REPLACEMENT UNIT DETERMINATION – RESIDENT PROTECTIONS ORDINANCE
Effective on February 11, 2025, the Resident Protections Ordinance (RPO) prohibits the approval of any proposed development project (“Project”) on a site (“Property”) that will require demolition of existing residential dwelling units, or occupied or vacant Protected Units, unless the Project replaces those units as specified below. The provisions of the RPO apply to all development projects approved by the City on or after February 11, 2025 that involve the demolition or removal of a dwelling unit, with exceptions for certain industrial projects. The RPO states that the obligation to replace Protected Units does not apply to any units demolished prior to January 1, 2020.
Projects subject to the RPO that do not qualify to utilize the No Net Loss Declaration must complete an application for an RPO Replacement Unit Determination (RUD) with LAHD. Projects that have one of the following items filed prior to February 11, 2025, will be allowed to submit and obtain a Housing Crisis Act RUD instead of an RPO RUD.
- A Department of Building and Safety application filed and fees paid per 13B.10 of Chapter 1A of the LAMC, or
- A Department of City Planning (DCP) preliminary application filed per the state Housing Crisis Act (HCA) (form CP13-4062), or
- A DCP entitlement application filed for vesting zone changes, general plan amendments and subdivisions.
*DCP has put together a Fact Sheet for Replacement Unit Requirements and Occupant Protections under the HCA and RPO
ED 1 Implementation Guidelines
ED 1 Property Owner Declaration of Eligibility
Documents Needed for Income Certification
Tenant Income Certification Packet
Tenant Income Certification Packet (Spanish)
Declaration of No Affordable Protected Units (One Owner)
Declaration of No Affordable Protected Units (More Than One Owner)
Please note: There is an application fee of $1,027 per unit, or per single family dwelling. For projects that contain multiple vacant lots or commercial properties, a flat fee of $1,027 will apply instead.
REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNITS
The proposed housing development project shall provide at least as many residential dwelling units as the greatest number of residential dwelling units that existed on the project site within the past 5 years. LAHD Land Use may require documentation in order to verify income of tenants of these existing dwelling units. You can go to Documents Needed for Income Certification for more information.
REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING OR DEMOLISHED PROTECTED UNITS
The Project must also replace all existing or demolished “Protected Units” except for “Protected Units” demolished prior to January 1, 2020. Protected Units are residential dwelling units on the Property that are, or were, within the five (5) years prior to the owner’s application for a RUD (referred to as the “five year lookback period”): (1) subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of lower or very low income, (2) subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power within the past five (5) years (3) occupied by lower or very low income households (an affordable Protected Unit), or (4) that were withdrawn from rent or lease per the Ellis Act, within the past ten (10) years.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATIONS
Please submit your applications to:
ONLINE: https://housingbill.lacity.org/LandUse
E-MAIL: lahd-landuse@lacity.org
MAIL: Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD)
ATTN: Land Use Section
1910 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90026
To speak with LAHD staff about your Housing Crisis Act application, please call (213) 808-8843, or 3-1-1 for TTY
