Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Reviewed
Local differences in Beverly Hills
If you are in danger now, call 911. This page covers what is local to Beverly Hills after an attack on someone else's property: police records, the City's tenant rules, the courthouse and the deadlines. California law on negligent security is on our Los Angeles negligent security lawyer page, and other injuries in the city are on our Beverly Hills personal injury lawyer page.
The California rule
California's jury instruction on crime on property, CACI No. 1005 (2026 edition), says that a landlord or the owner of a business open to the public "must use reasonable care to protect" tenants, guests or patrons "from another person's criminal conduct on" the property "if the [owner/landlord] can reasonably anticipate that conduct." Whether that duty exists is decided by the judge; whether the steps the owner took were "adequate and reasonable under the circumstances" is decided by the jury. Negligent security is part of premises liability, the law of injuries caused by the way property is run, and the rule is the same in Beverly Hills as anywhere in California.
Local settings
In Beverly Hills, as elsewhere, negligent security claims arise in apartment buildings, hotels, bars and restaurants, parking structures and stores. The rule is the same in each. What differs is what the owner may have known and where it was written down. Our guides cover attacks by another tenant, what a landlord must do about crime, hotel and motel assaults and bar, nightclub and event venue assaults.
| Setting | What the owner may have known | Where it is often recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment building | Threats or violence by a specific tenant; a broken lock, gate or light | Messages to the manager, disruptive tenant notices, City code complaints |
| Hotel | A threat reported to the front desk; a broken room lock | Incident reports, key card logs, camera video |
| Bar, restaurant or nightclub | A fight building inside; a patron put out into a waiting group | Staff reports, camera video, 911 calls |
| Parking structure or lot | Earlier assaults in the same structure; dead lights or cameras | Work orders, guard logs, camera video |
| Store or shopping center | Earlier violent crime in the common areas | Incident reports, camera video, police calls |
Beverly Hills police reports
In Beverly Hills, crime victims can request a copy of their report from the Police Department's Records Bureau by email, by mail, or in person at 464 North Rexford Drive, third floor. An email request includes a scan of the victim's government ID and the case number. For mail, the department's FAQ says to call the Records Bureau for instructions and fees; it states no fee (police FAQ, as of November 11, 2026). For listed crimes, the victim or an authorized representative can get witness names and statements unless that would endanger a witness or the investigation (Government Code section 7923.605). Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking get one free copy of the report, photographs and "a copy of 911 recordings, if any," if they ask within five years after the report is completed (Family Code section 6228).
Police records about the address
Records of earlier police activity at a building can show what was happening there before an attack. California law requires police agencies to make public "the time, substance, and location of all complaints or requests for assistance" they receive, subject to safety and investigation exceptions (Government Code section 7923.615). In Beverly Hills, a request for incidents at an address over a date range goes on the Police Department's public records form, which asks for the address, the type of incident and the dates, with a copy of the requester's ID. The City charges duplication fees under its Schedule of Fees. The department says body camera video is not released through public records requests and is "only available pursuant to Subpoena or Court Order" (Police Public Records Requests, as of November 11, 2026).
Rent stabilization in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills' Rent Stabilization Ordinance applies to "most residential rental properties in Beverly Hills with two or more units," according to the City's Rent Stabilization & Housing Division, which administers and enforces it from 455 North Rexford Drive, first floor, (310) 285-1000 (Rent Stabilization & Housing, as of November 11, 2026). In a unit the ordinance covers, a landlord may seek to evict a tenant only for a reason the ordinance lists. Rentals the ordinance does not cover, such as most single-family homes, may fall under the state's Tenant Protection Act instead (Civil Code section 1946.2), which has its own exemptions.
Eviction grounds and just cause
Beverly Hills law gives a landlord ways to remove a tenant who endangers neighbors. The Rent Stabilization Ordinance's grounds for eviction include "Maintenance of nuisances," "Illegal uses" and "Disruptive tenant," and the City's eviction page lists none of the three as requiring a relocation fee (Tenant Eviction Protections, as of November 11, 2026). State law lists a tenant's nuisance and "Criminal activity by the tenant on the residential real property, including any common areas," as at-fault just causes (Civil Code section 1946.2(b)(1)(C) and (F)), but a qualifying local ordinance applies instead where it covers the building (section 1946.2(i)). These grounds are tools a landlord had; they do not show by themselves that it had to use them.
The disruptive tenant process
Beverly Hills gives landlords a formal process for a tenant who threatens, harasses, intimidates, bullies or stalks other tenants. The City's criteria cover a tenant or guests who "threaten, antagonize, harass, intimidate, or bully one or more other tenants," including through stalking, confrontations and interference with access to a unit or common areas. Before applying, the landlord gives the tenant a written notice describing the conduct and asking that it stop within 10 days, then offers mediation with a request to respond within 30 days. The landlord may then serve and file an application with the City, with copies of all notices and proof of service. A City hearing officer considers it, and a finding that the tenant is disruptive can be the basis for an eviction (Tenant Eviction Protections, as of November 11, 2026).
Written reports to the landlord
The strongest cases usually involve written reports to the landlord or manager about threats or violence by a specific person, and no meaningful response. Complaints about noise or suspected drug activity, without threats or violence, are weaker evidence that violence was foreseeable. The two key cases are Castaneda v. Olsher (2007) 41 Cal.4th 1205 and Madhani v. Cooper (2003) 106 Cal.App.4th 412. In Beverly Hills, the disruptive tenant process is a tool the landlord had, not a duty the ordinance imposes. Its written notices, and the City's file, can be a record of what the landlord was told and what it did, but they do not prove a case on their own. Keep your own reports to the manager, with the dates showing.
