Housing / Rent Control

632 - Rent Control Board

The City of Santa Monica Rent Control Board is made up of five commissioners, each of whom is elected for a four-year term. The Board normally meets one or two Thursdays each month at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 1685 Main Street. The meetings are open to the public and press and they are also broadcast on the City's cable TV station, Channel 16.

The Board generally conducts meetings in the following order: Call to order, approval of previous meetings' minutes, consent calendar including appeals of Hearing Officer decisions, jurisdictional items including exemption and removal permit applications, public hearings on proposed regulations, administrative items, written communications from the public, board member discussion items, public input and adjournment.

Three days prior to each Board meeting, a copy of the meeting agenda is posted in the hall outside the Rent Control Board office located on the second floor of City Hall at 1685 Main Street, and on the city's website at

628 - Maintenance of Rental Property

A tenant who believes his or her rental unit needs repairs should notify the landlord. It's best to make notification in writing, keeping a copy of the signed and dated letter after giving the original to the landlord or manager. If the landlord does not make the requested repairs, tenants have several remedies depending on the seriousness of the problem. California law requires landlords to maintain their units in habitable or livable condition. The property must also comply with building and housing codes that protect a tenant's health and safety.

Under the Santa Monica Rent Control Law, a tenant may file a rent decrease petition if the landlord does not make repairs or restore housing services within 30 days after receiving written notice from the tenant. The purpose of the decrease process is to encourage landlords to make necessary repairs. Many of the issues raised in decrease petitions are resolved through mediation conducted by an agency staff member. Any unresolved issues are forwarded to the Rent Control Hearings Department for a hearing that may result in monthly rent reductions until the necessary repairs are made.

In addition to filing a decrease petition, a tenant who believes his or her unit or building is unsafe or unhealthy may call one of the following agencies and ask them to investigate the problem:

• City of Santa Monica, Building & Safety Division Code Compliance Unit at (310) 458-4984.
• Los Angeles County Health Department, at (310) 665-8484

For more detailed information, please contact the Rent Control Board at (310) 458-8751 and ask for the information sheet, Maintenance of Rental Property. You can find this information on our website, as well, at smgov.net/rentcontrol.

Commissioners do not have offices in City Hall but you may communicate with them by contacting the Board Secretary at (310) 458-8751, or by sending a letter to the Commissioners at the Rent Control Board office, 1685 Main Street, Room 202, Santa Monica, California 90401 .

For additional information about Board meetings or the Rent Control Law, please call (310) 458-8751.