Long Beach Tenant Rights: Just Cause, $4,500 Remodel Relocation

Short answer: Long Beach tenant rights rest on California’s statewide rent cap plus a city Just Cause for Termination of Tenancies Ordinance, Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.99, that adds stronger rules for remodel evictions. If your landlord says you must leave so the unit can be substantially remodeled, the city requires permits first, a 60-day notice, and relocation money equal to two months’ rent or $4,500, whichever is greater. Long Beach has no local rent control board of its own.

Renovation evictions are where Long Beach law departs most from the rest of the state. State law lets a landlord end a tenancy to substantially remodel, and Long Beach has written its own rules on top of that. The result is a set of protections you won’t find in most California cities that lack rent control: a permit-first requirement, a guaranteed offer to move back in if the work never happens, and a $15,000 penalty for landlords who intentionally issue an invalid remodel notice.

Long Beach tenant rights at a glance

Topic	Long Beach rule	Source
Rent control	No city rent control; the state cap of 5% plus local CPI, or 10%, whichever is lower, applies to covered units	DRE guide, Civ. Code § 1947.12
Just cause	City ordinance, LBMC Chapter 8.99, after 12 months of tenancy	Long Beach Community Development
Remodel relocation	Greater of two months’ rent or $4,500, plus a 60-day notice	Substantial Remodel page
Security deposit	Max one month’s rent for most landlords since July 1, 2024; itemize or refund within 21 days	Civ. Code § 1950.5
Entry notice	24 hours’ written notice presumed reasonable	Civ. Code § 1954
Eviction court	Los Angeles Superior Court; Long Beach (Governor George Deukmejian) Courthouse is an eviction filing hub	LASC General Order
Key local agency	Housing & Neighborhood Services, 562-570-6949; Code Enforcement, 562-570-2633	LBCD

Rent increases: the state cap, not a city board

Long Beach does not run a rent stabilization program, so there is no rent registry, rent board hearing or annual city percentage to look up. Instead, most older apartments fall under California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019, often called AB 1482. The city’s own Just Cause guide (August 2024) sums it up: rent can’t rise by more than 5% plus the local Consumer Price Index, or 10%, whichever is lower.

The same guide notes three details renters often miss. Rent can be raised no more than two times in any 12-month period, and a second increase is measured from the rent at the start of that year. A master tenant can’t charge a subtenant more than the owner’s allowable rent. And there is no vacancy control, so when a covered tenant moves out, the landlord can reset the rent to market for the next renter.

The California Department of Real Estate’s 2026 landlord-tenant guide adds that the cap generally does not apply to housing built in the previous 15 years and that the law expires on January 1, 2030, unless extended. For notice periods on increases, it explains that an increase of 10% or less needs 30 days’ written notice and a larger one needs 90 days. Our California rent increase laws page walks through exemptions, and the rent increase checker can test a specific notice.

Long Beach’s Just Cause ordinance (LBMC 8.99)

The city’s Just Cause for Termination of Tenancies Ordinance limits when a landlord can end a tenancy. According to the Tenant and Landlord Resources page, it protects tenants who have continuously and lawfully lived in a unit for 12 months or more, and a termination notice is void if the owner fails to comply with any provision of the ordinance.

Who is covered

The city guide’s coverage flowchart excludes hotels and other short-term stays, hospitals and care facilities, student dorms, affordable or deed-restricted housing, and a single-family home or duplex where the landlord lives on the property. Units built within the last 15 years are also excluded. A single-family home is covered only if it is owned by a corporation, a real estate investment trust or an LLC. If some tenants in your unit have been there less than 12 months, you are protected once at least one tenant has lived there 24 months.

Allowed reasons

At-fault causes include nonpayment, lease violations, nuisance, damaging the property, criminal activity that affects the landlord, unauthorized subletting, refusing lawful entry, and refusing to sign a similar lease extension. Before evicting for an at-fault reason, the landlord must first give you a chance to fix the problem when it can be fixed. No-fault causes are limited to owner or family move-in, withdrawal from the rental market under the Ellis Act, a government order to vacate, and demolition or substantial remodeling.

