LA Just Cause Ordinance Explained (2026): Eviction Reasons and Relocation Amounts

Since January 27, 2023, almost every renter in the City of Los Angeles has some protection against eviction without a reason. Units under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) already had it. The Just Cause Ordinance (JCO), Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) Chapter XVI, Article 5 (§ 165.00 and following), extends similar eviction rules to most non-RSO units, including newer buildings and many single-family homes. This guide covers who is covered, the allowed reasons for eviction, relocation money, and the separate “economic displacement” payment for large rent increases.

Last updated: October 31, 2026. By the Apartments Club Editorial Team. Sources are primary: statutes, ordinances and official agency pages, linked in the text.

Not legal advice. This guide summarizes public law for general information. Your situation may differ. For help, contact the LAHD hotline at 866-557-7368, the Stay Housed L.A. program, or a licensed California attorney.

Who the JCO covers

According to LAHD’s JCO page, the ordinance applies to a tenancy once the tenant has lived in the unit for six months or the original lease has expired, whichever comes first. It can apply to buildings newer than October 1, 1978 and to a property with a single single-family home.

LAHD lists exceptions, including transient hotels, licensed care facilities, fraternity and sorority houses, an owner’s roommate, some cooperatives, some nonprofit homeless or short-term treatment facilities, and some HACLA or government-owned properties. If your unit is under the RSO, the RSO’s own eviction rules (LAMC § 151.09) apply instead.

At-fault reasons (no relocation money)

LAHD lists these as reasons where the tenant is at fault, so no relocation assistance is owed:

• Failure to pay rent
• Failure to cure a violation of the rental agreement
• Creating a nuisance or causing damage
• Using the unit for an illegal purpose
• Failure to renew a similar rental agreement
• Failure to give the landlord reasonable access
• An unapproved subtenant remaining at the end of the lease term

No-fault reasons (relocation money required)

A landlord may also end a tenancy for reasons that are not the tenant’s fault. Each one is listed in LAMC § 165.03 (with the matching RSO section in § 151.09):

• Occupancy by the owner, a spouse, children, grandchildren, parents or grandparents, or a resident manager where required by law or an affordable-housing covenant (§ 165.03.H)
• Demolition, permanent removal from the rental market, or conversion to non-residential use (§ 165.03.I)
• Compliance with a government order to vacate (§ 165.03.J)
• HUD owns the property and is selling it (§ 165.03.K)
• Residential hotel conversion or demolition (§ 165.03.L)
• Conversion to affordable housing (§ 165.03.M)

For every no-fault eviction, the landlord must first file a Declaration of Intent to Evict with LAHD, and a copy of the termination notice must be filed with LAHD within three days of serving it (LAHD Relocation Assistance bulletin). Failing to file makes the eviction a violation of the RSO or JCO.

Relocation assistance amounts, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027

From LAHD’s bulletin (amounts rise every July 1). “Qualified” households include tenants who are 62 or older, disabled, or living with a minor child, as defined by LAHD.

For a single-family home owned by a natural person (JCO only), the bulletin sets relocation at one month’s rent. Different amounts apply when a lower-income tenant is displaced by demolition for new construction under the Resident Protections Ordinance.

Big rent increase? The “economic displacement” payment

LAMC § 165.09 (added by Ordinance 187,764, effective March 27, 2023) gives JCO tenants a choice when the landlord proposes a rent increase above the lesser of CPI-U plus 5%, or 10% within 12 months. The tenant may move out instead and receive relocation equal to three times HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a similar-size unit in the Los Angeles metro area, plus $1,411 in moving costs (LAMC § 165.09). The landlord may subtract unpaid rent. A natural-person owner of one single-family home plus no more than four other units owes one month’s rent instead. LAHD publishes the dollar amounts each year, so check its current notice before you decide.

For increases starting August 1, 2026, the statewide AB 1482 cap in Los Angeles County is 8.7% (California Attorney General). See our AB 1482 guide for how that cap works.

What to do if you get a notice

1. Check whether your unit is RSO or non-RSO on ZIMAS (Housing tab).
2. Read the reason stated on the notice and compare it with the lists above.
3. For a no-fault notice, ask whether the Declaration of Intent to Evict was filed with LAHD, and how relocation was calculated.
4. Do not ignore court papers. An unlawful detainer lawsuit has short response deadlines.
5. Call LAHD at 866-557-7368 or reach Stay Housed L.A. for free legal help.

Related guides

• LA Rent Control (RSO) explained
• AB 1482: California’s statewide rent cap
• AB 12: California’s security deposit cap
• Tenant rights basics
• Los Angeles Rent Report

Sources: LAHD, Just Cause Ordinance; LAHD Relocation Assistance bulletins (eff. July 1, 2026); LAMC § 165.09; CA Attorney General rent caps. Checked October 31, 2026. How we source: Editorial Standards.

Featured photo: Photo: Edwin Andrade theunsteady5 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0