Just-Cause Eviction

What Is Just-Cause Eviction?

Just-cause eviction is a rule that limits a landlord’s ability to end a tenancy to specific reasons set out in law. In most of the United States, a landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy, or decline to renew a lease, with proper notice and no stated reason. Just-cause laws remove that option for covered homes, so the landlord must show a lawful reason and follow set procedures.

The term “good cause” means much the same thing and is common in federal housing programs and some state laws.

How It Works

Just-cause laws typically list two kinds of allowed reasons:

For no-fault terminations, many laws require relocation assistance. California’s statewide law, adopted in 2019, applies once a tenant has lawfully lived in a unit for 12 months and requires one month’s rent in assistance, or a waiver of the final month’s rent, for a no-fault termination. It is set to expire on January 1, 2030. Oregon’s 2019 law protects tenants after the first year of occupancy and requires one month’s rent from landlords who own more than four units. Both laws exempt certain housing types, including many single-family rentals and newer buildings in California.

Other states have followed. Washington State has required cause to end most tenancies since 2021. Colorado enacted a cause requirement in April 2024. New York’s 2024 Good Cause Eviction Law is mandatory in New York City, and other municipalities may opt in.

Just-cause protections also exist in subsidized housing. The IRS ruled in 2004 (Rev. Rul. 2004-82) that every Low-Income Housing Tax Credit property’s long-term use agreement must prohibit evicting or ending the tenancy of a low-income tenant except for good cause, for the full extended use period.

Just-Cause Eviction vs. Rent Control

The two policies are often adopted together but do different things. Rent control limits how much the rent can rise. Just-cause rules limit when a tenancy can end. Some just-cause laws also work as a mild form of rent regulation. New York’s law, for example, treats a yearly increase above 10%, or above 5% plus inflation if that is lower, as presumptively unreasonable.

Criticisms and Limitations

The Housing Solutions Lab cites a 2019 study, published in Princeton’s Journal of Public and International Affairs, that found lower eviction and eviction-filing rates in cities with just-cause laws than in cities without them. Critics argue the rules can make landlords screen tenants more strictly, which may hurt applicants with short rental histories or variable incomes, and can make rental housing a less attractive investment. Enforcement also depends on tenants knowing their rights, which is harder for renters without legal help.