Relocation money

For every no-fault reason other than remodeling, the landlord owes one month’s rent in relocation assistance. For a substantial remodel or demolition, the amount rises to two months’ rent or $4,500, whichever is higher. The city says the money must be paid within 15 calendar days of the written termination notice. A landlord may instead waive your final month or months of rent, but must tell you before that rent comes due. If you take the payment and don’t move out, the landlord can recover it in court.

Substantial remodel evictions: the permit-first rule

The city’s Substantial Remodel Tenant Displacement page is the most detailed local resource for Long Beach renters, and it is worth reading in full if you receive a remodel notice. A qualifying remodel means replacing or substantially modifying a structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical system that needs a government permit, or abating lead paint, mold or asbestos. The work must be unsafe to do with you in place and must require you to leave for at least 30 days. Painting, decorating and minor repairs don’t count.

Before issuing a notice, the owner must apply for permits and complete a “Notice to the City Regarding Tenant Displacement” form. The city does not approve the project, though it may give a non-binding opinion on whether the scope qualifies. Once permits are approved, the termination notice must include:

a statement of intent to demolish or substantially remodel;
a description of the work and its approximate length, or the demolition date;
a copy of the permits;
your right to re-rent on the same terms and rent if the work doesn’t begin or finish; and
notice that, to return, you must give the owner an address, phone number and email.

If you are offered the unit back, you get 30 days to accept and another 30 days after accepting to move in. Exempt properties include buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued within the last 15 years, condominiums and owner-occupied duplexes. A tenant can enforce the re-rental rules through a civil lawsuit, and a court can impose a $15,000 civil penalty on an owner who intentionally issues an invalid remodel notice.

A worked example: a remodel notice in a 1960s fourplex

Dana has rented a two-bedroom unit in an older Long Beach fourplex for three years, paying $2,100 a month. The new owner hands her a notice saying she must leave because the building is getting “upgraded.” Here is how she checks it.

Coverage. The building is far older than 15 years, isn’t owner-occupied, and Dana has lived there more than 12 months, so LBMC 8.99 applies.
Permits. The notice has no permit copy attached. Under the city’s rules, a remodel notice must include the permits, so this notice is defective. A notice that fails any provision of the ordinance is void.
Scope. The notice describes new flooring and cabinets. Cosmetic work that can be done with a tenant in place doesn’t qualify as a substantial remodel at all.
Money, if a valid notice follows. Two months’ rent is $4,200, which is less than $4,500, so Dana would be owed $4,500 within 15 calendar days of a valid notice, along with 60 days to move.
Next step. Dana calls Stay Housed LA for free legal help and keeps paying rent so the owner has no nonpayment claim.

Code enforcement and rental inspections

Long Beach’s Proactive Rental Housing Inspection Program (PRHIP) is the city’s tool for keeping rental housing decent, safe and sanitary. The program page says Long Beach Municipal Code section 18.30.120 authorizes periodic inspections of residential rental properties. For a specific problem, the page asks tenants to report it to the owner or manager first, especially leaks and water damage, then contact Code Enforcement at 562-570-2633. Code Enforcement is at 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 4th Floor.

One practical warning from the same page: enforcement may stop if a tenant misses two inspection appointments or doesn’t provide access. If you report a problem, make sure the inspector can get in.

State law backs you up on repairs. Under California’s repair-and-deduct rule, explained in the DRE guide, you can pay for a serious health-and-safety repair yourself and deduct it from rent if the repair costs no more than one month’s rent, and you can use the remedy no more than twice in any 12-month period. See California repairs and habitability and the repair request letter generator for the written notice step.

Source of income and fair housing

California law bars landlords from discriminating based on source of income, and the DRE guide states that a landlord cannot refuse a tenant because the tenant uses a Section 8 or similar housing voucher. A landlord may still ask about your income level and source. In Long Beach, Housing Choice Vouchers are administered by the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach.

