Rent Stabilization Department Director Will Recap Department’s 2024 Results at Thursday Meeting

The Pasadena Rent Stabilization Department has processed nearly 2,000 housing-related inquiries in 2024 in implementing a voter-approved charter to protect tenants through extensive outreach and regulatory support, according to a report that Department Director Helen Morales will present to the Rent Board on Thursday.

The Rent Stabilization Department was created to support the board’s duties to regulate rent increases, provide eviction protections, and carry out the City Charter approved by Pasadena voters in November 2022.

According to Morales’s report, the Department handled 1,995 total inquiries between March and December 2024, with communications nearly evenly split between tenants (53%) and landlords (47%).

The most prevalent issues involved rent increases (507 total cases), with 307 tenant-related rent increase inquiries and 190 landlord-related inquiries, followed by termination notices and eviction concerns.

A key milestone was the launch of the Rental Registry on September 23, 2024, which has achieved a 73% compliance rate despite being a mandatory legal requirement and having a December deadline for compliance.

The current registry breakdown shows:

• 3,523 registrations completed (42%)
• 847 pending exemptions (10%)
• 2,225 registrations still open (27%)

Throughout 2024, Department staff conducted extensive outreach, including 10 workshops, 613 individual landlord meetings, and answering 4,028 registration calls.

Department staff participated in numerous community events, including Coffee with a Cop, Juneteenth, National Night Out, Latino Heritage Festival, and the Citizen’s Police Academy.

For the current year, Morales will report the Department has planned a series of 2025 training sessions at 199 S. Los Robles, First Floor, covering critical housing topics:

• February 11: Habitability and Rent Adjustment
• March 11: Petitions & Hearings
• April 8: Eviction Protections and Relocation
• May 13: Rent Increases and Roll-Backs
• June 10: RSO Overview
• July 8: Security Deposit Regulations
• August 12: Annual Rental Registration
• September 9: RSO Overview Repeat

Upcoming community outreach will include collaborations with local libraries during Storytime and children-centered activities, expanding the Department’s efforts to inform residents about their housing rights.