How much can a landlord raise rent in California in 2026?

If you own rental property in California, your 2026 rent cap depends on your region's CPI, the effective date, and any stricter local ordinance. Get the math or the notice wrong and you're exposed to actual damages, attorney's fees, and possible treble damages under a 2024 enforcement overhaul. The compliance details matter as much as the percentage.

California rent increase limits at a glance (2026)

For most covered units, California's rent increase laws cap annual increases at 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living in your region, subject to a hard 10% ceiling — whichever is lower. The figures below use April 2025 CPI data and apply to increases effective August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026:

• Los Angeles area (Los Angeles and Orange counties): 8.0% maximum
• San Francisco area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo counties): 6.3% maximum
• Riverside area (Riverside and San Bernardino counties): 7.5% maximum
• San Diego County: 8.8% maximum
• All other counties, including Sacramento: 7.7% maximum

For increases effective on or after August 1, 2026, the April 2026 CPI figures apply and set these caps:

• Los Angeles area: 8.7% maximum (3.7% CPI)
• San Francisco area: 8.8% maximum (3.8% CPI)
• Counties that use the statewide California CCPI: 8.6% maximum (3.6% CPI)

The state had not confirmed Riverside and San Diego figures for the August 2026 cap year at the time of the latest state releases. Check separate Riverside/San Bernardino and San Diego figures before serving an increase in those counties, and check the DIR CCPI table once the full June release is published.

One more layer: if your property sits in a city with local rent control, the local rate almost always beats the state cap, and the local rate governs. Los Angeles RSO units are capped at 3%. San Francisco is at 1.4%, rising to 1.6% in March 2026. More on that below.

What is AB 1482 and the Tenant Protection Act of 2019

AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, is the state law that caps annual rent increases and requires just cause for most evictions. The rent cap lives in Civil Code 1947.12; the just-cause eviction rules live in Civil Code section 1946.2.

The law covers most multifamily rental housing statewide, with exemptions for newer construction and certain single-family homes and condos. Both sections sunset on January 1, 2030 unless the Legislature extends them.

AB 1482 creates the statewide minimum tenant protection. Cities with stronger tenant protections keep them, and the stricter rule wins for any covered unit.

For deeper background, California's landlord-tenant rules are complex and worth understanding as broader context for how these protections fit together.

How the rent cap formula works

The formula is 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living, with a hard ceiling of 10%—whichever is lower controls. The statute uses the April CPI reading, and the date your increase takes effect determines which April controls.

The cap year resets every August 1:

• Increases effective before August 1, 2026: use the April 2025 CPI (the current cap year, which began August 1, 2025).
• Increases effective on or after August 1, 2026: use the April 2026 CPI. BLS publishes regional figures in May, and DIR publishes the statewide CCPI in June 2026.
• If your region lacks an April CPI: the statute falls back to the March figure.

Timing matters. A Los Angeles increase effective July 1, 2026 is capped at 8.0%. The same increase effective October 1, 2026 is capped at 8.7%. One month's difference in the effective date changes which cap applies.

Finding your local CPI rate

Your applicable CPI depends on which county the property sits in, and the state publishes the numbers in two places. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases regional CPI-U figures for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riverside, and San Diego in mid-May. Every other county, including Sacramento, uses the California Consumer Price Index from the Department of Industrial Relations in mid-to-late June.

The California Apartment Association also runs a regional CPI calculator that returns your allowable increase by county. It requires a member login.

How to calculate your maximum rent increase

The math is one line: current rent multiplied by (1 + your regional cap). Run it against the effective date of the increase, not the date you serve the notice.

Take a single-family rental in Los Angeles County (assuming it's covered, not exempt) with a current rent of $2,400 and an increase effective October 1, 2026. The applicable cap is 8.7%, so the maximum new rent is $2,400 × 1.087 = $2,608.80. If you instead made the increase effective July 1, 2026, the 8.0% cap applies and your maximum is $2,592.

Round down, not up. Charging even a few dollars over the cap creates liability for the full overcharge plus potential treble damages.

How often can you raise rent

AB 1482 measures the cap over a rolling 12-month window, not a calendar year. Every increase you impose within any 12-month period counts against the cap, so two smaller increases that together exceed your regional limit violate the statute the same way one large increase would.

The notice statute uses a similar lookback with a harsher baseline. Civil Code section 827 measures your cumulative increases against the lowest rent charged at any point in the 12 months before the effective date. That means a mid-year increase can push a later increase over the 10% notice threshold even when each one looks modest on its own.

One structural note: a fixed-term lease locks the rent for the term unless the lease itself permits a mid-term increase. A month-to-month tenancy can be raised any time the cap and notice rules allow.

