Who pays relocation assistance in Los Angeles, and when?

By los-angeles.com EditorialEdited by Dolev NehoraiLast updated October 7, 2026Payment schedule checked against LAHDReviewed by Mark M. Higuchi, Brown & Charbonneau, LLP

The landlord pays relocation assistance, not the City of Los Angeles. The LA Housing Department publishes the amounts and hears disputes, but the money comes from the property owner. The relocation assistance calculator works out how much is owed for a particular tenancy.

The obligation arises on a no-fault termination: owner or family move-in, an Ellis Act withdrawal, a primary renovation, or a government order. It does not arise on an at-fault termination such as unpaid rent or a lease breach. Payment is due within 15 days of the notice, not when you move.

On this page

No-fault and at-fault
One payment for the unit, divided between you
When the money is due
Common questions

No-fault and at-fault

The reason stated on the notice decides it. A no-fault reason is one where you have done nothing wrong and the owner wants the unit back or off the market. An at-fault reason alleges a breach.

A notice that states no reason at all is defective, and a reason the ordinance does not recognize is not a valid basis for either the eviction or a refusal to pay.

A payment offered so that you leave by agreement is a third thing again. That is cash for keys, a negotiated buyout rather than an obligation. Keep the two apart when somebody is offering you one: no ordinance sets the size of a buyout or a minimum for it, and the required relocation amount is a figure to compare an offer against rather than a floor the law puts under it.

One payment for the unit, divided between you

So the question a household of roommates asks first has an answer. The landlord owes the unit one payment, not one each, and he does not owe more because there are three of you. How it is split is yours to work out, and a pro-rata division is the default the ordinance names rather than something anybody has to negotiate from nothing.

Two separate tenancies at the same address are a different question, and worth putting to the LA Housing Department before anybody signs anything, because the answer turns on what the tenancies actually are rather than on how many front doors there are.

LA Relocation Assistance Calculator

Computes relocation assistance for a no-fault eviction in the City of LA, under the RSO schedule or the Just Cause Ordinance.

When the money is due

The payment is due within 15 days of the notice, not when the tenancy ends and not when you move out. A landlord who disputes the amount can pay into escrow rather than withholding it, which means a disagreement about the figure is not a reason for you to receive nothing.

The calculator prints the deadline beside the amount, and it counts from the date on your notice rather than from your last day.

Common questions

What if the landlord simply does not pay?

Non-payment is a defense to the eviction itself in many cases, and it is a complaint you can bring to the LA Housing Department. Keep the notice and a record of what was or was not paid.

Do I have to move out before the landlord pays me?

No, and it is the other way around. The payment is due within 15 days of the notice, so a landlord who says the money comes once the keys are handed back has the order wrong by weeks. Where the amount itself is disputed, the escrow route exists precisely so that a disagreement about the figure does not leave you with nothing while you move.

Is relocation assistance one payment per unit or one per person?

The fee is per rental unit rather than per person. Where two or more tenants share one unit, that single fee is divided pro rata among them. So a household of three is owed one payment to share, not three payments, and a landlord offering one amount for the unit is not shortchanging anybody by doing so. Separate tenancies at the same address are a different question and are worth confirming with the LA Housing Department before anybody signs anything. This is general information rather than legal advice.

Can the landlord subtract the rent I owe from the relocation payment?

Yes. The LA Housing Department's notice allows the landlord to deduct unpaid rent you owe from the relocation payment. Ask for the deduction in writing, month by month, and check it against your own record of what you paid. If the figure does not match, the LA Housing Department is the place to dispute it.

Related guides

Ellis Act relocation rules in Los AngelesWhat the Ellis Act lets a landlord do, the two notice periods, what is owed, the restrictions on re-renting, and how to tell a real withdrawal from a pretext.
Owner move-in eviction requirements in Los AngelesWho may move in, the ownership and occupancy conditions, which tenants are protected outright, what the notice must say, and what to check from day one.
The Mom-and-Pop reduced relocation scheduleWhich owners qualify for the reduced schedule, what it reduces, and how to check whether yours actually qualifies.
Rent increase relocation assistance: no longer in effectLos Angeles used to owe relocation assistance where a rent increase priced a tenant out. That provision was removed in 2026. What replaced it, and what a large increase still gets you.
Cash for keys in Los AngelesA buyout is an offer, not an obligation. How it differs from required relocation assistance, why the required amount is your floor, and the RSO buyout rules.

The rules on this page were last checked by a person on October 7, 2026