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Draft your Los Angeles RSO pre-service worksheet Pick the RSO regime, enter the current rent, and get the LAMC §151.04 capped maximum, the Cal. Civ. Code §827(b) service window, the §1013 mail-days add-on, a SCEP-registration check, and the §151.10 overcharge exposure pre-computed before you draft and serve the §827(b) tenant notice.

Free preview — no sign-up, no card. Submitting opens a worksheet with the regime you elected, the math you'd put on the landlord-authored notice, and flags if SCEP is missing or the §827(b) window is too tight. Nothing about your tenant, unit, or rent is stored on the server until you explicitly purchase the $9 archived worksheet + compliance-log entry.

LA has no city-issued rent-increase notice form. The tenant notice you serve is landlord-authored and must satisfy Cal. Civ. Code § 827(b) (at least 30 days written notice for increases <10%, 90 days for ≥10%, plus 5 days for mail service under § 1013). What LA RSO does require is that the unit be registered with the Los Angeles Housing Department Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP) with the annual $38.75/unit fee paid (LAMC § 161.352) before the increase takes effect. The worksheet flags unregistered status in red. Register at housing.lacity.gov or call LAHD at 1-866-557-7368.

Step 1 — Parties and premises

Appears on the worksheet as the serving housing provider.
For tenant responses; goes on the worksheet header.
List all named tenants on the lease (comma-separated).
Full street address with unit number.

Step 2 — RSO regime and service posture

RSO Year runs July 1 – June 30. Ordinance No. 188558 (Dec 2025) replaced the prior 3%-floor / 8%-ceiling formula starting 7/1/2026.
Mail service adds 5 calendar days to the §827(b) minimum.
Serving a rent increase on an unregistered unit is unlawful under LAMC §161.352.

Step 3 — Adjustment computation

Use the rent in effect right now under the existing lease.
Default = current rent × the regime cap. Must be at or below the cap.
First day rent is normally paid — at least 30 days (or 90 if ≥10%, +5 if mailed) after service.
When you intend to serve the notice. Worksheet flags too-early. Blank = today.

On submit, this form opens a new tab at /notice/la-rso/preview.html with your inputs as URL parameters. The worksheet renders the LAMC §151.06 cap computation, the §827(b) service-window math (with §1013 mail-day add-on when applicable), the SCEP-registration callout, the 12-month next-eligible date under §151.06(A), and the §151.10 overcharge exposure. Use your browser's Print → “Save as PDF” to capture the free preview (orange “draft” banner is hidden in print). The paid $9 flow archives the worksheet to your unit's compliance log keyed to your account — that flow isn't live yet; the worksheet is.

What you'll get

The worksheet documents which regime applied, what was computed, and what was missing.

  • Regime picker. RSO Year 2025–2026 (flat 3%, pre-Ord. 188558) or RSO Year 2026–2027 (projected 2.8%, post-Ord. 188558 formula = 0.9×CPI with 1% floor and 4% ceiling). The worksheet stamps the elected regime and the controlling LAMC §151.06 subsection.
  • SCEP callout. If you flag the unit as unregistered, the worksheet stamps a red callout: LAMC §161.352 requires SCEP registration with the annual $38.75/unit fee paid before any increase takes effect. An unregistered-unit rent increase is unlawful even if the math is correct.
  • §827(b) service window. 30-day minimum for increases under 10%, 90-day minimum for 10% or more, plus 5 mail-days under §1013 when the notice is mailed rather than personally delivered. The worksheet flags TOO EARLY vs OK.
  • 12-month next-eligible date. The worksheet shows the earliest date you can serve a NEXT §151.06 increase on this unit. §151.06(A) bars more than one automatic adjustment in any 12-month period, measured from the effective date of the most recent prior increase.
  • §151.10 overcharge exposure. If your proposed new rent exceeds the regime cap, the worksheet flags the excess in red and prints the §151.10 civil-remedy exposure: three times the overcharge plus reasonable attorney's fees, plus LAHD administrative penalties and a §151.04 affirmative defense against unlawful-detainer.
  • Versioned audit token. Every preview prints an audit token deterministic for the same inputs against the same rule version — proves which regime was elected and which rule was in effect when the rent was set, in the event of a §151.10 tenant action or a LAHD enforcement inquiry.

Before you serve the § 827(b) notice

Four LA RSO gotchas the worksheet won't catch.

  1. Building scope. LA RSO covers buildings with a first Certificate of Occupancy on or before October 1, 1978 AND two or more rental units on the parcel. Single-family detached homes on their own parcel are NOT covered; post-October-1978 construction is NOT covered (those may be covered by AB 1482 statewide if the building is 15+ years old); condominiums and townhomes separately conveyed after 1978 are typically not covered. Verify at housing.lacity.gov using the parcel APN or street address.
  2. Don't mis-classify an RSO unit as AB 1482. AB 1482's 2026 statewide cap is 8.8% — much higher than the RSO's 3%–4%. But Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(b)(1)(B) expressly defers to the stricter local ordinance, so the RSO cap controls for covered units. Serving an 8.8% AB 1482-style notice on an RSO unit is an overcharge for the difference and exposes you to §151.10 treble damages. If you're not sure which regime applies, default to the RSO until you've confirmed otherwise.
  3. Utility and dependent add-ons are gone. Effective February 2, 2026 (Ord. 188558 amending LAMC §151.06.01), the historic 1% electric + 1% gas utility pass-through and the 10% increase for an added dependent were eliminated. Any notice served on or after February 2, 2026 may only include the base regime rate — no utility add-ons, no dependent add-on. If your worksheet or lease template still assumes those add-ons, strip them before service.
  4. Capital-improvement pass-throughs are paused. Capital-improvement cost recovery and "just and reasonable" cost-study petitions under LAMC §151.07 / §151.08 have been paused by LAHD administrative hold since 2023 and remain paused as of April 2026. Do not add capital-improvement amounts on top of the regime cap without confirming directly with LAHD that the program has been reactivated by Council action.