Check an apartment before you rent in Los Angeles

A lease is a commitment of a year or more. A few minutes with the public record for the building can show you things the listing does not. This guide is for addresses in the City of Los Angeles.

What the public record can show

• Permit history. What work has been done on the building, and whether it was finished and inspected.
• Hazard zones. Whether the address sits in a mapped flood, fire, earthquake fault, liquefaction, landslide or tsunami zone.
• Zoning. How the City classifies the parcel.
• Nearby police report counts. Numbers by year and type for the surrounding area, not a rating of the building or its residents.
• Assessor details. Year built, building size and number of units as the County records them.

Questions to ask the landlord

• Is the unit covered by the City Rent Stabilization Ordinance, and what is the registered rent history? The Los Angeles Housing Department is the place to confirm this, and Deedlore does not check it.
• Has any recent work been done, and was it permitted?
• Are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed and working?

What the record cannot show

It cannot show how a landlord treats tenants, whether a unit is clean, or how noisy the neighbors are. Read recent reviews, visit at different times of day and talk to current tenants if you can.

How Deedlore helps

Deedlore compiles the public record for a City of Los Angeles address into one report, with the source and retrieval date for each part. A report is a property check, not tenant screening and not a guarantee.

Deedlore covers addresses in the City of Los Angeles only. Reports summarize public records as of the date shown, may be incomplete, describe properties and not people, and are not legal advice. Deedlore is not a consumer reporting agency, and reports may not be used to decide eligibility for credit, employment, insurance or tenancy. Deedlore is not affiliated with Airbnb, Vrbo or any booking platform.

Common questions