Sell My House Fast in Los Angeles County, CA — We Buy Houses for Cash
If you searched "we buy houses Los Angeles", you likely want to sell to a direct buyer instead of listing with an agent. Tucker Buys Houses LA is that kind of buyer, and we work countywide. You get a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours, and you do not fix, clean out or show the house.
We buy from Santa Clarita and Glendale down to Long Beach. We also buy along the coast, from Malibu to the South Bay. No agent commission is taken out of the price. A title and escrow company closes on the date you choose, in as little as 7 days. Call (424) 341-0837.
SELL YOUR HOME IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS
Dozens of people just like you already have!

1. Contact Us By Filling The Form
Provide us with some basic info by filling out the form below. Once we receive your information, we figure out how much we can offer for your house and will contact you within 24 hours.

2. Receive Your Cash Offer
Whether you'd like to meet in person or just speak on the phone, we’ll give you our best, free no-obligation cash offer in writing or just verbally.

3. Pick A Closing Date
If you accept our offer, we can close in as little as 7 days! But if you need more time, we will work closely with you to make sure closing happens on your timeline.
YES, It's That Simple
WE WANT TO HELP!
Life is hard enough without having to worry about trying to sell your home. We'll do everything possible to make selling your home as convenient and stress-free as possible

FOR ANY SITUATION
Foreclosures
Divorce
Financial Struggles
Relocation

IN ANY CONDITION
Structural Damage
Unfinished Interiors
Hoarder Home
Major Repairs Needed

WITH ANY STRUGGLES
Code Violations
Low Equity
Bad Tenants
Late Mortgage Payments
5 Reasons To Work With Us:

NO REPAIRS
We'll gladly buy your home "as-is," in any condition.

WE DO ALL THE WORK
From paperwork to legal complexities, we've got it all covered

NO FEES
You won't pay fees or commissions of any kind.

CLOSE FAST
Close on your schedule and get cash in as little as a week.

LOCAL TITLE COMPANY
We close through a reputable title company in your market.
Selling Your House To Us = No Pressure or Stress
Want to sell your house fast in Los Angeles County but worried about dealing with a complicated process? We are reliable cash buyers who stick to our offers and make selling easy. Whether you are just curious about what a serious cash offer for your house looks like or if you are ready to sell, the offer is free and you are under no obligation to take it.
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Sell Your Home Fast in Altadena, CA
Sell Your Home Fast in Glendale, CA
Sell Your Home Fast in Long Beach, CA
Sell Your Home Fast in Malibu, CA
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Sell Your Home Fast in Marina del Rey, CACity photo credits
- Altadena photo: Weedwhacker128 — CC0
- Glendale photo: Gedstrom — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Long Beach photo: Eric Fredericks — CC BY-SA 2.0
- Malibu photo: Mike Peel — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pacific Palisades photo: Don Ramey Logan — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Culver City photo: Jengod — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Santa Clarita photo: Chevy111 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Marina del Rey photo: Alexander Migl — CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions About Selling a House in Los Angeles County
What does "we buy houses Los Angeles" mean when you call Tucker Buys Houses LA?
It means you sell straight to us instead of listing the house with an agent. Tucker Buys Houses LA makes a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. You do not have to repair, clean or stage anything first. If you accept, a title and escrow company opens the file, checks title and gets payoff figures for any loans or liens. On closing day the County Registrar-Recorder records the deed. The County Assessor reappraises the property as of that date, so the new value belongs to the buyer.
There is no buyer loan to approve, so the closing date is the one you choose. We can close in as little as 7 days. No strangers walk through an open house, and no commission comes out of your proceeds. It works the same way whether the house sits in a separate city, a City of LA neighborhood or an unincorporated County community.
Can I sell my house before a foreclosure sale date in LA County?
You can ask us for an offer at any stage. Send the notices you have received and your latest mortgage statement. We will tell you whether a cash sale can close in time. We can close in as little as 7 days, but title and payoff figures set the clock. The sooner the title company starts, the more room you have. Escrow pays off your loan from the proceeds.
