If you’re a California landlord, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the eviction restrictions outlined under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (or “AB 1482”). This state law lists acceptable reasons for evicting tenants, including owner-move-in evictions.
Although move-in evictions are permitted in Santa Monica, this city’s tenant protections are stricter than California’s statewide regulations. You’ll need to understand these requirements before pursuing any type of eviction in this area, and guidance from Santa Monica eviction lawyers can help.
What Are At-Fault and No-Fault Evictions in Santa Monica?
In Santa Monica and other California communities, landlords aren’t allowed to evict tenants whenever they want to. Instead, there are two basic types of “just cause” evictions:
At-Fault Evictions
These evictions are motivated by what a tenant does (or doesn’t do). For example, California landlords can serve Notices to tenants who don’t pay rent on time, act as a nuisance to other residents, or violate the terms of their lease.
No-Fault Evictions
In some situations, landlords can also evict tenants when they haven’t done anything wrong. This can happen when landlords want to recover a unit for personal use or for someone in their family. These kinds of no-fault evictions require the service of a 60-day notice, along with relocation assistance for the tenant, and strict eligibility and timing requirements./
How Move-In Evictions Work in Santa Monica
Many Santa Monica rental properties on the market today are rent-controlled. Under Chapter Nine of the Rent Control Charter Amendment and Regulations, landlords can evict tenants from these units to recover them for themselves or family members. However, there are certain restrictions on when and how they can pursue these evictions.
For example, landlords can only perform one of these evictions for a single unit in a given property. Landlords only include natural persons who have at least a 50 percent ownership interest – if you hold the property in a corporation, partnership, or limited partnership, you cannot do an owner move-in eviction.
Along with that, they’re only permitted to perform these evictions for themselves or their:
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Children
- Siblings
- Father-in-law/mother-in-law
- Son-in-law/daughter-in-law
If the relative or the owner occupies a unit at the property, then you cannot do an owner move-in eviction for that relative or owner. That means if the owner lives in unit #2, they can’t do an owner move-in eviction for unit #1.
Additionally, if the owner has previously attempted to evict this tenant – whether successfully or unsuccessfully, it may not be possible to do an owner move-in eviction for four years from the date of the previous eviction attempt.
Good Faith Requirements for Santa Monica Owner Move-In Evictions
Landlords must also act in good faith when evicting a tenant from a rent-controlled unit. As part of this, they need to meet requirements such as:
- Moving in right away. If a landlord or their relative does not plan on moving into the vacated unit within 60 days after the previous tenant leaves, or if they don’t plan to use this unit as their primary residence for at least two years, they are acting in bad faith (unless extenuating circumstances apply).
- Giving tenants a chance to move into vacant units. When a landlord has other vacant rental units in their property, they must offer each of these units to the tenant they plan to evict. This applies to any residential rental properties in Santa Monica or the greater Los Angeles area. This requirement continues from the date of the notice to quit to judgment in any unlawful detainer action.
- Respecting a tenant’s right of first refusal. If a landlord or their relative moves out of the vacated unit within two years of the eviction, the former tenant has the right of first refusal to move back in at their previous rent rate. At that point, landlords need to give this tenant a written Notice and a reasonable timeframe to make a decision on their offer.
- Not trying to bend the rules. Landlords who grant ownership interests to qualify someone as a landlord with the goal of pursuing an eviction aren’t acting in good faith.
Relocation Assistance Requirements for Santa Monica No-Fault Evictions
When a Santa Monica tenant is forced to leave their home, landlords must provide financial support in certain situations. Owner move-in evictions fall into this category, so you’ll need to take these fees into account before pursuing one of these evictions.
Santa Monica’s permanent relocation fees are updated each year. As of July 1, 2025, the city listed these fees as:
- Single: $19,950
- One bedroom: $27,500
- Two bedrooms or more: $38,250
Meanwhile, higher relocation fees apply to households including disabled people, minors, or seniors:
- Single: $20,850
- One bedroom: $29,350
- Two bedrooms or more: $40,750
Tenant Harassment Protections in Santa Monica
Santa Monica landlords pursuing an eviction should also consider the city’s laws against tenant harassment. According to the City of Santa Monica’s Public Rights Division, the following actions are prohibited when done with the goal of harassing tenants:
- Removing services listed in a lease agreement
- Intimidating or lying to a tenant to get them to move out
- Providing an eviction Notice that’s based on false accusations (when a landlord does not plan to take their case to court)
- Refusing to perform legally-mandated repairs
- Violating a tenant’s right to privacy
- Entering a tenant’s apartment without letting them know first
- Threatening to harm a tenant or using “fighting words”
- Disturbing a tenant’s peace on purpose
- Not acknowledging lawful rent payments
These restrictions protect all tenants in Santa Monica, not just people living in rent-controlled units. And when local landlords violate this ordinance, they could get charged with a criminal misdemeanor (which is punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail) or a civil violation (subject to injunction, attorneys’ fees, a fine of up to $10,000, and potential punitive damages) for each individual violation.
Considering these consequences, landlords in this area should always take harassment regulations seriously when interacting with tenants. Santa Monica eviction lawyers can give you advice on avoiding behaviors that could violate these rules.
Consult California Property Law Group’s Santa Monica Eviction Lawyers
Evicting a tenant isn’t easy – especially in communities like Santa Monica, where tenant protections go even further than they do in other parts of California. Because of that, trying to go through this process on your own could lead to serious financial and legal consequences.
The top-notch Santa Monica eviction lawyers at California Property Law Group can help you navigate this legal minefield, helping your move-in eviction go as smoothly as possible. And thanks to our expertise with landlord tenant matters, we’re equally qualified to help you with any other unlawful detainer cases you’re going through. If you’d like to get started, just ask for your free consultation!
