Altadena Landlords Offered County Rent Registry Assistance After Annual Deadline

Altadena landlords and rental property owners will have an opportunity Thursday, Oct. 22, to receive free assistance with Los Angeles County’s Rent Registry, three weeks after the county’s annual registration deadline passed.

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs will hold the workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive. The department’s published schedule and Eventbrite listing confirm the date, time and location.

County housing specialists will provide step-by-step guidance on registering rental properties, updating property information, paying annual fees and complying with county rent stabilization requirements. The department said participants will also be able to ask questions about the registration process.

The workshop follows the county’s Sept. 30 registration deadline for rental properties in unincorporated Los Angeles County, including Altadena.

Property owners submitting registrations after the deadline may be assessed a 10% late fee, according to the county. Landlords and mobilehome park owners who have not paid required registration fees are prohibited from increasing rents or passing certain costs through to tenants until they comply.

The county’s Rent Registry operates under two ordinances: the Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Ordinance and the Mobilehome Rent Stabilization and Mobilehome Owner Protections Ordinance.

Those laws require owners of covered rental units, rooms and mobilehome spaces in unincorporated areas to register their properties and pay applicable annual fees unless an exemption applies.

Current annual registration fees are $90 per fully covered rental unit, $30 per partially covered rental unit and $90 per mobilehome space.

Fully covered rental units are subject to county rent restrictions and just-cause eviction protections. Partially covered units generally receive just-cause eviction protections but are not subject to county rent restrictions.

Some properties may qualify for exemptions, including owner-occupied units and properties used for nonrental purposes. Owners can submit exemption requests for county review.

For property owners affected by recent wildfires, the county directs them to contact the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at (800) 593-8222 for assistance with their registration obligations.

The county program does not apply to properties within the incorporated city of Pasadena, which maintains a separate municipal rental registry.

Separately, Pasadena’s annual registration deadline is Oct. 31, with a seven-day grace period through Nov. 7 before late fees begin. The city has scheduled its own registration assistance session Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at 199 S. Los Robles Ave.

The Altadena workshop is free, but the county says space is limited and requests advance registration.

Attendees can register through Eventbrite.

Additional information about county rental registration, fees and exemptions is available through the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at (800) 593-8222, rentregistry@dcba.lacounty.gov or the county’s Rent Registry website.