When the county recorder records the deed, it collects the County transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000. Inside the City of Los Angeles, the seller also applies for a $70.85 Residential Property Report. Our foreclosure guide explains each notice and the questions to bring to your servicer. Share our written offer with any attorney or housing counselor helping you before you sign. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
I am behind on property taxes and other bills. Can I still sell my house in LA County?
Yes. Tell us what you owe and to whom, and the title company sorts out which amounts are paid from the sale proceeds. Judgments, a contractor's lien or a second loan are reviewed the same way. For reference, the County's annual secured bill comes in two installments. The first is due November 1 and goes delinquent after December 10. The second is due February 1 and goes delinquent after April 10, with a $10 cost added.
Each late installment carries a 10 percent penalty. The Treasurer and Tax Collector says secured taxes can be prorated between buyer and seller in escrow. To see what is unpaid before you call, look up your bill on the Property Tax Portal. Use the Assessor Identification Number printed on it, and bring that number when you talk to us. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
How does Prop 19 affect an inherited house in LA County that I plan to sell?
If a child wants to keep a parent's house, call the county assessor before the deed is recorded. The assessor says the child keeps the lower tax base only when the home was the parent's principal residence. The child must also move in within a year and file for the Homeowners' Exemption within a year. Anything above the old taxable value plus $1,000,000 gets added to the base.
That $1,000,000 figure is adjusted every two years. It stands at $1,044,586 for transfers between February 16, 2025 and February 15, 2027. Have the parcel number ready, printed on the tax bill as 1234-567-890. If the heirs sell instead, the sale is a change in ownership, and the buyer's value is reset as of the recording date. Heirs who live far away or will not move in can weigh keeping, renting and selling side by side. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Do you buy houses as-is in LA County with unpermitted additions or code violations?
Yes. A converted garage, an unpermitted back unit or an open code case does not stop us from making an offer. You do not need to legalize anything first. We factor the work into the price. To see what is on file, contact the office for your address. Each incorporated city keeps its own building records. LA County Public Works issues permits for unincorporated areas through its online system, EPIC-LA. Its city offices also serve some incorporated cities.
Inside the City of LA, the City's online Permit and Inspection Report lists permits and inspections by address. If you are not sure which office applies, check the address on the county recorder's district map. A ZIP code is a mail area, not a city limit. Our service-area section names the permit office for most of the cities we serve, and each city guide goes into more detail. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Does the Measure ULA tax apply to a house sale in LA County?
Only if the property is inside the City of Los Angeles, and a ZIP code alone will not settle that. The City's finance office says the tax applies to documents that convey real property within the City. That takes in City of LA neighborhoods, but not the separate cities around them or unincorporated County communities. ZIP codes are mail areas, not city limits, so go by the parcel, not the mailing address.
For closings after June 30, 2026, the tax is 4% when the price tops $5,400,000. It is 5.5% from $10,900,000 up, and it is figured on gross value. It is charged on top of the City base tax of $4.50 per $1,000 and the County's $1.10 per $1,000. To see your own figure, ask the escrow officer to put it on the estimated closing statement before you sign. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Can I sell a rental in LA County with tenants living in it?
Yes. We buy rentals with tenants in place, so you do not need an empty house to sell. Which rules protect those tenants depends on the address. Statewide, AB 1482 bars ending a tenancy without just cause once a tenant has lived there 12 months. That holds unless the unit is exempt or a local rule is stronger. The County's Rent Stabilization Ordinance took effect in unincorporated areas on December 20, 2018. It extended just-cause protections to most residential rental units there.
The County points owners to the county recorder's district map to check that status. Several cities run their own tenant programs as well, and our service-area section names two of them. The City of Los Angeles applies its own Rent Stabilization Ordinance to property built on or before October 1, 1978. Its Just Cause Ordinance applies as well. Tell us who lives there and what the lease says. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Do you buy houses in unincorporated County communities, not only in cities?
Yes. We buy in unincorporated communities the same way we buy inside a city, and a title and escrow company closes the sale either way. Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Val Verde and Agua Dulce are a few of these County communities. So are the communities of the Santa Monica Mountains. With no city government, County offices handle what a city would. LA County Public Works issues building permits there through its online system.
