How to Register a New Tenancy

As of September 7, 2022, we are no longer accepting Tenancy Registration forms filed via our website. Instead, you can complete and submit this form electronically using our new public portal - CIVICS. If you already have a CIVICS account, go to rentcontrol.santamonica.gov to file the form now. If you do not yet have a CIVICS account, you can create a CIVICS user profile here. When your account is set up, we will email you with login information, so you can begin filing this form in CIVICS. 

1. Select the Tenancy Registration form and Category

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   Once you log in to CIVICS, select “Submit a Record” from the ribbon at the top of your dashboard. This will display a list of Forms in the Submit a form column. Click “Tenancy Registration.”

2. Select the Category of Tenancy Registration

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   When the Tenancy Registration form opens, scroll past the instructions and use the dropdown arrow to select the Category. Usually, the category is tenancies with a start date on or after January 1, 1999. Tenancy registration is also required for tenancies that began between October 1, 1997 and December 31, 1998. Please call or email us to get the correct form to register a tenancy that started during this period.
   

3. Select the unit you are registering

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   Click the blue Add Primary Site button to select the unit you are registering. This opens a search page where you enter the unit’s address. To search, enter only the Building Number, Street Name (without “St” or “Ave”) and Unit/Apt # (if applicable).  (If your property has more than one building number, use the one associated with the unit’s address.) Click the blue Search button. If you have trouble finding the unit you want to register, try entering just the Building Number and Street Name. More information can be found on our How to Select a Primary Site information sheet. Results of your search will appear below the search box. When selecting the unit from the search results select the one that shows the unit ID immediately following the building number and name and before “Santa Monica”. Then, click the blue Add Site button at the bottom of the page. You may need to use the scroll bar to the right of the search results and scroll down to see the Add Site button.

   Confirm that the correct unit has been selected, then click the blue Save and Continue button to move to the second page. (No location details or attachments are required).
   

4. Complete the Forms section

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   The second page of the form has four sections: Form Details, New Tenant Information, Additional Information, and a Certification of Information, which is your digital signature.

   In the Forms section, enter the Unit Number, # of Bedrooms, as well as  Property Owner and Manager contact information.
   

5. Complete the New Tenant Information section

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   The New Tenant Information section is where you will enter the date the tenancy began and information regarding the rent collected. Here are a few tips:

   • You do not need to enter the time the tenancy began but may select the default value of 12:00AM.
   • When entering the Initial monthly rent, be sure not to include any allowed pass-through of registration fees or surcharges but do include any amount collected for parking.
   • Be sure to account for any move-in specials, discounts, or periods of free rent. Regulations require that you report only the monthly amount of rent actually collected over the entire lease term.
   • Note that surcharges may not be added to any tenancy beginning on or after March 1, 2018.
   • For the question “What type of tenancy registration are you submitting?” please select “Standard tenancy registration” unless one of the special circumstances listed applies.

6. Complete the Additional Information section

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   In the Additional Information section, answer the question about parking. If yes,  click the plus sign next to Add Row and select the parking type and number of spaces from the drop-down list. Repeat this process if the tenant has more than one type of parking.

   If you have information regarding when the prior tenant vacated and the reason, enter the date and select the reason from the drop-down menu.

7. Complete the Certification of Information section

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   Add your digital signature by completing the Certification of Information section. Note that for tenancies starting on or after 7/31/2017, regulations require that you give the new tenant the Rent Control Information Sheet and check the box here to declare you have done so. 

8. Review and Submit your form

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   When the form is complete, click the blue Save and Continue button. You will then have a chance to review your submission and go back to make corrections before submitting. To submit the form, click the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page.

   You will receive a Confirmation that your record was submitted. A blue hyperlink to your form will appear on your dashboard identified as TENREG-R followed by the year and a reference number.

   ·       If you realize you made a mistake after submitting, for up to one hour you can click on the form’s hyperlink to reopen it and make changes. When it reopens, click Edit on any section needing a change. If you realize a mistake after one hour, contact us, and we will  reopen it for you.

   ·       Information coordinators are also available to help you with this form by phone at (310) 458-8751.