Just Cause Tenant Protections Guide: City of Glendale

The Glendale Rental Rights Program, initiated on March 14, 2019, comprises three distinct elements:

1. Just Cause Eviction Ordinance
2. Relocation Assistance Program
3. Right to Lease Program

Should you have inquiries regarding whether your property falls under the purview of this legislation or is exempt from any particular component of the Glendale Rental Rights Program, our assistance is available to you.

Who is protected by the law?

Tenants who live in a residential rental unit in the City of Glendale. 

How are they protected?

Tenants may only be evicted for specific “at fault” or “no-fault” reasons.

“At Fault” evictions include:

• Failure to pay rent
• Rental agreement violation
• Creating a nuisance or damaging the rental unit
• Use of rental unit for illegal purposes
• Illegal subleasing
• Refusal to allow the landlord reasonable access to the rental unit
• Tenant smoking in rental unit or common areas

“No fault” evictions include the following:

• The property owner intends to demolish the rented unit or permanently withdraw it from the rental housing market. 
• Extensive rehabilitation work is necessary, rendering the unit uninhabitable for a period exceeding 30 days. 
• The landlord, a family member of the landlord, a resident manager, or a tenant in need of case management or counseling as part of the tenancy, will be relocating to the rental unit. 
• The landlord is adhering to a government directive mandating the tenant’s evacuation. 
• In cases of “no-fault” evictions, the landlord is obligated to compensate the tenant with $1,000 in addition to two times the fair market rent for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metro Area before initiating the eviction process.

Exemptions

• Rental units in properties with 2 or fewer dwelling units
• ADUs
• Single family homes
• Condominiums and townhouses
• Hotel rooms rented for less than 30 days
• Section 8 and/or other government subsidized housing

Rent Increase in the City of Glendale

Who is protected by the law?  

Tenants who live in residential rental units in the City of Glendale that received a certificate of occupancy before February 1, 1995. 

How are they protected?

If a tenant chooses to leave a rental unit after being notified of a rent increase exceeding 7% within a 12-month period, they qualify for relocation assistance. 

The tenant has 14 days from receiving the rent increase notice to apply for this assistance. 

Alongside the notice of the rent hike, landlords are required to inform tenants about their rights to relocation assistance. 

Should a landlord neglect to inform the tenant of their relocation rights, the rent increase will be considered invalid.

Relocation assistance amounts.

• Rental units in properties with 3-4 units:  3x current rent
• Rental units in properties with 5 or more units
• Tenant is above 130% AMI:  3x current rent
• Tenant is below 130% AMI
• Tenant has occupied the rental unit for 5 years or more:  6x proposed rent
• Tenant has occupied the rental unit for more than 4 years:  5x proposed rent
• Tenant has occupied the rental unit for more than 3 years:  4x proposed rent
• Tenant has occupied the rental unit for 3 years or less:  3x proposed rent

Exemptions include:

• Rental units built after February 1, 1995
• Rental units in properties with 2 or fewer dwelling units
• ADUs
• Single-family homes
• Condominiums and townhouses
• Hotel rooms rented for less than 30 days
• Section 8 housing and/or other government subsidized units

How Will the “Justice for Renters Act” Affect Tenant Protections in the City of Glendale?

The “Justice for Renters Act” will significantly impact tenant protections in Glendale. This new legislation aims to provide stronger rights for renters, including eviction protection and increased oversight of rent increases. As a result, tenants in Glendale can expect improved security and fairness under the justice for renters act.

Tenant’s right to 1 year lease

Who is protected by the law? 

Tenants who live in a residential rental unit in the City of Glendale. 

How are they protected?

Landlords must offer a 1-year (or longer) lease to prospective tenants, and must offer a 1-year (or longer) lease renewal to current tenants upon the expiration of their lease.

The tenant can accept or reject the lease offer.

Criteria to accept

• Must be in writing
• Signing the lease is considered acceptance
• The lease must include the rent amount, which cannot be increased during the lease year
• Rejection
• Failure to accept the landlord’s lease offer within 14 days is considered rejection
• If the lease offer includes a rent increase of more than 7%, the tenant can exercise their rights to relocation assistance.
• The Landlord and tenant can enter into an oral or written agreement to rent the unit for less than a year.  
• Landlord must offer a 1-year (or longer) lease to the tenant again one year after the date tenant rejected the prior offer
• No later than 90 days before the expiration of a lease,the landlord must provide the tenant with a written offer of lease renewal.

Exemptions:

• Rental units occupied by a tenant that subleases the unit to another tenant for less than 1 year
• Rental units where the tenancy is linked to the tenant’s employment
• Rental units leased to a corporation
• Rental units in properties with 4 or fewer dwelling units
• ADUs
• Single-family homes
• Condominiums and townhouses
• Hotel rooms rented for less than 30 days
• Section 8 housing and/or other government subsidized units