Tenants’ Rights

If you are served a notice to pay rent or quit, notice to quit, or Summons and Complaint for an eviction action (unlawful detainer), you must get immediate assistance. Please visit our GET HELP page for help from Inner City Law Center’s Tenant Defense Project.

If you are unable to get legal assistance from Inner City Law Center, please contact:

• Eviction Defense Network – Click here for walk-in clinic hours and locations for eviction help. Charges for representation on a sliding scale.
• BASTA – Represents tenants with unlawful detainers filed in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse and other select courthouses. Charges for representation.

Tenant Clinics

• Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) – Nonprofit organization providing tenant-action clinics. Visit website for latest information and resources.
• Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) – Nonprofit community-based organization with tenant legal clinics. Visit website for latest information and resources.

Are you living in a multi-unit rental property with harmful conditions like bed bugs, cockroaches, rats, holes in the walls or ceilings, little or no utilities? Are you being discriminated against or suffering harassment from your landlord or management company on the basis of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, or immigration status? Have you suffered any injuries as a result of unsafe living conditions or due to the conduct of your landlord or management company?

To request help and legal assistance, please visit our Get Help page or call (213) 891-2880 and dial 0 to leave a voice message. We make every effort to return your call within two working days.

Inner City Law Center presents to groups of tenants, staff of other nonprofit organizations, and community groups. To schedule a free Tenants’ Rights Presentation on Inner City Law Center services, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities, what constitutes a habitability violation, how to file complaints with government agencies, lead hazards, and other housing-related issues please contact Fely Soto, Senior Tenant Organizer, at FSoto@innercitylaw.org.

LA Housing & Community Investment Department – Information and resources regarding rental units governed by the rent stabilization ordinance (RSO) in the City of Los Angeles.

Is my rental unit under rent control? – To check if you live in a rent-stabilized building in the City of Los Angeles, enter the house number and street name and click the address list if prompted. Scroll down to the “Housing” tab to find out if the property is subject to rent control. Under the housing tab, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) section will say, “Yes” or “No”.

To file a complaint with Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department (HCID) regarding illegal rent increases, click here.

To file a complaint with Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department regarding lead paint, lack of heat, defective flooring, plumbing leaks, sewage problems, electrical issues, or broken windows, click here.

To lodge a complaint with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health regarding mold, or bed bug, cockroach, or rat infestations, click here.

County of Los Angeles Public Health – Additional information and assistance for Los Angeles County residents living in unhealthy and unsafe housing conditions.