Burbank is a small, well-run city with an unusually stable rental market: a large local employment base in media and aviation, good schools, and a rental stock that turns over less than the county average. It is also a city that adopted its own tenant protection ordinance recently, and owners working from older assumptions are the ones most likely to make an expensive mistake.
The regulatory picture, in the right order
Burbank does not operate a traditional local rent control ordinance with its own published annual allowable increase. Rent increases on covered properties are governed by California’s Tenant Protection Act — a cap of 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12-month period, measured against the lowest gross rental rate charged in the preceding 12 months, with no more than two increase increments in a 12-month period once the resident has been in occupancy 12 months. The city publishes the Los Angeles-area CPI figure to use in the calculation.
Layered on top of that is the Burbank Tenant Protection Ordinance, effective August 31, 2024, which the city states applies to all residential rental units covered by the state Tenant Protection Act. The City Council amended the ordinance on March 11, 2025, adding an exemption from the increased relocation assistance obligation for owner and owner’s-relative move-ins, and adding anti-harassment provisions applying to all Burbank tenants.
That last consequence is the part to internalise. It is not a fine bolted onto an otherwise valid notice — non-compliance voids the notice itself, which means the time and cost of the entire process are lost and the tenancy continues. Confirm the current amount and procedure with the City of Burbank before serving anything.
The exemption notice trap
Owners of separately-alienable single-family homes and condominiums who are not a REIT, corporation, or an LLC with a corporate member may be exempt from the state rent cap and just cause provisions — but only where the statutory written notice of exemption has been given. For any tenancy commenced or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, that notice must be in the rental agreement itself. An owner who is substantively exempt but never papered the exemption is, in practice, not exempt.
The rental stock
Burbank’s multifamily inventory is dominated by small and mid-size buildings — fourplexes through thirty-unit walk-ups — concentrated south of Olive and in the Magnolia Park area, with single-family and duplex stock climbing into the hills toward the Verdugos. Newer construction clusters downtown near the Empire Center and along San Fernando. There is comparatively little large-scale institutional product, which is why so much Burbank property is owned by individuals and small partnerships.
| Area | Typical stock | Leasing character |
|---|---|---|
| Magnolia Park | Duplexes, small walk-ups, bungalow courts | Strong demand, character-driven, lower turnover |
| South Burbank / Media District | Walk-ups and mid-size apartment buildings | Studio and media employment, steady year-round demand |
| Downtown / Empire Center | Newer podium and mid-rise | Higher rents, amenity expectations, faster turnover |
| Burbank Hills | Single-family and small properties | Longer tenancies, higher rents, fewer units |
What owning here actually involves
- Long tenancies are common. That is good for vacancy loss and hard on unit condition — a twelve-year tenancy typically ends in a full turnover, not a paint-and-clean.
- Burbank Water and Power is a municipal utility, so utility setup and billing follow the city’s process rather than a private provider’s.
- Parking matters. Much of the older stock is under-parked relative to current household car counts, and permit districts constrain the fallback.
- Applicant quality tends to be strong, and the pool skews toward stable local employment. Consistent written screening criteria applied to every applicant remain essential — both as fair housing practice and because the ordinance environment makes ending a tenancy expensive.
- Small-building economics are sensitive to fixed fees. On a fourplex, a percentage fee plus a leasing fee plus a renewal fee is a meaningful share of net income.
What management costs here
Percentage-based management in Burbank is commonly quoted between 6% and 10% of collected rent, with a separate leasing fee — frequently half to a full month’s rent — and often a renewal fee. On an eight-unit building at $2,400 average rent, 8% is $1,536 a month, before placements.
UnitSimple is $100 per unit per month, so the same building is $800. Ordinary leasing is included, and maintenance is billed at cost with no UnitSimple markup. Compare structures on the comparison page, or read flat fee versus percentage management.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
- City of Burbank — Tenant Protection Ordinance: burbankca.gov/tenantprotections
- City of Burbank Community Development, Housing — Landlord-Tenant Commission and housing resources; housing office (818) 238-5180
- California Civil Code §§ 1946.2 and 1947.12 — statewide just cause and rent cap
To discuss a Burbank property, see Burbank property management or call 818-568-6733.
General information, not legal advice
This article is general information for rental property owners, not legal advice. UnitSimple is a property management company, not a law firm. Rules differ by city and by property, change over time, and depend on facts specific to your building. Confirm current requirements with the agency that administers them, or with your own attorney, before acting.
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Full-service management is $100 per unit per month, ordinary leasing included, with no UnitSimple markup on maintenance.