Trouble With Landlord

Expert, localized Los Angeles answers provided by Heather Roy

Trouble With Landlord
	Dear Ms. Edith Lank, I live in an older 14-unit apartment complex. Many of the tenants are immigrants with English as a second language and they are not familiar with housing laws. The building was just sold in June. I recently discovered the previous owner was charging different monthly rentals for the same type of apartments. The new owner is doing the same thing. Does a landlord have the right under law to charge different monthly rents? The new owner raised the rents. Is he allowed by law to raise them by different amounts? Some he did not raise at all. Can a tenant request the money back that they were overcharged by the former landlord and current owner? What type of attorney would handle a matter like this?

	If there’s no rent control in effect, the landlord can charge whatever a tenant agrees to pay as long as he isn’t discriminating against classes protected by fair housing laws. I can think of several reasons why a landlord might offer lower rent to a particular tenant. Same answer for raising rent, as long as no lease is involved. In most states, the landlord owes the tenant one full month’s notice of a raise, from a date before the rent is due. That gives the tenant time to agree or move out.
	Edith Originally published on September 11, 2005

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