Is There Rent Control in Long Beach? Rent Caps and Just Cause

There is no local rent control in Long Beach. The city has never adopted its own rent-cap ordinance, so limits on rent increases come from California’s statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482), which caps most annual increases at 5% plus regional inflation, up to a 10% ceiling. Long Beach does add its own layer on the eviction side through a Just Cause for Termination of Tenancies Ordinance, but the rent ceiling itself is a state rule.

The Statewide Cap That Applies in Long Beach

Under California Civil Code Section 1947.12, a landlord cannot raise the rent on a covered unit by more than 5% plus the annual change in the regional Consumer Price Index, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12-month period.¹ The percentage is measured against the lowest rent charged during the preceding 12 months, so a landlord can’t drop the rent briefly and then “restore” it as a free increase.

For the period from August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, the Los Angeles metro CPI figure is roughly 3%, which puts the effective cap for Long Beach units at about 8%. That ceiling moves each year as new inflation data is published.

Which Units Are Covered

The cap reaches most apartments and multi-unit buildings in the city, but several categories are exempt:

Units with a certificate of occupancy issued within the last 15 years. This window rolls forward, so a building finished in 2011 became covered in 2026.²
Single-family homes and condos, but only when the owner is not a corporation, REIT, or LLC with a corporate member, and only when the landlord has given the tenant a specific written exemption notice. No notice, no exemption.²
Owner-occupied duplexes, when the owner has lived in one unit for the entire time the current tenant has been there.²

HUD-subsidized units administered by the Long Beach Housing Authority are treated as covered by AB 1482.³

Notice Your Landlord Has to Give

Civil Code Section 827 sets the notice period by the size of the increase. Any raise of 10% or less requires at least 30 days’ written notice. A raise over 10% requires at least 90 days.⁴ A text, email, or phone call is not proper notice. It has to be in writing.⁵

For AB 1482-covered units the cap keeps almost every legitimate increase below 10%, so 30 days is the usual figure. The 90-day rule really only comes into play for exempt units, where the landlord isn’t limited by the cap in the first place.

Just Cause Eviction Protections in Long Beach

The city’s Just Cause for Termination of Tenancies Ordinance, at Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 8.99, was adopted by the City Council on March 10, 2020. It was modeled on AB 1482 but goes further in some areas.⁶

Once a tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied a unit for at least 12 months, the landlord needs a recognized just cause to end the tenancy. The grounds break into two groups.

At-Fault Grounds

These involve something the tenant did: failing to pay rent, violating a material lease term, creating a nuisance, causing serious damage, or engaging in criminal activity on the premises. When the violation can be cured, the landlord has to give the tenant a chance to fix it before terminating.

No-Fault Grounds

These apply when the tenant hasn’t done anything wrong but the landlord has a qualifying reason to take back the unit. The main ones are an owner or immediate family member moving in, withdrawing the property from the rental market, or a substantial remodel that requires the unit to be vacant.

California SB 567, effective April 1, 2024, tightened the rules on no-fault evictions statewide. For an owner move-in, the owner or family member has to actually move in within 90 days of the tenant leaving and stay at least 12 months. For a substantial remodel, the termination notice has to describe the planned work in detail and tell the tenant about their right to reoccupy if the work doesn’t happen.⁶

Relocation Money for No-Fault Evictions

When a landlord ends a tenancy for a no-fault reason, the tenant is owed relocation assistance. Under Chapter 8.99, that amount is $4,500 or two months’ rent, whichever is greater.⁶ Payment is due within 15 calendar days of the termination notice being served. At $2,500 a month, for example, the two-months figure of $5,000 would apply because it exceeds the $4,500 floor. Failure to pay can undermine the eviction itself.

Security Deposit Limit

California AB 12, effective July 1, 2024, capped security deposits at one month’s rent, furnished or unfurnished. A narrow exception lets certain small landlords, who are natural persons owning no more than two rental properties with four or fewer units total and not renting to a military service member, charge up to two months. For most Long Beach renters dealing with a management company or corporate landlord, one month is the ceiling.

Where to Get Help

Questions about tenant protections and the Just Cause Ordinance go to the Long Beach Community Development Department’s Housing and Neighborhood Services division at 562-570-6949 or NSB@longbeach.gov. The office is at 411 W. Ocean Blvd., 3rd Floor, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.⁷ Fair Housing and local Legal Aid organizations handle discrimination and illegal eviction issues at little or no cost.

If a rent increase looks like it exceeds the AB 1482 cap, or a termination notice arrives without a valid just cause, keep every document and reach out quickly. Some protections run on tight clocks from the date of the notice.

1
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12
2
City and County of San Francisco. The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482)
3
City of Long Beach. Setting Rents
4
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 827
5
California Department of Justice. Know Your Rights as a California Tenant
6
City of Long Beach. Update on Just Cause for Termination of Tenancies Ordinance
7
City of Long Beach. Tenant and Landlord Resources