The Santa Monica City Council recently adopted a new Rental Unit Registration Ordinance that significantly expands registration obligations for residential rental housing in Santa Monica. Beginning January 1, 2026, the Ordinance requires annual registration of most residential rental units, including units that are not currently subject to Santa Monica’s Rent Stabilization Law.

Registration Requirement

Unless exempt, all residential rental units must be registered with the City on an annual basis by the deadline established by applicable administrative regulations. In addition to annual registration, registration must also be completed within sixty (60) days of any change in ownership or property management.

Exemptions

The Ordinance exempts certain housing categories, including: (a) Hotels, motels, inns, tourist homes and rooming and boarding houses which are rented primarily to transient guests for a period of less than fourteen (14) days; (b) Hospitals, convents, monasteries, extended medical care facilities, asylums, non-profit homes for seniors, or dormitories owned and operated by an institution of higher education; and (c) Rental housing units and properties which a government unit, agency or authority owns, operates, manages, or in which governmentally subsidized tenants reside only if applicable Federal or State law or administrative regulation specifically exempt such units from municipal control.

Information Required

The property registration statement must be completed on a form provided by the City and must include at a minimum the following information:

(1) Property address;

(2) Name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of every owner of the property;

(3) Name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of a person responsible for managing the property;

(4) Information relevant to determining whether the property and each rental housing unit is subject to the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482), the City’s Measure RR – just cause for eviction law, or any affordable housing deed restriction;

(5) For each rental housing unit, the following information:

(A) complete address, including unit number or other unit specification;

(B) number of bedrooms;

(D) whether the unit is tenant-occupied;

(6) For each rental housing unit at the property that is tenant-occupied, the following information:

(A) rent amount;

(B) date tenancy began;

(D) amenities provided;

(E) whether utilities are paid for by owner or tenant and on a submeter or direct meter basis; and

(F) when the prior tenant vacated the unit and why.

(7) Name of the natural person filing the property registration statement, and if not a person identified as an owner on the registration statement, evidence of authorization to file the registration statement on behalf of the owner(s); and

(8) All other information as required by the City.

Issuance of Property Registration Certificate

Within thirty (30) days of receipt of a complete registration statement and payment of all required fees, the City will issue a property registration certificate. The certificate will expire at the time the next annual certificate is issued or would be issued if the annual property registration statement is filed, or thirty-one (31) days after a change in ownership or management if a updated registration statement is not timely filed, whichever occurs first. If the City determines the registration statement is incomplete, it will issue a written notice of deficiency. The owner will have fifteen (15) days from issuance of the notice to cure the deficiency without penalty.

Tenant Notice

For all units subject to the Ordinance, owners must either post a copy of the non-expired City-issued registration certificate in a conspicuous location at the property or provide each tenant with a copy of the non-expired City-issued registration certificate.

Effective January 1, 2027, no owner may demand or accept rent for any unit at a property for which a property registration statement is required to be filed unless the owner has complied with both the registration and notice requirements.

Property Registration Fees and Pass-Through to Tenants

An annual per-unit registration fee is due at the time of filing a property registration statement. The fee amount will be established by resolution of the City Council. Up to fifty percent (50%) of the total registration fee may be passed through to tenants, except for units restricted as affordable housing. The allowable amount must be divided evenly among all units at the property, including vacant units. Any monthly pass-through fee may not exceed one-twelfth (1/12) of the allowable amount per unit. Such pass-through fee shall not be considered rent and shall be separately denominated on any rent ledger or tenant account balance statement.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with the registration requirements may:

Be asserted by tenants as an affirmative defense in eviction proceedings;
Subject owners to injunctive relief and/or a civil action for civil penalties of $200 per unregistered unit per month, plus attorneys’ fees and costs;
Result in additional administrative fines and penalties;
Constitute a criminal infraction or misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and
Require reimbursement of the City’s full investigative costs.

Purpose of the Ordinance

The City has stated that the expanded registration system is intended to support enforcement of Santa Monica’s housing regulations, including rent increase limits, habitability standards, just-cause eviction requirements, eviction reporting obligations, relocation assistance rules, buyout regulations, and anti-harassment and anti-discrimination provisions.

A copy of the ordinance is available here: Rent_Registry_Ordinance.pdf

For further information, please contact us at (949) 748-3600.

The law firm of Wallace, Richardson, Sontag & Le, LLP represents landlords, property management companies, institutional and private lenders, employers and insurance companies throughout the State of California in real estate, business and employment litigation. The information provided herein is for general interest only and should not be relied upon or construed as legal advice.

Santa Monica Expands Residential Rental Unit Registration Requirements

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