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Published July 15, 2026
Only Inglewood has local rent control in the South Bay. Everyone else runs on state law AB 1482, and Gardena has mediation, not a cap.
Inglewood is the only South Bay city with its own rent control ordinance and rent registry, capping increases at 3 percent or CPI on buildings of five or more units, and 5 percent plus CPI (capped at 10 percent) on smaller properties. Every other South Bay city, including El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, and Hawthorne, has no local rent cap and relies solely on the statewide Tenant Protection Act, AB 1482. Gardena sits in between: no rent cap, but a mediation board that can hear disputes over large increases.
We hear it constantly from owners moving a unit from one South Bay city to another: "does this city have rent control." The honest answer is that almost none of them do, locally. What every property in California has, regardless of city, is AB 1482, the statewide Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (codified largely at California Civil Code sections 1946.2 and 1947.12). The confusion is that AB 1482 itself is sometimes casually called "rent control," but it is a state statewide cap and just cause eviction law, not a city ordinance, and it is far less restrictive than what a city like Inglewood or Los Angeles runs.
Under California Civil Code section 1947.12, most residential rental properties with a certificate of occupancy issued more than 15 years ago are capped at annual rent increases of 5 percent plus the local Consumer Price Index change, with a hard ceiling of 10 percent no matter how high CPI runs. The 15 year exemption window rolls forward every year, so buildings keep aging into coverage. Single family homes and condos can be exempt if the owner is a natural person, not a corporation or LLC with a corporate member, and the required statutory exemption notice was given in the lease. Civil Code section 1946.2 layers on just cause eviction protection once a tenant has been in place 12 months. This baseline applies in every South Bay city whether or not the city has its own ordinance.
Inglewood's Municipal Code Article 10 (Residential Rent Regulations) is the only local rent stabilization ordinance in the South Bay. For buildings with five or more rental units, annual increases are capped at 3 percent or the change in the cost of living, whichever is greater. For buildings with four or fewer units, the cap tracks the state AB 1482 formula, 5 percent plus CPI, capped at 10 percent. Inglewood also requires annual registration through its online Residential Registry System, covering properties with two or more units, mixed use residential, and any residential property owned by an entity rather than a natural person, and it carries a substantial no fault relocation payment requirement, generally three times the tenant's monthly rent, plus an additional amount if minors live in the unit.
Gardena Municipal Code Chapter 14.04 sets up a Rental Housing Mediation Board rather than a rent cap. There is no ceiling on how much you can raise rent in Gardena. What the ordinance requires is notice and process: increases of 10 percent or less need 30 days notice, increases above 10 percent need 90 days notice, and any increase over 5 percent must tell the tenant they have 10 business days to file for mediation with the city. The board itself, made up of tenant, owner, and at large members, can hear the dispute, but it does not have the power to impose a binding cap the way Inglewood's ordinance does.
El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, and Hawthorne have no local rent stabilization ordinance and no rent registry. Owners in these cities follow the statewide AB 1482 cap and just cause rules and nothing more restrictive layered on top. That is a meaningfully different compliance load than Inglewood, no annual registration, no local relocation fee schedule, no local rent board.
If every door you own sits in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, or Hawthorne, your rent increase compliance is a single statewide formula. The moment you add an Inglewood unit to the portfolio, you take on a second, stricter rule set: a lower percentage cap on larger buildings, mandatory registration, and a relocation payment schedule that does not exist elsewhere in the South Bay. Gardena is its own middle case, no cap, but a notice and mediation process you need to run correctly or a tenant can force a hearing.
If keeping track of which of your buildings falls under which rule is more than you want to manage yourself, that is exactly what we handle for our owners.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with a licensed professional before you act.
Last verified: July 2026.
Topics: compliance, rent control, AB 1482, south bay, inglewood
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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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