The County's recovery office lists one-stop permit centers for rebuilding after the January 2025 fires. LA County Fire does the defensible space inspection for structures in the County's fire zones. The County's Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers eligible rentals in unincorporated areas. At closing, the county recorder records the deed and collects the County's transfer tax, as it does across the county. To confirm the status, check the recorder's district map, not the ZIP code. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Can I sell a fire-damaged house or cleared lot in LA County after the January 2025 fires?
Yes. We make offers on burned lots and damaged houses as they stand. Keep your debris removal Final Sign Off paperwork, because a buyer may ask to see it. The County's recovery office says Phase 2 cleanup by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrapped up in September 2025. That applies to owners who opted in. Two tax rules may also matter. The State Board of Equalization says an owner can file a reassessment claim with the county assessor within 12 months of the damage.
The deadline is later if the county ordinance allows, and the loss must be at least $10,000 of current market value. Prop 19 also lets wildfire and disaster victims move their lower assessed value to a newly bought or built replacement home. It works anywhere in California, once per disaster. That can help if you sell the damaged lot and buy again. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
How does a cash offer compare with listing a house in LA County?
A direct offer may be lower than a retail list price. It accounts for the repairs, holding time and resale costs a buyer takes on. In return you skip repairs, showings, a buyer's loan approval and agent commission. The fair test is what you keep. The County's documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 on value net of liens left on the property.
Inside the City of LA, the City's base tax adds $4.50 per $1,000. Four other cities have special rates on the county recorder's list. Ask the escrow officer for an estimated closing statement on each path, and compare days to close. You are always free to say no and list the house instead. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
How can I tell if my address is in a city or in unincorporated LA County?
Start with the mailing address, but do not stop there. ZIP codes are mail areas, not city limits. A community name or ZIP code on your mail does not prove which government covers the house. To confirm unincorporated status, the County sends owners to the district map kept by the county recorder. The answer changes how a sale works. LA County Public Works issues building permits for unincorporated areas through its online system.
The same department also serves some incorporated cities through its city offices, while many cities run their own building department. Rent rules divide the same way. The County's Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers eligible rentals in unincorporated areas, and several cities have their own programs. Even public health is split, since the County's health department does not serve every city. Give us the address when you call, and we will look at it with you. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Do some cities in LA County add their own rules when a house is sold?
Yes, on top of the rules that apply everywhere. State law sets the base: Civil Code 1103 hazard disclosures and defensible space documentation in high and very high fire zones. AB 1482 covers tenants. Countywide, the county recorder collects the documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 at recording. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed then, too. Cities can add more. Five have special transfer tax rates on the county recorder's list.
Inside the City of LA, the seller applies for a $70.85 Residential Property Report. Another city we serve posts its own list of sale requirements. It covers a report of building records, smoke detector rules for resale and an earthquake gas shutoff valve rule. The city also runs a mandatory soft-story retrofit program. Ask your building department which items apply before you set a closing date. Our city guides cover each city we serve. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Do I need a defensible space inspection to sell a house in a fire zone in LA County?
It depends on the zone. Under Civil Code 1102.19, a seller in a high or very high fire hazard severity zone gives the buyer documentation of defensible space compliance. For structures in the County's zones, LA County Fire performs the inspection. A compliant report done within the previous six months meets the requirement. A city may run its own inspection for a fee. To find your zone, look up the parcel in the CAL FIRE zone viewer.
Cities are Local Responsibility Areas, where the local city or county draws the zones and the state approves them. Separately, Civil Code 1103 disclosures include a very high fire hazard severity zone, a FEMA flood zone A or V and an earthquake fault zone. We buy in every zone and can go over these forms with you during the sale. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Will I get a supplemental property tax bill after I sell my LA County house?
The supplemental bill that follows a sale is the buyer's to deal with. A sale is a change in ownership, so the county assessor reappraises the property as of the date the deed is recorded. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed at recording. The supplemental assessment is the gap between the buyer's new base year value and the old taxable value.
