Los Angeles Rental Compliance

Maison et Clé

California landlord-tenant law, translated into plain English — before the lease, not after the lawsuit.

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Free Tools
Know where you stand in 30 seconds

Interactive navigators that walk you through California’s rental rules, one question at a time.

Rent Control
Am I Under RSO?
Find out which rent-control regime governs your unit across L.A. County’s patchwork — city RSO, county, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Inglewood, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, or AB 1482.
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Security Deposits
The 21-Day Clock
Walk the move-out process step by step under California law — the pre-move-out inspection, AB 2801 photos, the 21-day itemized statement, and the deposit return.
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Fair Housing
The ESA Playbook
A tenant requested a support animal. Navigate the accommodation under FHA, FEHA, and AB 468 — what you may ask, what you can’t, and how to respond without a fair-housing complaint.
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Fair Housing
Accommodations & Modifications
Any disability-related request, not just animals — policy changes vs. physical changes to the unit, what you may ask, and who pays.
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Rent Increases
How Much Can I Raise?
Find the rent cap that governs your unit — RSO, AB 1482, a local city ordinance, or exempt — with the current allowable increase and the formula behind it.
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Tenant Screening
The Screening Rules
Screen applicants without a fair-housing claim — application-fee caps, FCRA consent and adverse action, AB 2559 reusable reports, source-of-income, and criminal-history rules.
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Compliance Suite
Handle the hard parts by the book

Response protocols for when something goes wrong, and generators for the disclosures, postings, and deductions the law requires — each verified against current statute.

Habitability
Mold, the Right Way
A tenant reported mold. Work the notice-triggered duty, the source, and your timeline in four questions — Civil Code §1941.7 and Health & Safety Code §17920.3.
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Habitability
Bed Bugs, by the Book
Run the §1954.600-series deadlines — licensed inspection, the two-business-day notice, treatment, and who pays — without missing a step.
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Habitability
Plumbing, the Right Way
Size your duty and deadline under Civil Code §1941.1 — from a minor fix to an emergency, to the §1942.4 clock once a code officer cites it.
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Disclosures
The Disclosure Dossier
Every required tenant disclosure, assembled by jurisdiction and property type — state floor, L.A. City, and unincorporated county — each with its governing statute.
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Required Postings
The Posting Board
The notices you must physically post — and where to put each one by property type, from RSO and fair housing to subsidized-housing signage.
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Security Deposits
The Deduction Ledger
What you can actually keep — allowable deductions prorated by useful life and years of tenancy, with the itemized statement ready to copy. Civil Code §1950.5.
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Required Filings
Registration Deadline Tracker
Every LA City and County rental registry, its fee, and its filing deadline in one place — RSO, JCO, and unincorporated county, with Santa Monica and West Hollywood.
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Security Deposits
The Interest Ledger
RSO-covered units owe annual interest on the deposit, and the rate changes every year. Calculates it correctly across the full 1990–2026 rate history, with the ordinance background behind it.
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Recordkeeping
The Tenant File
What to keep from application to years after move-out — a checklist by stage of tenancy, with real retention guidance.
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Notices & Deadlines
The Notice Clock
3-day notices count in court days — no weekends, no judicial holidays. 30/60/90-day notices count straight through. Get the exact expiration date for either, with real holiday-aware math.
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Eviction Process
The Eviction Roadmap
Every stage of a California unlawful detainer, in order — instructions, what to have ready, and exactly where it's time to call an attorney.
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Eviction Process
The Defense Docket
The defenses tenants and their attorneys actually raise in court, scenario by scenario — and the practice that keeps a case from getting there.
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Lease Drafting
The Addenda Assembler
Which addenda a lease actually needs, based on the property and the tenancy — not a generic template.
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Lease Drafting
The Clause Library
Sample clause language for landscaping, pets, smoking, subletting, and more — a starting draft to hand your attorney, not a finished lease.
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Lease Drafting
The House Rules Builder
Quiet hours, laundry hours, and an escalation path — assembled from local ordinance where it's on file, and a defensible statewide default where it isn't.
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Disclosures
The Disclosure Timeline
Enter a unit's construction year and see which build-year-driven disclosures and thresholds apply — lead paint, Costa-Hawkins, pool safety, and more.
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Rent Reporting
Am I Subject to Positive Rent Reporting?
Three questions to find out whether AB 2747 applies to your building — it's not about unit count, it's about assistance and ownership structure.
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Money & Insurance
The numbers behind the property

What a rental actually nets you, and which coverage types apply to how you own it.

Budgeting
The Rental Budget Planner
Income, expenses, and reserves in — NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and DSCR out.
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Insurance
The Coverage Compass
Which policy types apply, by property type and business structure — LLC, sole prop, or corporation.
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Estate & Asset Protection
The Ownership Blueprint
LLCs, living trusts, family partnerships, and how corporate members fit in — matched against your liability, probate, and financing goals.
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Learn By Doing
Run a portfolio. Pass the exam.

Two ways to learn by playing — negotiate, finance, and manage a rental portfolio, or grind exam-style questions with XP, streaks, and boss battles.

Simulation
The Landlord's Ledger
Offers, earnest money, inspections and appraisals, mortgages, maintenance, and tenants who don't always pay on time — the whole cycle, before any of it is real money. Free to play, no account needed.
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Exam Prep
Broker Quest
150+ original questions across every CA salesperson exam topic — agency, contracts, finance, appraisal, fair housing, and more — with XP, streaks, boss battles, and full mock exams. Free to play, no account needed.
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Writing
The latest from the briefing

Plain-English breakdowns of the laws that decide whether you keep your deposit, your tenant, or your case.

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The paid tier for landlords who want the deadline math done for them — member-only tools, priority Q&A, and a growing resource library. $9/month founding rate.

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The Maison et Clé Briefing

The monthly California rent-law update — what changed, and who it hits. Education, not legal advice.