Which South Bay Cities Actually Have Rent Control? Inglewood vs Hawthorne vs Gardena vs the Beach Cities (2026)

Published August 10, 2026

Only one of the eight cities we manage in has a local rent cap, and it is not the one most owners assume. Here is the city by city breakdown with the ordinance numbers and the current 2026 figures.

The short answer

Only Inglewood has a local rent cap. IMC §8-127 limits buildings of five or more units to the greater of 3% or CPI, currently 3.7% with no fixed ceiling, and buildings of four or fewer units to the lesser of 5% plus CPI or 10%, currently 8.7%. The other seven cities have no local cap and follow Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

Why this question keeps getting answered wrong

Most content on this topic is written at the state level and then stamped with a city name. That is how an owner in Torrance ends up being told about a Los Angeles RSO that never applied to a single unit they own. A fourplex on Hawthorne's side of a boundary street and one on Inglewood's side are governed by two different rulebooks.

Three layers stack here. Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12 sets a floor cap in every city on this list. Local ordinances sit above it where they exist, and the owner follows the more restrictive of the two. Costa-Hawkins, Cal. Civ. Code §§1954.50 to 1954.535, sits above both and strips certain properties out of local rent control entirely.

The comparison table

| City | Local rent cap | Which units it applies to | Notes |

|---|---|---|---|

| Inglewood | Yes. IMC §8-127 | Covered rentals with a certificate of occupancy 15 or more years old, and not otherwise exempt | 5+ units: greater of 3% or CPI, now 3.7%, no fixed ceiling. 4 or fewer: lesser of 5% plus CPI or 10%, now 8.7% |

| Gardena | No cap. GMC Ch. 14.04 | Mediation only, no rent limit | Increases of more than 5% require notice of mediation rights. Tenant has 10 business days to petition |

| Hawthorne | None | n/a | No ordinance, no rent board, no registry. §1947.12 only |

| El Segundo | None | n/a | No rent stabilization or just cause chapter in the city code |

| Manhattan Beach | None | n/a | §1947.12 only |

| Hermosa Beach | None | n/a | Ord. 21-1426 was an expired COVID era eviction moratorium, not a cap |

| Redondo Beach | None | n/a | §1947.12 only |

| Torrance | None | n/a | TMC Ch. 4.16, a 2019 no fault eviction measure, sunset Dec. 31, 2019 |

Inglewood is the only real ordinance city on this list

Inglewood's Housing Protection Ordinance lives in Article 10 of the municipal code. The rent cap is IMC §8-127, and it splits by building size, which catches owners out.

Own five or more units in one building and your annual increase is capped at the greater of 3% or CPI, with no fixed upper ceiling in that tier. Because the City posted a CPI of 3.7% on May 12, 2026, that tier is currently 3.7%. Own four or fewer and the formula is the lesser of 5% plus CPI or 10%, which puts that tier at 8.7%. The City recalculates in May, so the number you used last summer is probably not the number you may use this summer.

Inglewood also has a below-market provision that lets some owners take an increase above the standard formula with Program Administrator approval. Confirm the current mechanics and which building sizes qualify directly with the city before relying on it, since the ordinance has been amended more than once.

The exemptions matter as much as the cap. Inglewood exempts units with a certificate of occupancy issued in the last 15 years, dormitories, owner occupied residences renting no more than one unit, deed restricted affordable housing, nonprofit hospital and church and extended care housing, and transient hotel occupancy. Single family homes and condominiums are exempt when ownership qualifies and the written notice of exemption is properly served. Miss the notice and you lose the exemption. That is the most common way an Inglewood owner ends up capped when they did not need to be.

Gardena has a process, not a cap

Gardena's rent mediation program dates to 1987 and is codified at GMC Ch. 14.04. It does not limit what you may charge. It creates a procedural obligation: an increase of more than 5% must come with notice of the tenant's mediation rights, and the tenant then has 10 business days to file a Request for Mediation with the City Manager's Office. Mobile home park tenants get a longer window. A filed petition goes to the Rent Mediation Board for review, typically scheduled within 30 days; confirm the current hearing process directly with the City Manager's Office.

A Gardena owner should treat this as a paperwork and calendar problem, not a pricing problem. The increase itself is governed by §1947.12.

The five cities with nothing local

El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance have no rent stabilization ordinance. Two have chapters that look like tenant protection at a glance and are not. Torrance adopted TMC Ch. 4.16 in October 2019 as an urgency measure prohibiting no fault evictions, and it expired on Dec. 31, 2019. Hermosa Beach Ordinance No. 21-1426 was a COVID era moratorium on evictions for nonpayment, adopted under HBMC Ch. 2.56 emergency authority. Neither ever capped rent.

Owners here should also know what does not reach them. The LA County Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance, LA County Code Title 8 Ch. 8.52, applies only to unincorporated county areas. All eight cities on this list are incorporated, so it does not touch them.

What §1947.12 actually caps in all eight cities

The statewide cap is the lesser of 5% plus the regional CPI or 10%, applied against the lowest gross rent charged in the prior 12 months. For the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim CPI region, the figure is 8.7% for increases taking effect from Aug. 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

Exemptions under §1947.12(d) include housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the prior 15 years, a rolling window, plus deed restricted affordable housing, dormitories, an owner occupied duplex, and single family homes and condominiums where the owner is not a corporation, not a REIT, and not an LLC with at least one corporate member, and the required written notice has been delivered. The section became operative April 1, 2024 and sunsets Jan. 1, 2030 unless the Legislature extends it.

Costa-Hawkins is the layer above. Under Cal. Civ. Code §1954.52(a), a dwelling with a certificate of occupancy issued after Feb. 1, 1995, and separately alienable units such as single family homes and most condominiums, cannot be subjected to local rent control at all. That is why a newer Inglewood building can sit outside the local cap while still sitting inside the state one.

Frequently asked questions

Does Los Angeles rent control apply to my Inglewood or Hawthorne property?

No. The Los Angeles RSO applies inside City of Los Angeles limits, and the county ordinance at LA County Code Ch. 8.52 applies only to unincorporated areas. An Inglewood building follows IMC §8-127. A Hawthorne building follows §1947.12.

My Inglewood building has six units. Why is my cap lower than my neighbor's fourplex?

Because IMC §8-127 uses two formulas. Five or more units gets the greater of 3% or CPI. Four or fewer gets 5% plus CPI. The smaller building is allowed the larger increase.

I own a single family rental in Redondo Beach. Am I capped at all?

Likely not, if you hold it as an individual or a qualifying trust and you served the written notice of exemption required by §1947.12(d). Without that notice, the 8.7% cap applies.

Does Gardena's mediation board decide what rent I may charge?

No. GMC Ch. 14.04 creates a mediation and hearing process, not a rent limit. Confirm the effect of a panel determination with the City Manager's Office before relying on it.

Rent regulations change annually and CPI-linked figures reset every spring. Confirm current figures with a licensed professional before acting.

Topics: rent control, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, AB 1482, South Bay, landlord compliance

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