Rent Control in the Bay Area: Caps, Just Cause, and Notice Rules

Rent control in the Bay Area works on two layers. A statewide cap under the California Tenant Protection Act limits most landlords to 5% plus regional CPI (never more than 10%) each year, and stricter local ordinances in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Alameda, Hayward, and Richmond hold increases on older buildings to as little as 1.6% to 2.7% in 2026.¹ Which layer applies to you depends on the city, the age of the building, and who owns it.

How Much Your Landlord Can Raise Rent in 2026

If you live in an older building in a city with its own rent ordinance, the local percentage is the one that controls. The 2026 figures:

San Francisco: 1.6% from March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027. Covers most residential buildings with a certificate of occupancy on or before June 13, 1979.
Oakland: 2.3% effective August 1, 2026.²
Berkeley: annual general adjustment set each year by the Rent Board; covers most multi-unit properties built before June 1980.³
San Jose: 5% maximum in any 12-month period for apartments with three or more units built and occupied before September 7, 1979.⁴
Alameda: 2.7% effective September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.⁵
Hayward: up to 5% annually, with banked increases capped so the total never exceeds 10% of current rent in a single year.⁶
Richmond: CPI-tied annual general adjustment set by the Rent Board; the 2025 adjustment was 1.62%.

In San Francisco the local percentage applies on the anniversary of your move-in date. Most other cities use a single citywide effective date. If your landlord charges more than the permitted percentage, the local board can order a rent rebate.

When the Statewide Cap Applies Instead

If you live outside those cities, or you live in a newer building that the local ordinance doesn’t reach, the California Tenant Protection Act (Civil Code Section 1947.12) usually sets the limit. The cap is 5% plus the regional CPI change, or 10% of the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months, whichever is lower.⁷ In practice the combined figure rarely hits 10%, and most tenants see a ceiling in the 7% to 9% range depending on local inflation.

The statewide law is scheduled to expire on January 1, 2030. Until then, it fills the gap for buildings that local ordinances don’t touch.

Is Your Building Covered at All?

Two state laws decide this, and they stack. The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (Civil Code Section 1954.52) blocks local rent control from reaching any unit with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995, along with separately titled condominiums and single-family homes.⁸ A building put up in 2000, for instance, falls outside San Francisco’s ordinance entirely.

The state cap has its own exemption: housing built within the last 15 years is exempt on a rolling basis. In 2026 that means buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued after January 1, 2011 have no rent-increase ceiling at either level.⁹ A unit built in 2012 was exempt in 2026 but becomes covered by the state cap in 2027.

Single-family homes and condos owned by individual people (not corporations, REITs, or LLCs with a corporate member) are also exempt from the state cap, but only when the owner has given the tenant a specific written notice stating that the property is not subject to Section 1947.12 or Section 1946.2.¹⁰ No notice, no exemption. If you rent a house from an individual owner and have never seen that notice, the 5%-plus-CPI cap still applies to you.

One other wrinkle: whenever a unit becomes vacant through a voluntary move-out or a lawful eviction, the landlord can reset the rent to market rate under Costa-Hawkins. The local cap then reattaches to the new base rent for the next tenant.¹¹ So rent control protects you while you stay, not the unit after you leave.

Banking: Why a Small Annual Cap Can Still Mean a Big Increase

Most Bay Area rent control cities let landlords “bank” increases. When a landlord skips the annual increase one year, the unused percentage carries forward and can be applied later. In San Francisco banked increases never expire, survive a change in ownership, and can be imposed all at once. A landlord who skipped five years can roll five years of permitted increases into one adjustment, which tenants rarely see coming.

Hayward limits the pain: banked increases plus the annual adjustment can’t exceed 10% of current rent in a single year.⁶ Berkeley allows banking as well, with its own rules. If your rent has been stable for years, call your local Rent Board before accepting a jump; the landlord should be able to show you the math.

The Notice You Have to Receive

California requires written notice before any rent increase, whether the unit is locally controlled, state-controlled, or neither. For an increase of 10% or less (counting all increases in the preceding 12 months), you’re entitled to at least 30 days’ written notice. For an increase above 10%, that stretches to 90 days.¹² A text, email, or phone call doesn’t satisfy the requirement.

This matters most when banking shows up. A 1.6% increase triggers the 30-day rule; a combined banked increase that crosses 10% triggers the 90-day rule. Some local ordinances add their own notice requirements on top.

Just Cause: When Your Landlord Can End the Tenancy

Rent caps don’t help much if a landlord can evict without reason and re-rent at market. Civil Code Section 1946.2 bars landlords from terminating any tenancy of 12 months or longer without a legally recognized ground, stated in the written notice.¹³ Many Bay Area ordinances give tenants stronger protection than the state baseline.

The recognized grounds split into two groups. At-fault grounds include nonpayment of rent, breach of the lease, nuisance, and illegal activity on the premises. No-fault grounds include the owner (or a close family member) moving in, withdrawal of the building from the rental market under the Ellis Act, and substantial rehabilitation that requires the unit to be vacant.¹³ A termination notice that fails to state a valid ground can be challenged.

Relocation Money for a No-Fault Eviction

The state baseline for a no-fault eviction is relocation assistance equal to one month’s rent, paid within 15 calendar days of the termination notice, or a waiver of the final month’s rent.¹³

Local amounts are typically much higher. San Francisco’s payments for March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027 are $8,245 per tenant for owner move-in, demolition, or permanent removal from housing use, plus an additional $5,497 for each tenant who is 60 or older, disabled, or in a household with minor children. The total per unit can reach $24,733 or more where multiple qualifying tenants share the unit.¹⁴ Other rent-controlled Bay Area cities publish their own schedules, and the elderly, disabled, and families with minor children consistently receive more. Failure to pay the required relocation money before the move-out date can invalidate the eviction.

Checking Your Status and Filing a Complaint

Each rent-controlled city runs a Rent Board that publishes the current permitted percentage, hears disputes, and can order rebates when a landlord overcharges. The boards are also the place to verify whether a specific unit is covered, whether past increases were legally valid, and whether a landlord has properly registered the building. If you suspect your unit is covered but your landlord has never registered, that is worth a call: an unregistered unit can face restrictions on how the landlord raises rent or processes an eviction.¹⁵

Before accepting a notice at face value, confirm three things: the age of the building (which determines whether local rent control, the state cap, or neither applies), the current permitted percentage in your city, and whether any portion of the proposed increase is banked from prior years. Your local Rent Board can walk you through all three.

1
California Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 567 Analysis
2
City of Oakland. Rent Adjustment Program (RAP)
3
Berkeley Rent Board. Is Your Unit Covered by Rent Control
4
City of San Jose. Learn About Rent Stabilization
5
City of Alameda Rent Program. FAQs
6
City of Hayward. Resources, Documents and Forms for Tenants and Landlords
7
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1947.12
8
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1954.52
9
Berkeley Rent Board. AB 1482 – The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019
10
City of Alameda Rent Program. AB 1482 – California Tenant Protection Act
11
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1954.53
12
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 827
13
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1946.2
14
SF.gov. Archive of Relocation Rates
15
Berkeley Rent Board. Registration