Mid-City, Santa Monica for Renters: 166 Leases, the Rent Rules and What Owning Costs

Written by Antonio Vaziri, Realtor, Epique Realty, DRE #01927866 · Last updated September 2026

How much should a one-bedroom between Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue cost, and how can you tell whether that rent is allowed to rise next September? Those are the two questions worth settling before you tour apartments on this side of Santa Monica, so this guide answers them with numbers first.

This fall I have been the listing agent on two lease listings at 1808 10th Street, a few blocks south of Colorado Avenue in the neighboring Pico neighborhood. The renters who contacted me about those units asked me about parking, air conditioning, pets, deposits and which school district an address falls in. Everything below is organized around those same questions, using Mid-City lease and sale records from CRMLS and the rules published by the City of Santa Monica and the State of California.

Lease and sale figures cover MLS closings from September 28, 2025 to September 28, 2026, pulled from CRMLS Matrix on September 28, 2026. The rent control figure is the general adjustment effective September 1, 2026.

The four streets that frame Mid-City

The Mid City Neighbors association draws its area with Wilshire Boulevard on the north, Colorado Avenue on the south, Lincoln Boulevard on the west and Centinela Avenue on the east, as listed by the Santa Monica Sun in June 2026. That is the box used for every number on this page. In 2014 the association took in the strip between Santa Monica Boulevard and Colorado Avenue, which the Pico Neighborhood Association also covers, so the southern half is shared territory between two groups. Some references use a smaller "Midtown" outline running from 14th Street to Centinela and from Wilshire down to Olympic Boulevard, so expect other websites to disagree at the edges.

Inside the box the grid is simple. Numbered streets from 7th to 26th run north and south, and east of 26th Street the cross streets carry names such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley and Franklin before Centinela. Wilshire, Arizona, Santa Monica Boulevard, Broadway and Colorado cross them. Centinela is also the edge of the city in this stretch: addresses on its far side belong to the City of Los Angeles, which changes the rent rules, the parking permits and the school district.

Lease prices by bedroom count, from the MLS

These are the leases that closed through the MLS inside the four boundary streets over twelve months. Plenty of Santa Monica apartments are rented directly by owners and never reach the MLS, so treat this as a solid sample rather than a complete census.

Source: CRMLS Matrix, Residential Lease, closed September 28, 2025 to September 28, 2026, map boundary Wilshire / Centinela / Colorado / Lincoln, pulled September 28, 2026. On the pull date 41 more leases were active on the MLS inside the same boundary.

The spread inside each row is the real story. A one-bedroom in a 1950s courtyard building and a one-bedroom in a newer building with a garage can sit two thousand dollars apart on the same block. The quickest way to understand where a listing falls is to ask the year the building was completed, whether parking is assigned, and whether the unit is covered by rent control, which the next section explains.

Rent control, explained without the legal jargon

Santa Monica voters adopted rent control in April 1979, and the city still describes it in terms of which units are exempt rather than which are covered. According to the Rent Control Board, most properties built after April 10, 1979 may qualify for a permanent new-construction exemption, but the Board has to grant it; it is not automatic. For an older building, assume coverage is possible until the Board's records say otherwise.

What coverage does and does not do

• The starting rent is set by the owner. Since January 1, 1999, owners have set the initial rent for most new tenancies. Rent control limits increases after you move in, not the number on the listing.
• Annual increases follow the general adjustment. For 2026 the Board set 2.6 percent, with a $70 maximum for units whose maximum allowable rent is $2,674 or more, effective September 1, 2026. In 2025 it was 2.3 percent with a $60 cap. The owner must give at least 30 days of written notice, and the unit must meet the Board's registration and compliance conditions.
• Houses and many condos are different. Under the state Costa-Hawkins law, owners of a unit that can be sold separately, such as a single-family home or a separately sold condo, can set rents without the local limit. The Board's own FAQ says eviction protections still apply to new tenancies, and for condos its answer is "it depends," so call the Board about a specific unit.

Deposits, move-in photos and fees under California law

Several state laws passed in 2023 through 2025 changed what a Santa Monica renter pays and receives at move-in. These apply statewide, including on the City of Los Angeles side of Centinela.

1. Security deposit cap (AB 12). Since July 1, 2024, most landlords may collect no more than one month of rent as a deposit. A small landlord, meaning a natural person or an LLC of natural persons owning no more than two residential rental properties with no more than four units offered for rent in total, may collect up to two months, but not from a service member.
2. Photos of the unit (AB 2801). For tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit at or just before move-in. Since April 1, 2025, photos are also required at move-out, before and after repairs or cleaning, which gives both sides a record if part of the deposit is kept.
3. No fee for paying by check (SB 611). A landlord may not charge a fee for paying rent or the deposit by check, or for serving or posting a notice.
4. Stove and refrigerator (AB 628). For leases entered, amended or extended on or after January 1, 2026, a working stove and refrigerator are part of what makes a unit habitable. A tenant may agree to supply their own refrigerator.

