AB 1482 in San Diego: Rent Caps, Evictions, and Relocation

If you rent in San Diego, AB 1482 caps your landlord’s annual rent increase at 5% plus the regional cost-of-living adjustment (a combined 8.8% for increases taking effect through July 31, 2026), and it requires a legitimate reason to end your tenancy once you have lived in the unit for at least 12 months. On top of the state law, San Diego’s own Residential Tenant Protection Ordinance requires just cause from the first day of your tenancy and pays higher relocation assistance if you are pushed out through no fault of your own. Both laws apply at the same time, and whichever rule is more protective wins.¹

Is Your Rental Covered

AB 1482 covers most multi-family housing in San Diego: apartment complexes, duplexes where the owner does not live on-site, and multi-unit buildings run by property managers. Any property owned by a corporation, a REIT, or an LLC with at least one corporate member is covered, regardless of size.¹

Building age is the other threshold. Housing that received its certificate of occupancy more than 15 years ago is covered. The window rolls forward, so buildings constructed in 2011 became covered in 2026, and buildings built in 2012 will be covered in 2027.¹

Some housing is exempt from AB 1482:

Housing that received its certificate of occupancy within the last 15 years (unless it’s a mobilehome).
Single-family homes and condos, as long as the owner is not a corporation, REIT, or LLC with a corporate member, and the owner has given the tenant a specific written notice of the exemption.
Owner-occupied duplexes, for the second unit.
Deed-restricted affordable housing already subject to a government affordability agreement.
Dormitories owned and run by schools or colleges.

The single-family home exemption trips up landlords more than any other. It only applies if the owner has given the tenant the exact notice language required by the statute, and for tenancies that began or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, the notice must appear in the lease itself. Without that notice, the property is treated as covered.¹

Even if AB 1482 doesn’t cover your unit, the San Diego ordinance’s just-cause rules may still apply within city limits.

How Much Your Rent Can Go Up

For covered units, a landlord cannot raise the rent more than 5% plus the local percentage change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower. The increase is measured against the lowest gross rental rate the tenant paid at any point during the previous 12 months.¹

The cost-of-living figure comes from the regional Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For rent increases taking effect through July 31, 2026, the cap in San Diego County is 8.8%. New CPI figures for increases taking effect on or after August 1, 2026, will be based on April 2026 data, typically published in May or June.

The “gross rental rate” excludes temporary discounts and concessions. If you pay $2,000 per month but received a one-time $500 move-in credit, the cap is calculated on the $2,000, not $1,500. The lease has to list the base rent and any concessions separately. And a landlord cannot split one year’s increase into more than two hikes within any 12-month period.¹

Notice matters too. For any increase of 10% or less compared to what you paid at any point in the prior 12 months, the landlord must deliver written notice at least 30 days before the increase takes effect. Since AB 1482 keeps almost every covered increase under 10%, that 30-day window is what you’ll usually see.²

When a Landlord Can End Your Tenancy

Under AB 1482, once you’ve lived in a covered rental for 12 continuous months, the landlord needs a recognized just cause to evict you. Under San Diego’s local ordinance, just cause is required from day one. Within city limits, no residential tenancy can be terminated without an at-fault or no-fault reason, no matter how long you’ve been there.³

At-Fault Reasons

At-fault causes are things the tenant did wrong: failing to pay rent, violating a material lease term, causing a nuisance or serious property damage, using the unit for illegal activity, unauthorized subletting, refusing legal landlord access, or refusing to sign a new lease on similar terms after the original expires. When the problem is fixable, the landlord must first serve a notice giving you the chance to cure. A pet policy violation, for example, triggers an opportunity to remove the pet before an unlawful detainer can be filed.⁴

No-Fault Reasons

A landlord can also end a covered tenancy without any fault on the tenant’s part, but only for specific reasons:

The owner or a qualifying family member intends to move in as their primary residence for at least 12 continuous months.
The owner is permanently withdrawing the unit from the rental market.
A government or court order requires the unit to be vacated.
The owner plans to demolish the building or do a substantial remodel that requires permits and forces a vacancy of at least 30 consecutive days.

⁴

Relocation Assistance for No-Fault Evictions

This is where San Diego tenants come out significantly ahead of tenants elsewhere in California. AB 1482 requires the landlord to pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance (or waive the final month’s rent in writing) for any no-fault eviction. San Diego’s local ordinance requires two months’ rent. If you are a senior or a person with a disability, the amount climbs to three months’ rent.³

A San Diego tenant paying $2,500 per month who faces a no-fault eviction is entitled to $5,000 in relocation assistance under the local rule, not the $2,500 the state law alone would require. For a senior or disabled tenant, the figure is $7,500. The state statute credits its relocation payment against the local requirement, so the landlord is not paying both amounts on top of each other.⁴

If the landlord chooses direct payment over a rent waiver, the money has to reach the tenant within 15 calendar days of the notice being served. The termination notice itself must inform the tenant of the right to this payment.⁴

Owner Move-In and Remodel Safeguards

Since April 2024, California law has tightened the rules on owner move-in evictions. The owner or family member named in the notice must actually move in within 90 days after the tenant vacates and must live there as their primary residence for at least 12 consecutive months. The notice has to name the person moving in and describe their relationship to the owner. If there is already a similar vacant unit on the property, the owner cannot displace the tenant at all.⁴

If the owner or family member never moves in within 90 days, or fails to stay for the full year, the landlord must offer the unit back to the former tenant at the original rent and lease terms and reimburse reasonable moving expenses.⁵

For remodel-based evictions, the notice must describe the planned work and include copies of the required permits. If the remodel never starts or is abandoned, the landlord has to give the former tenant a chance to re-rent at the same rent and terms as before.⁵

If Your Landlord Breaks the Rules

Lying about the reason for an eviction is illegal in California, and the state Attorney General advises tenants who believe an eviction is illegitimate to consult an attorney.⁵

A rent increase that exceeds the AB 1482 cap is void, and you can refuse to pay the unlawful portion. If a landlord tries to evict you without just cause, you can raise AB 1482 as a defense in the unlawful detainer case, and you may have a separate civil claim for damages. For fraudulent owner move-in or remodel evictions, the built-in remedy is the offer-back-plus-moving-costs described above.

If a landlord skips the required relocation payment for a no-fault eviction, the tenant who stays past the notice period is not in the wrong. The statute treats the payment as a condition of the eviction, and the notice itself can be challenged in court.

What Happens When AB 1482 Expires

AB 1482 is scheduled to expire on January 1, 2030. If the legislature does not extend or replace it, the statewide rent cap and just-cause eviction rules will no longer apply. San Diego’s local ordinance has no expiration date and would continue to protect tenants within city limits. Tenants who live in San Diego County but outside the city of San Diego would lose their just-cause and rent-cap protections unless a new state or local law fills the gap.

1
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12
2
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 827
3
City of San Diego. San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 9, Article 8, Division 7
4
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1946.2
5
State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Landlord-Tenant Issues