When a sale closes between January 1 and May 31, two supplemental assessments go on the roll. The county tax collector sends those bills to the owner alone, impound account or not. Your part is the regular annual bill, which can be prorated between buyer and seller in escrow. If you buy your next home in the county, expect a supplemental bill on that purchase. The county assessor's Supplemental Tax Estimator can give you an idea of the amount. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
What extra steps come with selling a house inside the City of LA?
A few, on top of the County and state rules. First, confirm the address is inside the City, since a ZIP code on the mail does not settle that. The seller applies to the City's building department for a Residential Property Report, at $70.85 each. The seller hands it to the buyer before the sale or escrow starts. The City's online Permit and Inspection Report lists the permits and inspections on file.
The City's base transfer tax of $4.50 per $1,000 is added to the County's $1.10. Measure ULA reaches sales over $5,400,000. If the house is a rental built on or before October 1, 1978, the City of Los Angeles applies its Rent Stabilization Ordinance to it. The City's Just Cause Ordinance applies too. We buy City houses and cleared lots as they stand, so no repairs or rebuilding have to be done first. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
How a direct cash sale works, from first call to recorded deed
A direct sale skips several steps of a traditional listing, and much of the hassle that comes with them. There is no staging, no list of repair requests from a buyer, and no wait while a buyer's lender approves a loan. You tell us about the house, we take a look, and we make an offer. For each stage in more detail, read how a direct cash sale works on our step-by-step page.
The sale, step by step
Every sale in the county ends the same way. The deed is recorded, the transfer tax is collected at recording, and a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed at the same time. The steps below lead up to that point and show what you do at each one.
First call and offer
Here is the quick version. You call or fill out the form. We ask about the condition, any loan balance and your timing. Within 24 hours you get a cash offer with no obligation attached. If the number works for you, we sign a purchase agreement and open escrow with a title company. If it does not, you leave it there and owe nothing.
Title and escrow
The title and escrow company does the careful work in the middle. It checks title, gets payoff figures for any loans or liens, and prepares a closing statement that shows where every dollar goes.
Closing day
Here is how the county describes property tax at this stage, before the deed is recorded. Its tax collector says secured property taxes can be prorated between buyer and seller during escrow. A new owner owes any tax left unpaid when escrow closes. Ask the escrow officer to show you any such split on the closing statement before you sign.
Who records the deed
On closing day the deed is recorded with the county recorder, which collects the documentary transfer tax at recording. The county assessor then reappraises the property as of that recording date. That new value is the buyer's to carry, not yours.
How the date gets set
You pick the closing date. We can close in as little as 7 days, or in 7 to 14 days if that suits you better. A later date works too, if your move needs more time. If you want to know who you would be dealing with before you share any details, read about Tucker Buys Houses LA first.
Fine print
The recording date still matters after you sell. The county assessor reappraises as of that date, and a sale recorded between January 1 and May 31 brings two supplemental bills. Those bills go to the new owner, not to you. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Our eight service areas across the county, place by place
This county is a patchwork of separate cities, neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated communities run by the County. Your address decides which office keeps your permit records, which transfer tax applies and which tenant rules cover a rental. Even public health is split into regions. The County's health department works through eight Service Planning Areas. Among them are the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, Metro LA, the West and the South Bay.
Five incorporated cities we serve
Glendale is its own city, with home ZIP codes 91201-91208, 91210 and 91214. Its Brand Library is housed in El Miradero, a 1904 mansion. Permit records sit with the city's Permit Services Center at 633 E Broadway, (818) 548-3200. Its fire department runs its own defensible space inspection for a sale and charges $115 for it. Renters there fall under the city's Rental Rights Program. Our city guide shows how to sell your Glendale house in any condition.
Long Beach, like Pasadena, runs its own health department instead of the County's. Its Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier is 1,800 feet long. The city's permit center issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits for private property. Its Just Cause Ordinance, LBMC 8.99, covers tenants who have lived in a unit for 12 months or more. Read how to sell your house fast in Long Beach, including the city's tenant rules.
Culver City (90230 and 90232) is one of only five cities with a special rate on the county recorder's transfer tax list. It adds its own Real Property Transfer Tax, set out in the transfer tax section below. Its Building Safety Division answers at [email protected]. Here is how to sell a Culver City house without repairs.
