growing list of fees. The writing is on the wall, my friends.
What This Means for Landlords
Let’s be clear: these changes are not just minor tweaks. They’re part of a larger strategy that could ultimately:
- Make Rental Housing Less Profitable – With new fees and compliance costs, rental profits will continue to shrink.
- Increase Tenant Control Over Properties – The Just Cause Ordinance already favors tenants heavily, but with more restrictions, landlords could be left powerless in their own investments.
- Set the Stage for Future Rent Caps – If you’re exempt from RSO now, don’t get comfortable. If history has taught us anything, today’s non-RSO property could be tomorrow’s fully regulated unit with strict rent control measures.
Currently, the maximum rent increase for exempt properties sits at around 8%. But give it time—watch how quickly that changes as more regulations roll in. This is a slow march toward full control of rental housing.
The Bigger Picture: What’s Next?
This revision to the Just Cause Ordinance isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s part of a growing trend in Los Angeles and beyond—government tightening its grip on private property through slow, incremental changes.
- First, they make you register your property.
- Then, they charge you to register it.
- Next, they add more restrictions.
- Finally, they tell you how much rent you can charge and under what conditions you can evict.
Do you see the pattern?
Is this just another grand bait-and-switch, like the DCBA’s rollout of “tenant protections” that slowly turned into massive government oversight? I’d bet on it.
The question is: How long before we hit full regulatory lockdown?
What Can Landlords Do?
If you’re reading this and feeling that all-too-familiar frustration, here’s what you can do:
- Stay informed – Keep up with city council meetings and proposed regulations before they become law.
- Join landlord advocacy groups – The more voices we have, the better chance we have of pushing back.
- Speak up – Engage with city officials, challenge new restrictions, and make your concerns heard.
- Consider your rental strategy – If the squeeze continues, many landlords may rethink their investment approach, whether that means selling, converting to short-term rentals, or moving investments elsewhere.
The bottom line? If you’re a landlord in Los Angeles, it’s time to stop pretending that these changes won’t affect you. They will. They already are. And unless we start paying attention, there will be more coming.
So, my fellow ostriches, get your heads out of the sand. It’s time to see the battlefield clearly.