Which Hawthorne Rental Units Are Actually Exempt From AB 1482?

Published August 10, 2026

Hawthorne has no local rent control ordinance and no rent board, so AB 1482 is the only rent cap in town. Here is which units are genuinely exempt, and the written notice most owners forget.

The short answer

Hawthorne has no local rent control ordinance and no rent board, so California's Tenant Protection Act is the only rent cap that applies. A Hawthorne unit is exempt only if it fits a category in Civil Code section 1947.12(d). The two that matter most here are housing with a certificate of occupancy issued in the last 15 years, and single family homes or condos owned by an individual, which require a specific written notice.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

Hawthorne has no local ordinance

Owners often ask which Hawthorne agency handles rent increase disputes. There isn't one. The City of Hawthorne has never adopted a rent stabilization ordinance, has no rent registry, and operates no rent board. Hawthorne does not appear on the state's list of California cities with local rent control.

The Los Angeles County Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance does not fill the gap either. That ordinance covers unincorporated county areas only. Hawthorne is an incorporated city, so county rules stop at the city line.

What is left is state law. Civil Code section 1947.12 caps annual increases at 5 percent plus the regional change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower. For the Los Angeles metro area, the cap effective August 1, 2026 is 8.7 percent, built from the 5 percent base plus a 3.7 percent CPI figure. That number resets every August. The statute also limits owners to two increases in any 12 month period, and the increase is measured against the lowest gross rent charged in the prior 12 months, not the highest.

Note the sunset. Section 1947.12 is written to remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, when it is repealed unless the Legislature extends it. A 2025 bill, AB 1157, proposed lowering the cap to 2 percent plus CPI and stripping the single family exemption. It stalled in the Legislature and has not become law.

The 15 year new construction exemption

Section 1947.12(d)(4) exempts "housing that has been issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years, unless the housing is a mobilehome."

Read that as a rolling window, not a fixed cutoff date. It is not the February 1, 1995 line from Costa-Hawkins, which is the rule that governs what a city may put under local rent control. Under AB 1482 the clock moves with the calendar. Sitting here in August 2026, a building whose certificate of occupancy issued on or after roughly August 2011 is exempt. Every year, another twelve months of buildings age out and become covered.

This matters in Hawthorne more than in most South Bay cities. The residential development that went up along Hawthorne's northern and eastern edges over the last decade, in the corridor feeding the Inglewood stadium district, is now sitting right at the front edge of that window. Owners of those buildings should be tracking the certificate of occupancy date, not the year construction started and not the year the property was purchased.

What to do with this

Pull the certificate of occupancy from the City of Hawthorne and keep a copy in the property file. When the 15 year mark is within a year, plan for the transition. A building that has been raising rents freely and then quietly crosses into coverage is exactly how owners end up serving an increase that exceeds the cap.

The single family home and condo exemption

Section 1947.12(d)(5) exempts single family homes, condominiums, and comparable separately alienable units, but with conditions that trip up a lot of owners.

First, the ownership test. The exemption is unavailable if the owner is a real estate investment trust, a corporation, or a limited liability company with at least one corporate member. An LLC owned by individuals can still qualify. An LLC with a corporate member cannot.

Second, and this is the one people miss, the exemption only applies if the tenant received written notice. For any tenancy commenced or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, that notice must be in the rental agreement itself. No notice, no exemption. The unit is capped like any other.

Other exemptions that appear in Hawthorne stock

Section 1947.12(d) also exempts deed restricted affordable housing for very low, low, or moderate income households, dormitory housing operated by a school or university, housing already subject to a stricter local ordinance, and owner occupied duplexes where the owner lives in one of the two units as a principal residence, excluding ADUs and JADUs.

That duplex exemption is worth a look given how much of Hawthorne's older stock is small. It requires the owner to actually occupy, from the start of the tenancy and continuously.

FAQ

Does Hawthorne have a rent board I can complain to?

No. Hawthorne has no rent stabilization ordinance and no rent board. AB 1482 is enforced by tenants through the courts or with legal aid, not through a city agency.

My Hawthorne rental is a single family home. Am I automatically exempt?

No. You must also not be a REIT, a corporation, or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant must have received the statutory written notice. For tenancies started or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, that notice belongs in the lease.

My building got its certificate of occupancy in 2010. Is it still exempt?

Not as of 2026. The exemption is a rolling 15 year window under section 1947.12(d)(4), so a 2010 certificate aged out. Confirm the exact date on the certificate before relying on either answer.

How much can I raise rent in Hawthorne right now?

For covered units in the Los Angeles metro area, 8.7 percent effective August 1, 2026, measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months, with a maximum of two increases in any 12 month period. The percentage changes each August.

Does the exemption from the rent cap also exempt me from just cause eviction rules?

The two sets of exemptions in sections 1947.12(d) and 1946.2(e) run largely in parallel, and the prescribed notice covers both. They are separate statutes, though, so confirm each one against your specific unit.

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Schofield Property Management is a licensed property management company serving the South Bay, including Hawthorne, El Segundo, Torrance, and the surrounding beach cities. This article is general information, not legal advice. Rent cap figures, exemption rules, and statutory deadlines change. Consult a licensed California attorney about your specific property before serving a rent increase or relying on an exemption.

Topics: AB 1482, Hawthorne, rent cap, California landlord law, South Bay property management, exemptions, Tenant Protection Act

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