Notice requirements: 30 days vs 90 days

California uses a two-tier notice system under Civil Code section 827, and the tier depends on the cumulative size of the increase:

• Increase of 10% or less (combined with all other increases in the prior 12 months): at least 30 days' written notice.
• Increase greater than 10%: at least 90 days' written notice. The Attorney General states it plainly: 'If the rent increase is more than 10%, the landlord must provide notice 90 days before it can take effect.'

Mailing the notice adds time under the 5-Day Mailing Rule. Section 827 is expressly subject to CCP section 1013, which tacks on five calendar days when the notice is mailed within California. That makes the practical minimums 35 days and 95 days for mailed notices.

Here's the trap most landlords miss: section 827 and AB 1482 use different baselines. Because section 827 measures against the lowest rent in the prior 12 months, a Miller & Starr analysis notes an increase can trigger the 90-day requirement 'even though the increase in the gross rental amount under § 1947.12, subd. (a) is within the limits set forth in AB 1482.' Run both calculations before you serve anything.

Which properties are exempt from the rent cap

Two exemption categories cover most of the properties individual landlords own, and both come with conditions:

• Single-family homes, condos, and separately titlable mobile homes: exempt under Civil Code sections 1947.12(d)(5) and 1946.2(e)(8), but only if the owner is not a real estate investment trust, a corporation, or an LLC with at least one corporate member. A written disclosure is also required (details below).
• New construction: the certificate of occupancy date controls the rolling 15-year exemption. As of 2026, properties with a certificate of occupancy issued after January 1, 2011 are exempt. A property that qualifies for the new construction exemption in 2025 can become covered in 2026 the day it crosses the threshold, so recheck your COO date annually.
• Deed-restricted affordable housing and certain other specialized categories also fall outside the cap.

The single-family exemption is not automatic. The statute requires this exact written notice to tenants:

'This property is not subject to the rent limits imposed by Section 1947.12 of the Civil Code and is not subject to the just cause requirements of Section 1946.2 of the Civil Code. This property meets the requirements of Sections 1947.12 (d)(5) and 1946.2 (e)(8) of the Civil Code and the owner is not any of the following: (1) a real estate investment trust, as defined by Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) a corporation; or (3) a limited liability company in which at least one member is a corporation.'

For tenancies started or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, that language must appear in the rental agreement itself. The CAA guidance says skipping the disclosure makes your single-family rental subject to the full rent cap and just-cause rules.

One more nuance from the CAA: the qualifying certificate of occupancy must be the first one issued before any residential use. Renovations and conversions of property with prior residential use do not restart the 15-year clock.

Local rent control ordinances and how they override state law

AB 1482 leaves stronger local rent control in place. Where a city ordinance sets a lower cap, the local cap controls for covered units, and in every major rent-controlled city the local rate is far below the state ceiling:

• Los Angeles (RSO): 3% annually, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and extended through June 30, 2027. Covers most rentals first built on or before October 1, 1978 — apartments, condos, townhomes, duplexes, two or more single-family units on one parcel, hotel/motel rooms occupied 30+ consecutive days, ADUs, JADUs, and mobile home park units. Starting February 2, 2026, landlords can no longer add a utility surcharge on top of the percentage.
• San Francisco: 1.4% for March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026, then 1.6% for March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027. Skipped increases can be banked and imposed later.
• Oakland (RAP): 0.8% for August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026. Applies to multifamily buildings built before January 1, 1983; rented single-family homes and condos are outside the program.
• Berkeley: 1.0% annual general adjustment for 2026, effective January 1, 2026, for tenancies that began before January 1, 2025.
• Santa Monica: 2.3% effective September 1, 2025, with a $60 maximum dollar increase for units renting at $2,587 or more.

If you own in one of these cities, calculate against the local rate first. The AB 1482 regional cap is irrelevant for a unit the local ordinance covers, because the stricter law wins.

Rent increases for new tenants vs existing tenants

The rent cap governs existing tenancies. When a unit turns over and no tenant from the prior tenancy remains, Civil Code section 1947.12(b) lets you set the initial rent for the new tenant at any market rate. The cap then resumes for all subsequent increases during that new tenancy.

This vacancy decontrol comes from the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, and a handful of cities restrict it. Berkeley and Santa Monica only permit full decontrol when local vacancy rates exceed 5%, San José limits it to voluntary vacancies and for-cause terminations, and East Palo Alto caps turnover increases at its annual general adjustment (2.2% for 2026–27). If you operate in a rent-controlled city, confirm the local turnover rules before repricing a vacant unit.

Just cause eviction protections under AB 1482

The same law that caps rent also restricts how you end a covered tenancy, and the two work together: you cannot use eviction to sidestep the cap. Civil Code section 1946.2 splits just cause into two buckets.

