Under the RTC, landlords of rental units located in the City of Los Angeles are required to:

• Provide a Notice of Right to Counsel at the beginning of a tenancy in the tenant’s primary language. 
• Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to a copy of any eviction notice served on the tenant.
• Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to any notice of termination of a rental housing subsidy (e.g., Section 8).
• Attach a Notice of Right to Counsel to any Section 8 administrative proceeding correspondence that may result in termination of the tenant’s rental housing subsidy.
• Post the Notice of Right to Counsel in a conspicuous common area of the residential building where the tenant resides.

An eligible tenant may assert as an affirmative defense the failure to comply with any provision of the RTC.

https://housing.lacity.gov/rtc

Why this matters: "An eligible tenant may assert as an affirmative defense the failure to comply with any provision of the RTC."

• “Affirmative defense” = A legal defense where the tenant doesn’t just deny the landlord’s claim, but instead says, “Even if everything the landlord says is true, they still can’t win because they broke the law.”

• “Failure to comply with any provision” = If the landlord violated any part of the RTC 

• “May assert as an affirmative defense” = The tenant can raise that violation as a defense in court to stop or defeat an eviction.

This ordinance applies to ALL (residential) rental units in the City of Los Angeles, not just RSO‑regulated ones. It specifically refers to "dwelling units, efficiency dwelling units, guest rooms, suites, housing accommodations, duplexes, condominiums, single-family homes, mobile homes, and certain RVs located in parks

 

Download the Notice of Right to Counsel

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