Selling a House With Tenants in Long Beach

Long Beach’s Just-Cause Ordinance: No Rent Cap, But Real Rules

Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.99 gives most tenants in the city just-cause eviction protection, meaning a landlord needs a legally recognized reason to end a tenancy — but unlike cities with a local rent board, Long Beach does not cap how much rent can be charged. That’s a meaningfully different setup from a flat-fee ordinance: Chapter 8.99 splits relocation assistance by the reason for the no-fault termination, not by a single citywide number.

If you’re terminating a tenancy because you plan to demolish the property or complete a substantial remodel, the ordinance requires relocation assistance of $4,500 or two months of the tenant’s rent, whichever is greater. If the no-fault reason is something else — an owner or qualifying family member moving in, for example — the relocation payment drops to one month’s rent. That two-tier structure means the reason you’re ending a tenancy directly changes what you owe, and getting the category wrong can expose you to a wrongful-eviction claim even when you had a legitimate underlying reason to sell.

Selling Occupied vs. Terminating the Tenancy First

Here’s the distinction that matters most for a seller: relocation assistance is triggered when the landlord ends the tenancy for a no-fault reason. If you sell the property with the tenant still in place and the new owner simply steps into your shoes as landlord, you haven’t triggered a no-fault termination at all — the tenancy just continues under new ownership. That’s often the faster, cleaner path, and it’s exactly how investor buyers, including us, typically prefer to buy: as-is, tenant and all, without you needing to serve notice or pay relocation assistance you don’t legally owe.

What Counts as Just Cause

Just cause splits into at-fault reasons (nonpayment of rent, lease violations, illegal activity) and no-fault reasons (owner move-in, withdrawal from the rental market, demolition or substantial remodel, government order to vacate). No-fault terminations generally require 60 days’ written notice for tenancies of a year or longer, along with the applicable relocation payment. If you’re unsure which category your situation falls into, that’s worth getting right before serving any notice, since Long Beach tenants have real recourse if a no-fault reason turns out to be pretextual.

It’s also worth noting that Chapter 8.99 governs when and why a tenancy can end, while the separate statewide rent cap under Civil Code 1947.12 (AB 1482) still limits how much rent can be raised year to year on most covered units in Long Beach, since the city hasn’t adopted its own price control. The two laws work side by side — one on eviction, one on rent increases — and neither replaces the other.

What a Cash Sale With Tenants Looks Like

We buy Long Beach rental properties with tenants currently living in them on a regular basis. We review the lease, the rent roll, and the unit’s condition, then make an offer that accounts for the property as an occupied asset — no requirement that you deliver it vacant, no relocation payment for you to front, and no gap in rent collection while you wait to sell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to evict my tenant before I can sell?
No. You can sell with the tenant in place and let the new owner take over as landlord, which avoids triggering a no-fault termination altogether.

What counts as a no-fault termination in Long Beach?
Owner or qualifying relative move-in, withdrawal from the rental market, government-ordered vacancy, and demolition or substantial remodel are the main categories under Chapter 8.99.

How much relocation assistance do I owe?
It depends on the reason: demolition or substantial remodel requires $4,500 or two months’ rent, whichever is greater; other no-fault reasons require one month’s rent.

Can I sell to a buyer who wants to move in themselves?
Yes, but if that requires ending the current tenant’s lease for owner move-in, the relocation and notice requirements under Chapter 8.99 still apply to that termination.

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice; consult a landlord-tenant attorney before serving any notice to vacate.

Whether your tenant plans to stay or go, we can put a written cash offer in front of you within 24 to 48 hours based on the property as it currently sits.