Rent Workshop Tackles Base Rent, Rollbacks and Annual Increases

The Rent Stabilization Department will hold its next monthly workshop Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. on base rent, rent rollbacks and annual rent increases under Pasadena’s Fair and Equitable Housing Charter Amendment. Helen Morales, the department’s director, invited tenants, landlords and community members to the free session. Division Manager Stanko Zovko has presented at the department’s monthly workshops.

Base rent is the fixed reference point for lawful rent on a covered unit: the rent in effect May 17, 2021, or the initial rent charged at the start of a tenancy that began after that date, according to the City of Pasadena.

The ceiling on how much a landlord may raise rent on an existing tenancy in a covered unit, known as the annual general adjustment, is 2.25% for the 12-month period that began Oct. 1, 2025. The previous year’s rate was 3%. Landlords may raise rent only once every 12 months and must give at least 30 days’ written notice.

That number is about to change. The rate is fixed by formula at 75% of the rise in the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area over the 12 months ending in March, rounded to the nearest quarter percent. The index rose 3.4% in the 12 months ending in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, producing a 2.55% figure for the year beginning Oct. 1 that went before the Rental Housing Board in June. The board publishes the coming year’s rate by Sept. 1.

Any covered tenant whose rent was raised beyond legal limits since May 17, 2021 is eligible for a rollback. A tenant submits a Request for Rent Rollback on a board form, which gives the landlord 10 calendar days to roll the rent back, notify the tenant in writing and refund overcharges collected since the amendment took effect.

The amendment, Measure H, passed in November 2022 with 52.8% of the vote and took effect Dec. 22, 2022. It applies to multi-unit residential rental properties built before Feb. 1, 1995, an estimated 24,852 units.

It remains in court. The California Apartment Association has argued on appeal that the measure “conflicts with state law in multiple respects,” pointing to the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act and Assembly Bill 1482. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel rejected the association’s initial challenge in March 2023.

Rent Stabilization Department, 199 S. Los Robles Ave., first floor conference room, Pasadena. Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6 p.m. Virtual option at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87513536955. Spanish interpretation is offered in person and online. For more call (626) 744-7999 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/rent-stabilization/. Free.