How Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent in California?

In California, a landlord can generally raise the rent on an existing tenant by no more than 5% plus the local rate of inflation, or 10% total, whichever is lower. That statewide cap comes from the California Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) and covers most residential rentals. Some cities set stricter limits, and certain property types are exempt. The statewide law is scheduled to expire on January 1, 2030.¹

How the 5% Plus CPI Formula Works

The local inflation number comes from the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the metro area where the rental sits. The formula uses the April-to-April change from the prior year.¹

A concrete example: for the period running August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, the San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward metro area has a CPI of 1.3%. That puts the cap for covered units in that region at 6.3% (5% + 1.3%).² Your metro’s CPI may be higher or lower, but 10% is always the ceiling. In recent years, inflation has kept most tenants well under that.

How Often Rent Can Go Up

Even when the annual math allows it, your landlord cannot raise rent more than twice in any 12-month period, and the two increases combined still cannot exceed the yearly cap.³ A 4% bump in March means no more than 2.3% later that year in a metro where the cap is 6.3%.

Which Rentals Are Exempt From the Cap

AB 1482 does not apply to every rental. The main exemptions are:

Housing built within the last 15 years. This window rolls forward each year, so a building finished in 2011 became covered in 2026.¹
Single-family homes and condominiums, but only if the owner is not a real estate investment trust, a corporation, or an LLC with at least one corporate member, and only if the owner has given the tenant a specific written notice of exemption.¹
Deed-restricted affordable housing, where recorded documents already limit rent to low- or moderate-income households.
Dormitories and housing provided by nonprofit hospitals, religious organizations, extended care facilities, and similar institutions.¹

The single-family and condo exemption is often missed. If the owner never delivered the required written notice referencing Civil Code Sections 1947.12 and 1946.2, the property is not exempt, even when it would otherwise qualify. For tenancies starting on or after July 1, 2020, that notice must be included in the rental agreement.¹ No notice, no exemption.

The Cap Doesn’t Apply Between Tenants

The statewide cap only limits increases during an existing tenancy. When one tenant moves out and another moves in, the landlord can set the initial rent at any amount.⁴ Once you sign and move in, the cap governs every future increase during your tenancy, but your starting rent has no statewide ceiling.

This matters when apartment hunting. A unit rented at $2,000 last year can legally be listed at $2,800 for the next tenant. Comparing your rent to a neighbor’s is not a reliable way to check whether an increase was legal. What matters is how much your own rent changed.

Local Rent Control May Cap It Lower

Many California cities have their own rent control ordinances, and several predate AB 1482. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, and others cap annual increases at levels well below the statewide formula, sometimes as low as 1% to 4% depending on the city and year. When both a local ordinance and AB 1482 apply to your unit, you get whichever cap is lower.⁵

Local ordinances are constrained by the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which prevents cities from applying rent control to single-family homes, condominiums, and housing built after February 1, 1995 (or later, depending on the ordinance). Costa-Hawkins also guarantees that landlords statewide can reset rent when a unit becomes vacant.⁶ AB 1482 fills part of that gap by covering some units outside local rent control but within the 15-year window.

If your city has a rent board or housing department, that office is the place to confirm your specific cap. Coverage rules, allowable increases, and complaint procedures vary from city to city.

Written Notice the Landlord Has to Give

California law requires written notice before any rent increase, and the amount of notice depends on the size:

30 days’ notice for increases of 10% or less within a 12-month period.
90 days’ notice for increases greater than 10% within a 12-month period.⁷

These notice periods apply whether or not your unit is under the statewide cap or a local ordinance. If you have a fixed-term lease, your landlord cannot raise rent before the lease expires unless the lease itself allows a mid-lease increase.⁷ An increase delivered without proper notice is not enforceable, even if the amount would otherwise be legal.

Delivery matters too. Acceptable methods include personal delivery, leaving the notice with a responsible person at your home and mailing a copy, or posting it in a visible spot on the property and mailing a copy. A text message or a conversation does not count.

What to Do About an Illegal Increase

If your landlord charges more than the law allows, start in writing. Object to the increase and cite the specific cap that applies to your unit, whether that’s AB 1482 or a stricter local ordinance. Many landlords back off once they see the tenant knows the rules.

If that doesn’t work, cities with active rent programs — Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Berkeley among them — have formal processes for investigating excess rent charges. In cities without a rent board, you can file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office or contact a local legal aid organization.

The financial exposure for landlords who overcharge is real. Under California Civil Code Section 1947.11, if a court finds a landlord intentionally charged rent above the legal limit, the court must award the tenant the excess amount and may triple that amount as a penalty. The winning tenant also gets attorney’s fees and court costs.⁸ Small monthly overcharges can add up to substantial judgments.

You are not required to pay above the legal cap while you sort this out. Paying under protest is one option, but refusing to pay the illegal portion is another. AB 1482 also requires just cause to evict tenants who have lived in a covered unit for at least 12 months, so a landlord who tries to evict you for refusing an illegal increase would likely fail on that ground alone.⁹

1
SF.gov. The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482)
2
City of Alameda Rent Program. AB 1482 – California Tenant Protection Act
3
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12
4
California Attorney General. Landlord-Tenant Issues
5
Los Angeles Housing Department. AB1482 / State Rent Control
6
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1954.51
7
LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Rent Increases
8
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.11
9
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1946.2