Code complaints and written notice
Tenants report substandard conditions to Beverly Hills Code Enforcement through the City's online complaint form or at (310) 285-1000, and officers respond to after-hours complaints. The City says its policy is "to maintain an accurate record of noticing in order to protect tenants' rights"; details of an active case go only to the property owner or responsible party (Code Enforcement, as of November 11, 2026). The City's habitability guide lists conditions such as broken windows and faulty wiring, not locks, gates or lighting. A written report to the landlord matters too: under Civil Code section 1941.3, a landlord must keep dead bolts, window locks and common-entry locks working, and is liable for a violation only after failing to fix it within a reasonable time after notice.
Records to preserve early
Some records of an attack disappear on a schedule, so Wise Law asks the owner and the agencies in writing to keep them. No California statute the firm has found makes a private owner keep camera footage for a set time. The negligent security evidence checklist lists, county by county, the records to request and who holds each one.
| Record | Who holds it | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Camera video from the property | The owner or a camera vendor | Kept as long as the system is set to keep it |
| Key card, gate and intercom logs | The owner or an access control vendor | Kept as long as the system or contract provides |
| Footage from City cameras | The City of Beverly Hills | City policy keeps it 13 months |
| Police body camera video | Beverly Hills Police Department | Released only by subpoena or court order |
| 911 and radio recordings | The agency that took the call | May be destroyed after 100 days (Government Code section 34090.6) |
| Body camera video with no evidentiary value | The police agency | Kept at least 60 days under state guidance (Penal Code section 832.18) |
Free help for crime victims
Help for crime victims in Beverly Hills is free and does not depend on hiring a lawyer. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Bureau of Victim Services, (800) 380-3811, offers crisis intervention, counseling referrals, court escort and help with restitution. Its services are "provided free of charge," with "no legal residency or citizenship requirement," and help is available "whether a criminal case is filed or not." The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) can pay some crime-related costs, up to $70,000. According to CalVCB's eligibility page, as of November 11, 2026, an application is due within seven years of the crime, seven years after the direct victim turns 21, or seven years from discovery, whichever is later. CalVCB is "a payor of last resort," and an applicant later paid from a civil lawsuit must repay it.
Courthouse for the case
A negligent security lawsuit from Beverly Hills is filed in the West District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A) requires an injury lawsuit, including a premises liability case, to be filed in the judicial district where the incident arose. For Beverly Hills, the court's Filing Court Locator lists the Santa Monica Courthouse, 1725 Main Street, Santa Monica, or the Beverly Hills Courthouse, 9355 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. The locator describes its answer as the normal assignment unless a local rule sets another location, so the courthouse is confirmed when the case is filed (Local Rules, Chapter 2, effective July 1, 2026, and the Filing Court Locator).
Filing deadlines
Most California injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If a city, a county, the State, a school district, a transit agency or another public entity may be responsible, a written claim must first be presented to that entity within six months after the claim accrues (Government Code section 911.2). The lawsuit against the entity then has its own deadline: six months after a written rejection notice is delivered or mailed, or two years from the date the claim accrued if no written notice is given (Government Code section 945.6). The dates in any one case should be calculated by a lawyer. Our guide to negligent security deadlines explains the claims that have more time, and the deadline calculator counts the two-year date.
Responsible companies and insurance
When someone is attacked on property in California, the people who may be responsible include the property owner, the property management company, the security company and any business that controlled the area. Each may have its own liability insurance. California requires every licensed private patrol operator to keep commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 for any one loss or occurrence (Business and Professions Code section 7583.40). Whether a policy pays for a particular attack depends on its terms, so the policies must be obtained and read. Our guide to insurance and who pays covers exclusions and each layer of coverage.
Fees and costs
Wise Law handles negligent security cases on a contingency fee, a percentage of the recovery set in a written fee agreement. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs. You can reach us without describing the attack: a name, a way to reach you and a safe time to call are enough to start, in English or Spanish. Nothing is filed and no one is contacted until you decide.
Call any time, or send the short form. You do not have to describe what happened.
Sources cited
- Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2026 edition), CACI No. 1005: courts.ca.gov
- Castaneda v. Olsher (2007) 41 Cal.4th 1205 and Madhani v. Cooper (2003) 106 Cal.App.4th 412: CourtListener; CourtListener
- Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, on california.public.law
- Civil Code sections 1941.3 and 1946.2, on california.public.law
- Government Code sections 911.2, 945.6, 7923.600, 7923.605, 7923.615 and 34090.6, on california.public.law
- Family Code section 6228, Penal Code section 832.18 and Business and Professions Code section 7583.40, on california.public.law
- Beverly Hills Police Department, crime report FAQ, public records page and public records request form: FAQ; public records; request form
- City of Beverly Hills, Rent Stabilization & Housing and Tenant Eviction Protections: rent stabilization; eviction protections
- City of Beverly Hills, Code Enforcement and habitability guide: Code Enforcement; habitability guide
- Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, Chapter 2, and the Filing Court Locator: Local Rules; locator
- Los Angeles County District Attorney, Bureau of Victim Services: da.lacounty.gov
- California Victim Compensation Board, who is eligible and what is covered: eligibility; coverage