This is a summary for orientation, not legal advice. For your own lease, read the statute or talk with an attorney or the Rent Control Board's staff.

Street parking and the permit system

Parking varies from one building to the next, so the parking line in a listing matters. At 1808 10th Street, for example, each of my two listed units comes with one assigned space, and street parking there requires a city permit. Santa Monica runs that system through preferential parking zones, and the rules below are the city's.

• Residential permits are tied to one vehicle. As of July 1, 2026 the city charges $41 for a household's first permit and $51 for a second, with higher fees for a third and fourth.
• Visitor permits cost $72 each, with a limit of two per household.
• Applications are online and take three to five business days. You need a government ID, proof of residency dated within 30 days, and a vehicle registration showing your name and Santa Monica address.
• A permit does not excuse a car from street sweeping, curb markings or meters.

Before you sign, ask whether a space is assigned, whether it is tandem, and whether your block is inside a permit zone. The city posts the zone map on its preferential parking permit page.

Hospitals, rail stops and green space inside the box

Two major hospitals sit within Mid-City's lines: UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center at 1250 16th Street and Providence Saint John's Health Center at 2121 Santa Monica Boulevard.

The Metro E Line runs down the middle of Colorado Avenue on the southern edge, with the 17th St/SMC station at 17th Street. The 26th St/Bergamot station sits just outside the boundary on Olympic Boulevard. Wilshire carries Big Blue Bus route 2 and Metro lines 20 and 720. For bicycles, the westbound protected lane on Colorado from 17th Street toward downtown was reported complete in June 2026, and the Broadway project between 5th and 26th Streets was rideable though still unfinished at that time.

For open space, Euclid Park sits at 1525 Euclid Street between Broadway and Colorado. Douglas Park at 2439 Wilshire is directly across Wilshire on the north side, Reed Park fills the corner of Wilshire and Lincoln just outside, and Memorial Park is across Colorado at 1401 Olympic Boulevard.

If you would rather own: twelve months of Mid-City sales

Almost everything that sells here is attached. Of the 70 residential sales that closed inside the boundary in the last twelve months, 66 were condominiums or townhomes and only four were detached houses.

Source: CRMLS Matrix, Residential, closed September 28, 2025 to September 28, 2026, same map boundary, pulled September 28, 2026. Median days on market for all 70 sales: about 53. Median price per square foot: $829.

The four houses show how rare land is here. A 718-square-foot 1931 house on Chelsea Avenue closed at $800,000, while a six-bedroom 1958 house on the same street closed at $2,497,000. On the pull date, 37 homes were active for sale inside the boundary at a median asking price of $1,225,000, with one more under contract and one pending. Set against about six sales a month over the past year, that is roughly six months of supply, which is my own arithmetic rather than an MLS statistic.

Renters comparing the two paths can line up the medians: a two-bedroom leased for $4,250, and a two-bedroom condo sold for $1,057,500. What that means for any one household depends on down payment, rate, HOA dues and taxes, which is a conversation for a lender and a tax professional, not a web page.

Projects, openings and closings around Mid-City

Most of Mid-City's upcoming change is housing along Wilshire, Santa Monica Boulevard and the streets near the E Line. Each item carries its status and the date of the report it comes from. Proposals can change, shrink or stall before anything is built.