The at-fault just cause bucket includes nonpayment of rent, breach of a material lease term after written notice to correct, nuisance, waste, criminal activity, unauthorized subletting, refusal to allow lawful entry, and refusal to sign a renewal on similar terms. You do not owe relocation assistance for at-fault terminations.

No-fault just cause causes are owner move-in (owner or family occupancy, with a 12-month occupancy requirement for the intended occupant), withdrawal from the rental market, compliance with a government order to vacate, and demolition or substantial remodel. Cosmetic upgrades do not qualify as a substantial remodel; the work must involve structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems requiring a permit and force the tenant out for at least 30 consecutive days.

No-fault terminations carry a price: one month of the tenant's current rent in relocation assistance. You can satisfy the requirement by paying the tenant directly within 15 calendar days of serving the notice or waiving the final month's rent in writing. Miss the requirement and the termination notice is void. As of January 1, 2026, AB 1529 lets you place the required just-cause notice directly in the lease itself rather than only as an addendum.

Penalties for violating the rent cap

SB 567, effective April 1, 2024, converted AB 1482 from a soft guideline into a statute with real teeth. A landlord who demands or retains rent above the cap faces a civil action for:

• Injunctive relief, with a statutory presumption that the tenant suffers irreparable harm.
• Actual damages equal to the full overcharge.
• Attorney's fees and costs at the court's discretion.
• Treble damages, up to three times the overcharge, if the owner acted willfully or with oppression, fraud, or malice.

Tenants have three years to sue, and the Attorney General, city attorneys, and county counsel all hold express authority to enforce the law directly. The AG issued a bulletin in May 2024 reminding local officials of exactly that power.

Emergencies add another cap. Penal Code section 396 makes it unlawful to raise rent more than 10% above the pre-emergency rate during a declared state of emergency, and the protection is not limited to the disaster zone itself. Violations are a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in county jail and a $10,000 fine, plus civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation. Storm-related declarations covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta counties remained active into 2026, so check CalOES before serving an increase in an affected county. When both laws apply, the lower cap controls.

Resources and protecting your rental

Compliance requires a fresh check each cap year because the state caps reset every August and local rates use their own calendars. Bookmark the tools that publish the controlling numbers:

• The DIR CPI calculator and tables at dir.ca.gov for the statewide CCPI and regional index lookups.
• The California Apartment Association's AB 1482 page at caanet.org/topics/ab-1482, which includes a coverage widget and regional CPI calculator for members.
• Your local rent board if you own in a rent-controlled city: the LA Housing Department publishes an RSO rent increase calculator, and San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Santa Monica each post their annual allowable rates.

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FAQ

The questions below cover the decisions landlords usually need to make before serving a rent increase: the cap, the notice period, exemptions, local ordinances, and turnover pricing.

What is the maximum rent increase allowed in California in 2026?

Under AB 1482, 5% plus your regional CPI, never more than 10%. For increases effective before August 1, 2026, the caps range from 6.3% (San Francisco area) to 8.8% (San Diego). For increases effective on or after August 1, 2026, Los Angeles rises to 8.7%, San Francisco to 8.8%, and counties that use the statewide California CCPI to 8.6%. Check separate Riverside/San Bernardino and San Diego figures before serving an increase in those counties. Local rent control ordinances impose lower limits where they apply.

How is the CPI portion calculated?

The statute uses the April CPI-U change for your metro region, published by the BLS in mid-May, or the DIR's California CCPI for counties without a metro index. Increases effective before August 1 use the prior year's April figure; increases effective on or after August 1 use the current year's April figure.

Which properties are exempt from AB 1482?

Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years (after January 1, 2011, as of 2026), plus single-family homes and condos owned by individuals rather than REITs, corporations, or LLCs with a corporate member. The single-family exemption requires the exact statutory disclosure in writing; without it, the cap applies.

How much notice do I have to give for a rent increase?

At least 30 days for increases of 10% or less, and 90 days for increases above 10%, measured cumulatively against the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months. Add five calendar days to either period if you serve the notice by mail within California.

Can I raise rent twice in one year?

Multiple increases within any rolling 12-month period aggregate against the AB 1482 cap, so the combined total cannot exceed your regional limit. They also aggregate for notice purposes under Civil Code section 827.

What if my city has rent control?

The stricter law controls. In Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Santa Monica, local caps of 0.8% to 3% override the state's 6.3% to 8.8% regional caps (for the current cap year through July 31, 2026) for covered units.

Can I charge market rent to a new tenant?

Yes, in most of the state. When a unit fully turns over, you may set the initial rent at any amount, and the cap resumes for that new tenancy. A few cities, including Berkeley, Santa Monica, San José, and East Palo Alto, restrict vacancy repricing, so check local rules first.