Got the notice yesterday. They want 8 percent starting November and the same speech about how the neighborhood improved, which last time meant a matcha stand and more skaters. My rent already jumped 400 a couple years ago on that logic!!
I am downtown, building is from the 60s, so I thought there was a cap on this. What is the actual number right now, and has anyone here pushed back and gotten it lowered?
Three percent if it is RSO. Check ZIMAS before you argue.
Landlord math is not the same as city math. I was in the same situation. The only option is to get a lawyer, but even then chances are rather small.
Santa Monica and West Hollywood for example.. have completely different laws.
RSO in the city has been 3 percent since July 2025 and it is locked there through June 2027. Eight is only legal if your building is exempt, and even then AB 1482 caps it at 5 plus CPI. Ask them in writing which one applies.
Your building being from the 60s matters a lot here. Anything with a certificate of occupancy before October 1978 in the city is almost certainly RSO, and RSO is 3 percent flat right now, July 2025 through June 2027. The old utility add ons went away in February, so there is no legal way to stack another 5 on top of it.
Pull the property up on zimas.lacity.org and look at the housing tab. If it says yes, send the office a short written note citing the allowable increase and ask them to reissue the notice.
Mine tried something similar last year and folded the second I mentioned the ordinance by name. Say it politely, in an email, and keep the reply. Paper changes how they answer.
Also worth knowing they can only raise it once in twelve months, and they owe you written notice with real time on it, thirty days under ten percent. Half the increases I have seen around Atwater are just a first offer. People who answer with the actual code section usually get a corrected notice and never hear about it again.
Don’t argue with the manager. Email housing.lacity.gov or use Ask Housing and attach the notice. They’ll tell you if the building is covered.
Half these management companies just copy-paste the same increase letter for every property they run and hope tenants don’t check.
I feel you girl. 
I hope you find a solution. I never got that kind of an increase. It’s normally 2 % here and there.
I don’t know much about the L.A. housing market. It’s apparently not so different to the rest of the US. Hard working people shouldn’t spend 40-50% of their income on housing.
That’s why most of us live with roommates or husband/wife. Having a place as a single is almost considered luxury at this point in time.