Pasadena’s New Rent Control System Faces Registration Hurdles

Only about 21.5% of Pasadena’s rental properties have been registered under the City’s new rent stabilization program, as the December 22nd deadline draws closer and officials launch a multi-channel outreach campaign spanning from transit ads to direct mailings.

Helen Morales, Director of Pasadena’s Rent Stabilization Department, reported to the Rental Housing Board Thursday night that approximately 755 properties have completed registration, with another 239 properties registered but awaiting payment. An estimated 3,636 properties remain unregistered out of those required to participate.

“We’re working to get these all done,” Morales told the Board.

Up to 7,000 properties were initially sent to single-family dwellings, many of which likely do not need to be registered if owner-occupied.

“Will be receiving a notice from us informing them that it may have been incorrectly identified as a rental unit and reminding them if in fact it is rented to please register their units,” Morales told the Board.

The Department has upgraded its operations with several new digital systems, including an online rental registry, a “Zenex” contact system for housing counselors, an eviction notice portal for landlords, and a new “five nine” phone system.

A hearing officer portal and document retention program are reportedly under development.

To boost participation, the City has launched an extensive outreach effort. Twenty transit posters will be installed throughout Pasadena, complementing existing digital billboards along Colorado Boulevard. Online advertising through Pasadena Now has generated over 183,000 views and 3,537 clickthroughs on the “get registered” campaign. A recent landlord-tenant law webinar attracted 94 attendees and addressed 54 questions.

For larger property owners, the Department introduced a bulk registration system allowing spreadsheet uploads for multiple units.

“My big focus with our staff was to register the ‘mom [and] pops’ because those are the most difficult to register,” Morales explained. “We’ll provide owners the ability, if they have multiple units, larger properties that they can download, they can input all the information into an Excel spreadsheet and upload that onto our system for efficiency purposes.”

The registration system, mandated by the City Charter amendment passed by voters, creates an official database of rental properties subject to rent control and tenant protections. While single-family homes and condominiums represent 63% of rental properties in Pasadena, they account for only 21% of total rental units.

A newly hired Public Information Officer will expand the Department’s social media presence, including the development of “reels” and enhanced community outreach. The Department plans to leverage registration data for direct tenant communication and is developing an annual training program with multi-language materials.

The Department will host an open house on December 10th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at their new offices, 199 South Los Robles Avenue, Suite 350, where staff will assist landlords with registration and answer questions about the program.

“We’re going to use every social media event that we can and every community event that we can to get out to [the community],” Morales said. “I think that’s really important.”

The Department’s implementation efforts are supported by a comprehensive budget covering 12 full-time equivalent positions and resources for expanded services, reflecting the City’s commitment to establishing an effective rent stabilization program.