Rental Board to Consider Mandatory Upload of Rent Increase Notices

The Pasadena Rental Housing Board is scheduled to consider potential amendments to its rental registration regulations that would require landlords to upload copies of rent increase notices directly to the city’s rental registry database.

The proposed changes to Chapter 9 of the board’s regulations are set to be discussed at the board’s upcoming meeting. The move aims to improve the city’s ability to regulate excessive rent increases and ensure compliance with the Pasadena Fair and Equitable Housing Charter Amendment, which voters approved in November 2022.

According to a staff report from Helen Morales, executive director of the City of Pasadena Rent Stabilization Department, the charter mandates the collection and publication of rent-increase data for all covered units. Currently, landlords are required to report the current rent and the date and amount of the last rent change during registration, and update this information within 30 days of any rent change.

City staff report that actually collecting the rent increase notices is the most common way to verify rent increases and is the default setting for systems utilized by many rent control jurisdictions. Morales noted in her report that reviewing these notices is essential for the department to monitor rent increases and verify that they occurred as reported in terms of both timing and amount.

The board will be presented with two options for direction. Option 1 would amend the regulations to explicitly require landlords to upload rent-increase notices to the rental registry. Staff report this would allow them to regulate excessive rent increases more efficiently and accurately.

Option 2 would amend the regulations to require issuing notices to landlords when the rent they report reflects an excessive increase or an increase issued before 12 months have passed since the last hike. Staff noted that this alternative would create a greater administrative burden and result in higher costs than Option 1. The fiscal impact of Option 2 is expected to be minimal, as it would utilize city mailing services with bulk-rate postage, since only about 7% of all rent increases are considered excessive. However, the report noted that if the board elects to have notices sent to tenants instead, it would result in an increased workload and additional hardship for staff.

The staff report emphasizes that while California state law provides for the confidentiality of tenant names collected during registration, including tenant names on rent increase notices is merely a byproduct of the requirement to serve the tenant. If the process of uploading notices moves forward, staff plans to include language reminding landlords that they may redact tenant names when uploading the documents.

The Pasadena Rental Housing Board is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. on March 19, 2026 in the Council Chamber at Pasadena City Hall, 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S249. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.