January 2025 - A Just Cause Ordinance (JCO) Amendment introduced an annual Just Cause Enforcement Fee of $31.05 per unit. The fee applies to owners of rental units that are not subject to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO). To introduce this fee, in February, an informational letter was mailed to all City of Los Angeles residential properties (including rented single-family homes) with information regarding the new Just Cause Ordinance (JCO) recently approved by the City Council. The initial billing statement for 2025 is scheduled to be mailed in mid-March/April. *Recipients of the informational letter and billing statement will receive it if their mailing address differs from the property address in the Los Angeles Assessor Tax Collector’s database. Visit the Annual RSO/JCO/SCEP Billing page for more information about the fees.
If your property is not part of the rental housing market, it may be eligible for a fee exemption. Apply using the Annual Temporary Exemption Fee Application (EC Form). Simply complete the form, indicating the property is owner-occupied or that no rent is being collected, and submit. Please note - an exemption is applied to the current calendar year only; exemption request forms will be required annually.
Click here for additional information about the Just Cause Ordinance.
REQUEST AN EXEMPTION
An annual temporary exemption (EC) request must be submitted for properties and units that are owner occupied, vacant, or for which no rent is collected. *Upon approval, no annual fees are due. Please visit the Billing / Account Portal to request an exemption.
The property is under the jurisdiction of the Just Cause Ordinance (JCO). JCO is not voluntary and is based on
various factors. Whether or not you decide to offer the property for rent is not a factor in determining why you
were issued this bill.
Please visit https://housing.lacity.gov/rental-property-owners for more information. Property owners who are not
in the rental housing market can apply for an exemption from the fees by completing the enclosed annual
Temporary Exemption Fee Application (EC Form), this will be included in the annual billing statement.
Currently, the JCO is $31.05 per unit per year. The 2025 Annual Statement will be issued in March/April.
You can create an account or fill out a Registration Exemption Application (located under the forms tab) on
our Customer Portal at https://housingbill.lacity.org/billing/
The annual (calendar) fee is due in January of each year and is assessed a delinquent fee if payment is not
received by the last day of February. The fee is assessed on a per unit basis and are not prorated; if a unit is
rented for a partial period during the year, the per unit annual registration fees must still be paid in full.
The JCO fee provides program services, and related expanded tenant protections for tenants citywide and it is
administered by the City.
Failure to pay the fees by the due date will result in assessment of delinquent penalty fees and further
collection activities which may result in a report to a credit reporting bureau, additional court action, or other
efforts.
Annual fee exemptions:
- Owner Occupied Units – The owner-occupied unit exemption is limited to only one unit per owner on the
Recorded Title. - No Rent Collected – The unit is occupied but not rented, or is used for non-living purposes, e.g. storage.
- Vacant and Secured – Use this exemption only if the property is vacant, boarded, and secured using a
deadbolt lock. This exemption requires completion of the “Notice of Vacant and Secured Units” form
which MUST be notarized and recorded with the County.
If the property is owner occupied, not rented or vacant & secured for a full calendar year, an annual temporary
exemption request may be filed, and on approval, no annual fees are due. Please review the temporary
exemption (EC) form for additional information visit our website at https://housingbill.lacity.org/billing/ or call
877-614-6873.
Annual temporary exemptions (EC) must be requested for units occupied by the family members where no rent
is collected (Code T3). (Please refer to the EC Form for instructions).
If you are going to be living in a unit on your rental property, no rent is being collected on a unit (such as when a unit is used as storage), or you expect the unit to be vacant for the entire year, consider filing an annual exemption from the RSO and/or SCEP fees.
Annual exemptions are valid for the current year only and do not automatically carry over to the next year. The exemptions needs to be applied and the Annual Bill fee adjusted.To file an annual exemption from the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and/or Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP) fees:
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New exemption: You can simply access your account at HousingBill.LAcity.org and complete the easy to follow steps. Also, an online video is available to provide further assistance. The Temporary Exemption Application is included with your annual bill each year.
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Renew your annual temporary exemptions: Review last year’s exemption(s) on the EC Form mailed to you with your annual bill, make changes if necessary, sign the form, and return in the “EXEMPTION” envelope.
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New property owners have 45 days to register rental property and file temporary exemptions using the Registration/Exemption Application Form.
|
Temporary Exemption Type |
Exemption Description |
|---|---|
|
Owner Occupied (T1) |
Owner occupied exemption is limited to only one unit per owner, irrespective of the number of properties owned. |
|
No Rent Collected (T3) |
The unit is occupied but not rented, or is used for non-living purposes, e.g. storage. |
|
Vacant and Secured (S5) |
Unit will be vacant for the entire year and is secured using a deadbolt lock or external commercial-style lock. |
Note: The Vacant (S5) Unit exemption request requires supporting documentation as does the request for 4 or more T3 – No Rent Collected exemptions.
While these exemptions are the most common, there are additional RSO and/or SCEP exemptions.
