Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia on Friday pulled back the curtain on some of the city’s most troubled rentals, rolling out a searchable “Top 100 Problem Rental Properties” dashboard that names the buildings with the most housing violations across L.A. The new tool ranks properties and gives renters a quick way to look up a building’s enforcement history before they sign a lease. Mejia’s office is pitching the dashboard as a transparency move meant to help organizers document patterns of neglect and to pressure landlords, and the city itself, to act. The launch lands amid long‑running complaints about habitability issues and tenant harassment in Los Angeles.
In a release via the City Controller's office, officials said the dashboard pulls together years of enforcement records from the Los Angeles Housing Department, City Planning, and the L.A. County Assessor. The page features a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations, plus an interactive map and a searchable property lookup aimed at renters, organizers, and reporters.
Top addresses named in the list
As reported by KTLA, the dashboard singles out a handful of buildings with especially long rap sheets: a Chinatown property on North Hill Place shows 192 housing violation cases, a Sawtelle address on West Wilshire Boulevard has 166, and a Hollywood Hills rental on West Forest Lawn Drive is listed with 113. Those tallies come from the Controller’s compilation of records and are meant to spotlight patterns, not settle individual landlord‑tenant disputes.
Controller says it will help renters document harm
“The dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool to help renters and organizers document patterns of harm,” Kenneth Mejia said, adding that “there has never before been an uncomplicated way to look up years' worth of violations by address,” per KTLA. His office says the goal is both basic consumer protection and a way to crank up the pressure on landlords and city departments to finally address chronic problems.
Enforcement has lagged despite new tools
The dashboard arrives against a backdrop of limited follow‑through. A 2025 audit from the Controller's office found that LAHD received 10,968 Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance complaints from February 2022 through December 2023 but referred only a small number of cases for tougher action. The audit urged more staff, clearer procedures, and expanded enforcement authority to make TAHO actually bite. Controller’s audit summary lays out the recommendations.
How renters can use the tool
Officials say renters should treat the dashboard as a starting point. Check a building’s violation history before you sign a lease, document any problems with photos and written notices, and file a code, RSO, or JCO complaint with the Los Angeles Housing Department if you are dealing with habitability issues. LAHD's complaint page explains filing options and inspection processes, and inspectors are tasked with assessing code violations and habitability concerns. Tenants facing eviction or harassment can also seek help from local eviction‑defense programs such as Stay Housed LA for legal support and referrals.
The dashboard is a win for public visibility, but data alone will not fix L.A.’s housing mess. Auditors and tenant advocates say it has to be matched with real enforcement and enough resources for investigations. For now, at least, renters and organizers have a new public tool to put problem properties squarely on the record.
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