How many apartments for rent are available in Gardena, CA right now?
Gardena is one of the more affordable places to rent an apartment anywhere in this part of Los Angeles County, with a citywide median around $2,275 a month that has eased about 1.1 percent over the past year. Roomster lists 45 apartments for rent across the city. The stock is mostly two and three-story walk-ups, small courts and duplexes built through the middle of the last century rather than modern complexes, concentrated through Central Gardena and along the Western Avenue and Normandie Avenue corridors, with the newer buildings clustered toward the Torrance side.
How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Gardena?
One-bedrooms run a median near $1,785 and two-bedrooms near $2,325, while three-bedrooms jump to roughly $3,850. The oddity worth planning around is the studio: at about $1,800 it currently prices slightly above the one-bedroom, because studio rents climbed roughly 12 percent this year while one-bedrooms held steady, so a studio is rarely the economical choice in Gardena. You can still find one-bedrooms under $1,600 in the northern blocks toward Rosecrans, on the eastern side near the 110, and around Western Avenue in Central Gardena, while the newer stock toward the Torrance border sits at the top.
Is there rent control on Gardena apartments for rent?
No, and Gardena is a genuine exception in an area where renters often assume otherwise. The city has no rent control ordinance. The Los Angeles County Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection Ordinance, which caps increases tightly, applies only to unincorporated county areas and not to an incorporated city like Gardena, and the Los Angeles city ordinance has no application here either. What does cover most Gardena tenancies is California's statewide Tenant Protection Act, which limits annual increases to 5 percent plus local inflation and never more than 10 percent, working out to under 9 percent for the Los Angeles area in 2026. Gardena adds something different instead, described in the next answer.
What notice must a landlord give before raising rent on a Gardena apartment?
Gardena runs a rent mediation program rather than a rent cap, established by ordinance in April 1987, and its notice rules are stricter than the state default. An increase of 10 percent or less requires 30 days of written notice, and an increase of more than 10 percent requires 90 days, with 90 days applying to mobile home parks in every case. Any increase above 5 percent must come with notice of your mediation rights and a 10 business day window to file. Your landlord must also give you the city's Rent Mediation and Hearing Procedures booklet, available in English and Spanish. Requests go to the City Manager's Office, are reviewed within 30 days, and hearings are usually scheduled within about two weeks.
What deposit and fees should I expect on a Gardena apartment for rent?
California caps security deposits at one month's rent for deposits taken on or after July 1, 2024, furnished or not. The small-owner exception matters in Gardena, where a large share of the stock is duplexes, fourplexes and small courts held by individuals rather than management companies: an owner who is a natural person, or an LLC whose members are all natural persons, holding no more than two rental properties totaling four units, may ask for two months. On a one-bedroom at $1,785 that is the difference between $1,785 and $3,570 at signing. California has no broker fee convention, so treat any request for one as a reason to ask questions.
Are there apartments for rent near the J Line and the 110 commute?
Yes, and the eastern half of the city is built around exactly that. The Metro J Line calls at Rosecrans station, set in the median of the 110 on the Harbor Transitway, which makes Downtown Los Angeles and the harbor reachable in one ride without driving. Apartments on the blocks feeding that corridor tend to price below the city median because of freeway noise, which is a straightforward trade if you commute by bus. Inside the city, GTrans covers the local grid on its own municipal network. Buildings toward the Torrance and Alondra Park edges are quieter and better for drivers but effectively require a car.