Malibu is a coastal city with ZIP codes 90263 and 90265. Nearby, the communities of the Santa Monica Mountains are unincorporated County areas. The County's like-for-like rebuild steps are written for them. Our city guide explains how to get a cash offer on a Malibu house.
The City of Santa Clarita takes in Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus and Valencia. William S. Hart Park in Old Town Newhall is now a City park. City addresses get permits at the city's permit counter in City Hall, Suite 140.
The city's economic development office lists Stevenson Ranch and Castaic among the unincorporated County communities in the same valley. Those go through the County's public works department and its online permit system instead. USPS lists 91321, 91350, 91351, 91354, 91355, 91381 to 91384, 91387 and 91390 under the city's name. Still, ZIP codes are mail areas, not city limits. Learn how to sell your Santa Clarita home for cash.
Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Marina del Rey
Pacific Palisades (90272) is a community inside the City of LA, home to Temescal Gateway Park. City rules apply there, including the City transfer tax, Measure ULA and the Residential Property Report. See how to sell a fire-damaged house in Pacific Palisades.
Altadena (91001) is an unincorporated community, so the County, not a city, issues permits. County rent rules reach eligible rental units there, and the County's like-for-like rebuild rules cover it too. The County's One-Stop Permit Center there is at 464 W Woodbury Rd, Suite 210, (626) 424-6743. It takes walk-ins on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and permit applications go through the County's online system. Read how to sell a burned lot in Altadena, or a house that is still standing.
Marina del Rey (90292) is built around a harbor that traces back to state legislation. The County Board of Supervisors sponsored that legislation, which led to a $2 million loan to the County. The County's beaches and harbors department runs the 10-acre Burton W. Chace Park there. Check the address on the county recorder's district map to confirm which rules apply. Confirm the permit office for the exact address, too, before you request records. We buy houses in Marina del Rey too, and that page explains what to check.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Selling a house in foreclosure or during money trouble
Missed mortgage payments can make it feel as if there is no choice left. So can a letter from the lender or a notice taped to the door. Before you make a decision, get the facts in front of you: what you owe, which notices you have received and what dates they list. Then compare your options side by side. Our guide on how to sell your house before foreclosure in Los Angeles walks through the notices and the questions to ask your servicer.
A cash sale is one of those options. With no buyer loan to wait on, the timeline depends mostly on title. We can close in as little as 7 days once the title company has payoff figures. That can matter when a date has been set. When you call, keep your latest mortgage statement and any notices handy so we can see the whole picture.
Money trouble can come from more than one direction. Some owners are also behind on property taxes, have a judgment or a contractor's lien recorded against the house, or owe more than one lender. Tell us about all of it up front. We review liens and title issues with the title company and give you a straight answer on whether a direct sale can work. If the numbers do not add up, we say so.
A sale does not fix every problem, and nothing on this page promises to stop a foreclosure. If an attorney, a housing counselor or another resource is already helping you, bring them in. You can share our written offer with them and let them check it before you sign anything. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Selling an inherited house in the county
An inherited house can come with a lot attached. There may be a lifetime of belongings, repairs nobody got to, a reverse mortgage or a tax bill no one has opened. You can sell it as it stands. We buy inherited houses with the furniture still inside, so you do not have to deal with a cleanout. You take only the things you want to keep. That can be a relief for heirs who live out of state or have their own jobs and families to care for.
Property tax is a big part of the decision. Under Prop 13, the general tax is capped at 1% of assessed value. Assessed value can rise no more than 2% a year until the property changes ownership or new construction is finished. A parent who bought long ago may have a taxable value well below today's market. When heirs sell, that is a change in ownership, and the buyer's value is reset.
Prop 19 narrowed what children can keep. The county assessor says a child keeps the parent's lower tax base only if the home was the parent's principal residence. The child must also make it their own principal residence within one year. The child must file for the Homeowners' Exemption within one year as well.
Even then, value above the old taxable value plus $1,000,000 is added to the base. That figure is adjusted every two years. For transfers from February 16, 2025 through February 15, 2027, it is $1,044,586. An heir who is not going to move in does not get that benefit. That is one reason families compare keeping, renting and selling.
