Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction

Santa Ana has rules to help protect renters. These rules make sure rent increases are fair and that renters are treated fairly by landlords.

Rent increase limits

Maximum rent increase: Your landlord can only raise your rent by a certain amount each year. The increase cannot be more than 3% of your current rent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) change, whichever is less.

Renter protections

Just cause evictions: Your landlord must have a valid reason to evict you. This could be for not paying rent, breaking the lease, or if the landlord wants to move into the property themselves.
Relocation assistance: If your landlord evicts you for certain reasons, they might have to help pay for your moving costs.

Tenant resources

Questions or help: If you have questions about your rights or need help, you can contact the Rent Stabilization office. They can explain the rules and help you understand what to do if you think your rights have been violated.
Forms and information: You can find forms and more detailed information on the city’s Rent Stabilization webpage. This includes how to file a complaint if you think your landlord isn’t following the rules.

Important contact information

Rent Stabilization Office: If you need help, you can reach out to us. We're here to assist you with any concerns about rent increases, evictions, or other housing issues.

One-time automatic exemption renewal

The Rent Stabilization Division will automatically renew property exemptions submitted before November 30, 2024 for Program Year 2 starting December 1, 2024 until June 30, 2025.

This automatic renewal of property exemptions is a one-time action.

Property owners will be required to manually request property exemption(s) for Program Year 3.

Rental Registry fee

The ordinance requires landlords to pay a $100 annual fee to implement, administer, monitor, support, and enforce the provisions of the ordinance. The fee is not considered "rent." Landlords are allowed to pass through 50 percent of the fee, which is $50, to tenants of a rental unit in 12 equal monthly installments.