• Under construction1902 Wilshire Boulevard at 19th Street. An eight-story building with 140 apartments and about 7,000 square feet of retail; its required affordable units are being built off site at 1333 7th Street. (Urbanize LA, June 24, 2026)
• Under constructionTwo Cypress Equity buildings on the north side of Wilshire, one at 2025 Wilshire near 21st Street and one beside Douglas Park, with about 150 and 170 apartments. (Urbanize LA, June 30, 2026)
• Closed2500 block of Wilshire. A Starbucks, Relax the Back and a pickleball center moved out by the end of October 2025 to clear the site next to Douglas Park. (Santa Monica Daily Press, September 26, 2025)
• ApprovedTierra Apartments, 1402 Wilshire Boulevard at 14th Street. 82 affordable apartments in six stories; financing closed in July 2026, and no construction start had been reported. (Urbanize LA, July 21, 2026)
• Proposed1931 Wilshire Boulevard, the current Gap store site across Wilshire. About 260 apartments with retail in a redesigned plan. (Urbanize LA, September 15, 2025)
• Proposed1517 15th Street, between Broadway and Colorado near the 17th St/SMC station. A 12-story mass-timber building with 32 units, six of them affordable, filed in August 2026. (Urbanize LA, August 27, 2026)
• Proposed2901 Santa Monica Boulevard at Yale Street. Eight stories and 129 apartments, 13 affordable. (Urbanize LA, April 9, 2025)
• Proposed1420 20th Street. Eight stories with 50 apartments and a 40-room hotel, filed as a builder's remedy project. (Urbanize LA, December 2, 2024)
• OpenBerkeley Station, 1342 Berkeley Street. Thirteen affordable one-bedroom apartments, reported as the city's first modular affordable building. (Urbanize LA, March 31, 2026)
• Under construction78 affordable apartments at 20th Street beside the E Line tracks, seven stories, with completion expected in mid-2027. (Urbanize LA, June 2, 2026)
• Proposed1633 26th Street, just outside near the Bergamot station. 353 apartments in eight stories, reviewed by the Architectural Review Board in August 2026. (Urbanize LA, August 4, 2026)
• ProposedBergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Avenue. The city declared the site surplus land and sought developers, which may displace its galleries. (The Art Newspaper, February 2026)
• ApprovedProvidence Saint John's campus plan. The City Council approved a long-range rebuild of the campus in March 2022, spread over roughly 25 years; I found no report of that construction starting. (Santa Monica Daily Press, March 26, 2022)
• ApprovedSanta Monica Boulevard Safety Plan, Ocean to Centinela. Adopted in May 2026 with bus-only lanes and narrower travel lanes, plus quick-build protection at the Chelsea Avenue crossing near McKinley Elementary. (Santa Monica Daily Press, May 15, 2026)
• OpenHoly Basil, 2828 Santa Monica Boulevard. Thai restaurant that opened at the end of November 2025. (Westside Today, November 28, 2025)

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified schools serving this area

Mid-City is served by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, not LAUSD. The list below comes from the California Department of Education School Directory, and each name links to that school's page on the California School Dashboard.

• McKinley Elementary, grades preschool to 5, 2401 Santa Monica Boulevard. This is the only district school with an address inside the four boundary streets.
• Edison Language Academy, grades preschool to 5, 2402 Virginia Avenue.
• Franklin Elementary, grades preschool to 5, 2400 Montana Avenue.
• Roosevelt Elementary, grades K to 5, 801 Montana Avenue.
• Lincoln Middle, grades 6 to 8, 1501 California Avenue.
• John Adams Middle, grades 6 to 8, 2425 16th Street.
• Santa Monica High, grades 9 to 12, 601 Pico Boulevard.

School assignment follows the exact street address, not the neighborhood name. Santa Monica families confirm their school through the SMMUSD enrollment page and its school locator. If your search also crosses Centinela into the City of Los Angeles, those addresses are LAUSD, and the LAUSD Resident School Identifier is the tool for them.

Five things to settle before you sign a lease here

1. Look up the unit's rent control status with the Board's lookup or a phone call, so you know how next year's increase will be calculated.
2. Match the deposit to the law. One month is the general limit; ask whether the landlord is claiming the small-landlord exception.
3. Get the move-in photos and keep them with your lease.
4. Pin down parking in writing: assigned or not, tandem or side by side, and whether your block is in a permit zone.
5. Confirm what stays with the unit, including the stove, the refrigerator, laundry access and which utilities are included.

Current Mid-City listings for sale and for lease

Both searches below use a map boundary drawn on Wilshire, Centinela, Colorado and Lincoln, so they stay inside Mid-City and update as listings change.

Want an alert the day a new Mid-City unit appears? Use the Save Search button at the top of either results page and the site will email you matches. If you would rather describe what you need and let me look, my cell is 818-381-9977 for calls or texts.

For all of Santa Monica, see Santa Monica homes for sale. More areas are listed on the neighborhood guides page.

Sources and pull dates behind this guide

• Sales, leases, active and pending counts, prices, rents, square footage and days on market: CRMLS Matrix, map boundary Wilshire Blvd / Centinela Ave / Colorado Ave / Lincoln Blvd within the City of Santa Monica, closings September 28, 2025 to September 28, 2026, pulled September 28, 2026.
• Boundaries: Santa Monica Sun neighborhood group listing (updated June 26, 2026); Santa Monica Daily Press, May 1, 2014.
• Rent control coverage, 2025 and 2026 general adjustments, lookup and contact details: City of Santa Monica Rent Control Board pages and FAQ (checked September 2026).
• State law: AB 12 (2023), AB 2801, SB 611 (2024) and AB 628 (2025), California Legislative Information.
• Parking permits: City of Santa Monica preferential parking permit page, rates effective July 1, 2026.
• Transit and bike lanes: Metro station information; Streetsblog LA, June 8, 2026.
• Projects, openings and closings: Urbanize LA, Santa Monica Daily Press, The Art Newspaper and Westside Today, dates as listed with each item.
• Schools: California Department of Education School Directory (records updated August and September 2026); California School Dashboard, 2025 reports.