To sell an inherited house in Los Angeles, our step-by-step page covers everything from paperwork to closing. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Ask the county assessor, or a probate or tax professional, about your own case.
Selling a house as-is: repairs, permits and which office has your records
An older house may have a garage turned into a bedroom or an addition that was never permitted. It may also have old wiring, a tired roof or cracks in the foundation. You do not have to repair any of it before you sell to us. We can buy your house with the work still undone, because the offer already counts the cost. Read how to sell a house as is in Los Angeles and how condition shapes the number.
It still helps to know what the records say. There is no single permit office in this county. Many incorporated cities run their own building department. LA County Public Works issues permits for unincorporated areas through its online system, EPIC-LA. Its city offices also serve some incorporated cities. Which office has your records depends on the kind of address:
- A separate incorporated city: that city's own building department or permit center. The city paragraphs in our service-area section name the permit office for most of the cities we serve.
- A neighborhood inside the City of LA: the City's Department of Building and Safety. Its online Permit and Inspection Report lists permits and inspections by address.
- An unincorporated County community: LA County Public Works, with permit applications through EPIC-LA. For rebuilding after the January 2025 fires, the County's recovery office also lists one-stop permit centers.
- Not sure which applies: check the address on the county recorder's district map. That is where the County sends owners to confirm unincorporated status. A ZIP code will not settle it, because ZIP codes are mail areas, not city limits.
You do not need to pull permits before you call. If you already have records, share them. If not, we can work from what we see at the house and what the title report shows. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Transfer taxes and city rules that change with your address
When a sale deed is recorded, the County collects its documentary transfer tax. The County Registrar-Recorder sets it at $0.55 for each $500 of value, which works out to $1.10 per $1,000. It is figured on the value net of any liens that stay on the property. Whoever prepares the deed works out the amount, and the county recorder collects it as part of recording.
Five cities have a special rate on the county recorder's list. Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica are three of them. The rest of the cities we serve are not on the list. The other two are in our service area:
- City of Los Angeles: a base tax of $2.25 per $500 ($4.50 per $1,000) on top of the County's $1.10. Measure ULA adds 4% on sales over $5,400,000 and 5.5% at $10,900,000 or more. Those thresholds apply from July 1, 2026, are adjusted each year, and that tax is figured on gross value, liens included.
Culver City: its own Real Property Transfer Tax, charged in addition to the County tax and collected at recording. The tax is set out in Municipal Code sections 3.08.400 to 3.08.470. The county recorder's schedule is 0.45% up to $1,499,999, then 1.5% from $1,500,000 to $2,999,999. It rises to 3% from $3,000,000 to $9,999,999, and to 4% at $10,000,000 and above.
The city's building division also lists its own requirements for the sale of a property. They are an Application for Report of Building Records, smoke detector rules for resale and an earthquake gas shutoff valve requirement. It runs a mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit program under a city ordinance as well.
Some places also require paperwork tied to a sale. Inside the City of LA, the seller applies for a Residential Property Report. The seller gives it to the buyer before selling or going into escrow. The City's building department charges $70.85 for each report. A city's own sale rules stop at its city limits, so the City of LA's report does not reach the separate cities around it. At an unincorporated address, the County's rules and state law apply instead.
The escrow officer works out these amounts and lists them on your estimated closing statement next to the other closing costs. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Property taxes when you sell: Prop 13, reassessment and supplemental bills
Prop 13 is found in Article XIII A of the state constitution. It holds the general property tax to 1% of assessed value and limits yearly increases in assessed value to 2%. A sale is a change in ownership, so the buyer starts over with a new base year value set at the time of purchase.
Here is how that plays out at a closing in this county. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed when the deed is recorded. The county assessor then reappraises as of the recording date. The assessor's office reviews every recorded deed to decide which properties need a new value. The Treasurer and Tax Collector says secured property taxes can be prorated between buyer and seller during escrow. That way, each side pays for its own share of the tax year.
After the sale, a supplemental assessment covers the difference between the new base year value and the old taxable value. A sale between January 1 and May 31 brings two supplemental bills. The county tax collector mails those bills only to the owner, even when a lender holds an impound account. They do not replace the annual bill.