For discrimination complaints and general tenant counseling, the city points renters to the Fair Housing Foundation (562-989-1206), which counsels on housing discrimination, tenant rights, habitability and evictions.

Where Long Beach evictions are heard

Evictions, called unlawful detainer cases in California, are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Under the court’s 4th Amended General Order, limited-jurisdiction eviction cases must be filed in one of the regional “hub” courthouses, and the Long Beach (Governor George Deukmejian) Courthouse at 275 Magnolia Avenue is one of them. The hub is set by the ZIP code of the property, so confirm the right courthouse with the court’s filing locator.

The court’s eviction information page lists its free online dispute resolution program for unlawful detainer cases and the Shriver-L.A. Housing Self Help Center at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The DRE guide explains that, as of 2025, a tenant usually has only ten court days to file a written response after being served. Missing that deadline can lead to a default judgment. For the full sequence, see the California eviction process.

California baseline in brief

Deposit: since July 1, 2024, most landlords may charge no more than one month’s rent, furnished or not, with no extra pet or cleaning deposits; return or itemize within 21 days of move-out (Civ. Code § 1950.5). Details are on our California security deposit law page.
Entry: 24 hours’ written notice is presumed reasonable (Civ. Code § 1954).
Nonpayment notice: a 3-day notice to pay or quit, counted without weekends and court holidays.
Repairs: repair and deduct up to one month’s rent, twice a year (Civ. Code § 1942).
State just cause: where the city ordinance doesn’t reach, the Tenant Protection Act’s own just-cause rule (Civ. Code § 1946.2) requires one month’s rent in relocation for no-fault terminations.

Who to call in Long Beach

Housing & Neighborhood Services (tenant and landlord information): 562-570-6949, 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 3rd Floor. The city says it does not give legal advice or mediate disputes.
Code Enforcement: 562-570-2633 (562-570-CODE).
Stay Housed LA: free legal services for eligible tenants facing eviction, plus workshops and clinics, at stayhousedla.org.
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: lafla.org.
Fair Housing Foundation: 562-989-1206.
Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.

On emergency rent help: the city’s Renter Aid Program says it has closed its October application period and is not keeping a waiting list, and the earlier LB-ERAP program is closed to new applications. Watch the Renter Aid page for a reopening.

Comparing nearby rules? Read Los Angeles tenant rights, where a city rent stabilization ordinance does apply, or browse cities with rent control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Long Beach have rent control?

No city rent control. Most older units are covered by the state cap of 5% plus local CPI or 10%, whichever is lower, with no more than two increases in 12 months.

Does the Long Beach Just Cause ordinance cover my single-family house?

Only if the house is owned by a corporation, a REIT or an LLC, it was built more than 15 years ago, and you meet the 12-month tenancy rule. A home owned by an individual is not covered by the city ordinance.

How much relocation money do I get for a remodel eviction in Long Beach?

Two months’ rent or $4,500, whichever is greater, paid within 15 calendar days of the notice, plus a 60-day notice if you’ve been there 12 months or more.

Can my landlord evict me for new cabinets and paint?

Not as a substantial remodel. Cosmetic work and minor repairs that can be done safely with you in place don’t qualify under the city’s rules.

Which courthouse handles a Long Beach eviction?

It depends on the property’s ZIP code, but the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia Avenue is one of Los Angeles Superior Court’s eviction filing hubs.

Can a Long Beach landlord refuse my Section 8 voucher?

No. California’s source-of-income protection means a landlord can’t turn you down because you pay with a housing voucher.

This page is general information, not legal advice. If you’ve received a termination or remodel notice, contact Stay Housed LA through its legal help page before the notice period runs out, and bring the notice and any permits you were given.

Nearby and related city guides: San Diego tenant rights, San Jose tenant rights, San Francisco tenant rights, Oakland tenant rights. See every city in our tenant rights by city index.