Oxnard Landlord-Tenant Rules

Rent control: Oxnard's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (effective June 2, 2022) limits rent increases on covered units to no more than 4% per year, and more than one increase in any 12-month period is prohibited. Not covered: units with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995; deed-restricted affordable housing; spaces under the City's Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization System; residential property that can be sold separately from any other dwelling unit (with some exceptions); and other listed categories such as owner-occupied single-family homes, owner-occupied duplexes and rooms sharing a kitchen or bath with the owner. An owner who believes the cap denies a fair return can file a Fair Return Petition; tenants have 30 days to respond and do not pay the City's review costs. Before raising rent, the owner must give tenants notice of the ordinance and of their right to respond to a Fair Return Petition.; Just-cause eviction: After 30 days of continuous and lawful occupancy, an owner may end a tenancy only for a just cause stated in a written notice. At-fault causes include nonpayment of rent, breach of a material lease term, nuisance, waste, refusing to sign a written lease extension, criminal activity, unauthorized subletting, refusing lawful entry, unlawful use, end of employment with the owner, and failing to leave after giving notice to vacate. No-fault causes are owner or relative move-in, the owner leaving the rental business, a government or court order to vacate for habitability, and demolition or substantial remodel. For a curable at-fault reason the tenant first gets a chance to fix the violation. The notice must be in English and in the language of the lease (or the language used to negotiate the tenancy), and the owner must file a copy of the notice and proof of service with the City within 5 days.; Relocation assistance: For a no-fault termination, the owner must pay relocation assistance of two months of the tenant's rent (at the rate in effect when the termination notice was issued) or $5,000, whichever is greater. The payment is due within 15 calendar days of serving the notice.