That supplemental bill belongs to the buyer. Still, it is good to know about if you are buying your next home in the county. The county assessor's site offers a Supplemental Tax Estimator for that.
Before you call us, you can look up your parcel. The Assessor Portal shows the Assessor Identification Number along with assessment details. The Property Tax Portal shows billing. The number is printed on your tax bill in the format 1234-567-890. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Fire zones, hazard disclosures and selling after the 2025 fires
California sellers have to tell buyers about certain natural hazards. Civil Code 1103 covers whether a property sits in a FEMA special flood hazard area (Zone A or V). It also covers a very high fire hazard severity zone and an earthquake fault zone. We go through those disclosures with you as part of the sale.
CAL FIRE maps fire hazard severity zones. In cities, which are Local Responsibility Areas, the city or county sets the zones with state approval. A parcel can be checked in the CAL FIRE zone viewer. If a house is in a high or very high zone, Civil Code 1102.19 applies. It requires the seller to give the buyer documentation of defensible space compliance.
LA County Fire does that inspection for structures in the County's zones, and a compliant inspection from the previous six months counts. A city fire department may run its own inspection and charge a fee for it. Ask the department that covers your address.
For owners hit by the January 2025 fires, the County reports a milestone. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished Phase 2 debris cleanup in September 2025 for owners who opted in. Keep your Final Sign Off paperwork, since debris removal comes before any rebuild.
In unincorporated areas of the county, including the communities of the Santa Monica Mountains, the County allows like-for-like rebuilds. They keep the same size, location and purpose. In the Palisades Fire area, changes of up to 10% are allowed. Like-for-like homes need not meet current zoning, but they must meet current building, fire, and health and safety codes.
A burned lot or a damaged house can still be sold. We make offers on fire-affected property as it stands, and those rebuild rules are part of how any buyer values it. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Sources
- Documentary Transfer Tax - LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
- Change in Ownership - LA County Assessor
- Like-For-Like Rebuild - LA County Recovery
- USPS ZIP Code Lookup by City and State
- Historic Buildings and Landmarks in Glendale Parks - glendaleca.gov
- Service Planning Areas - LA County Department of Public Health
- Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier - longbeach.gov
- Real Property Transfer Tax - culvercity.gov
- One Valley, One Vision - santaclarita.gov
- William S. Hart Park Officially Opens as City's 40th Park - santaclarita.gov
- Temescal Gateway Park - Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
- Information About LA County's Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance for Property Owners - DCBA
- Marina del Rey History - LA County Beaches & Harbors
- Burton Chace Park - LA County Beaches & Harbors
- California Constitution Article XIII A (Proposition 13)
- Real Property Assessment - LA County Assessor
- Proposition 19 - LA County Assessor
- State Board of Equalization: Proposition 19
- California Revenue and Taxation Code section 63.2
- Building and Safety - LA County Public Works Permits
- Permit Services Center - glendaleca.gov
- Permit Center - longbeach.gov
- Building Safety Division - culvercity.gov
- Building & Safety - santaclarita.gov
- Property Records - LADBS
- One-Stop Permit Centers - LA County Recovery
- Real Property Transfer Tax and Measure ULA FAQ - LA Office of Finance
- Residential Property Report - LADBS
- New Property Owner - LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector
- California Revenue and Taxation Code section 75.11
- Property Search Tool - LA County Assessor
- Annual Secured Property Tax Bill - LA County Property Tax Portal
- California Civil Code section 1103
- Fire Hazard Reduction Programs - LA County Fire Department
- California Civil Code section 1102.19
- AB-38 Real Estate Sales in the High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones - LA County Fire Department
- AB 38 - Real Estate Disclosure - glendaleca.gov
- Debris Removal - LA County Recovery
- California Civil Code section 1946.2 (AB 1482)
- Comprehensive Guide to the Rental Rights Program - glendalerentalrights.com
- Tenant and Landlord Resources (Just Cause Ordinance, LBMC 8.99) - longbeach.gov
- Rent Control Property Overview - LA Housing Department (LAHD)
- Disaster Relief - California State Board of Equalization
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