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Published July 15, 2026
No rent cap of its own, but Gardena's Rent Mediation Board and local notice rules still bind every landlord raising rent.
No, Gardena has no local rent control ordinance capping how much you can raise rent. But under Gardena Municipal Code Chapter 14.04, any increase above 5 percent in a 12 month period triggers a mandatory notice of the tenant's right to mediation, and the tenant then has 10 business days to file a petition with the city's Rent Mediation Board, which has operated since 1987. You still owe 30 days notice for increases of 10 percent or less, and 90 days for anything above that, under state law.
Unlike cities such as Los Angeles or Santa Monica, Gardena does not limit the dollar amount or percentage you can raise rent by ordinance. What it does have is a formal mediation and hearing structure, created in 1987 under GMC Chapter 14.04, aimed at giving tenants a forum to challenge increases they consider excessive without capping increases outright. The Gardena Rent Mediation Board is made up of 15 members, split evenly between five tenant representatives, five owner representatives, and five members at large, which tells you the city built this to be a genuinely two sided process rather than a tenant advocacy body in disguise.
Any rent increase exceeding 5 percent of the rent charged during the prior 12 months requires you to include, in your written notice, a statement telling the tenant they have the right to mediation or a hearing and that they must file a mediation petition within 10 business days of receiving the notice. Skip that language and you have not given a valid notice under the local ordinance, regardless of how much notice time you provided.
If a tenant files a petition, board members first attempt to mediate a resolution between the owner and the tenant. If mediation does not resolve it, either party may request that the matter go to a hearing officer, whose decision is binding on both sides, subject only to judicial review under Code of Civil Procedure section 1094.5. That is a meaningfully different posture than jurisdictions where a rent board can simply deny an increase outright; here, an increase can still be challenged and litigated within the city's own process even without a citywide percentage cap.
Gardena's local notice rules sit on top of, not instead of, California's statewide requirements. Civil Code section 827 requires 30 days written notice for a rent increase of 10 percent or less within a 12 month period, and 90 days written notice for any increase above that threshold, regardless of city. Separately, the statewide Tenant Protection Act (Civil Code section 1947.12, enacted by AB 1482) caps annual increases at 5 percent plus the local cost of living adjustment, or 10 percent, whichever is lower, for most residential properties not otherwise exempt. Whether AB 1482's cap or an exemption applies to your specific property depends on the building's age, ownership structure, and unit type, so do not assume a single family home or duplex is automatically exempt without checking the current exemption criteria.
Practically, this stacks three separate checks before you send a rent increase notice in Gardena: the state percentage cap under AB 1482 (unless your property is exempt), the state notice period under Civil Code 827, and Gardena's local 5 percent mediation disclosure and petition window. Missing any one of the three can turn a routine increase into a dispute.
Before you send a rent increase notice on a Gardena property, confirm three things: whether AB 1482 applies to that specific unit, whether your increase crosses the 30 day versus 90 day state notice threshold, and whether it crosses Gardena's 5 percent local mediation trigger requiring the disclosure language. A notice that gets the dollar amount right but skips the mediation disclosure, or under counts the notice period, can end up delayed or challenged even though nothing in Gardena law actually capped what you charged.
If you would rather not track three overlapping notice rules on every renewal, that is the kind of detail we build into our lease renewal process at Schofield.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your specific notice obligations with a licensed attorney or the City of Gardena before you act.
Last verified: July 2026.
Topics: compliance, Gardena, rent control, notice requirements, landlord requirements
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Schofield Properties is a family run property management company at 323 Richmond St, El Segundo, CA 90245. We have managed the South Bay since 1972 and personally oversee about 186 doors today. Book a call to talk about your property.
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