San Francisco rent increase limits depend on when your building was built. For apartments with a certificate of occupancy issued on or before June 13, 1979, the city’s rent control ordinance caps the annual increase at 1.4% for the period running March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026.1SF.gov. Annual Rent Increase for 3/1/26 – 2/28/27 Announced Newer units generally fall outside local rent control, but many are still covered by California’s statewide cap of 5% plus local CPI, up to a maximum of 10%.2California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12 Separate rules govern notice, banked increases, and pass-throughs for building upgrades.
The Current Annual Cap and How It’s Set
The San Francisco Rent Board publishes a new allowable rent increase every March 1. The formula equals 60% of the increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward region over the prior 12 months, and it can never exceed 7%.3American Legal Publishing. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.3 – Rent Limitations Each year’s rate stays in effect from March 1 through the last day of February.
A landlord can impose the increase once every 12 months, on the anniversary of your move-in date or the date of the last increase. The percentage applies to your base rent only, not to separate pass-through charges or utility costs. One prerequisite catches some landlords off guard: to lawfully impose the annual increase, the landlord must have reported the required information about the unit to the Rent Board under Section 37.15 of the Administrative Code.3American Legal Publishing. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.3 – Rent Limitations Without that registration, there is no legal right to raise the rent.
Which Units Are Actually Covered
The dividing line is the certificate of occupancy date. Units issued a certificate on or before June 13, 1979 receive the full annual increase protections described above. Units built after that date are generally exempt from the local cap.4American Legal Publishing. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.2 – Definitions
Single-family homes and condominiums sit in the middle. Under the state Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, these properties are generally exempt from local rent increase limits when the tenancy began on or after January 1, 1996.5SF.gov. Partial Exemption for Certain Single-Family Homes and Condominiums Under Costa-Hawkins They still fall under the city’s just-cause eviction rules, and the landlord still owes the annual Rent Board fee. Costa-Hawkins also allows vacancy decontrol: when a rent-controlled unit becomes vacant, the owner can reset the rent to market rate for the next tenant, after which future annual increases are again capped by the ordinance.6SF.gov. California Civil Code Section 1954.50 – The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act
If your unit isn’t covered by the city ordinance, check whether California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) applies. The statewide law caps annual increases at 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, measured against the lowest rent charged during the 12 months before the increase. The statewide cap has its own exemptions: housing that received a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years, single-family homes where the owner is not a corporation or REIT and has served the required written exemption notice, and owner-occupied duplexes.2California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 1947.12 A tenant in a building completed in 2020 might not be protected by either law until the building is more than 15 years old.
If you’re unsure which category applies to you, start by checking the certificate of occupancy date with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection. That one fact determines everything else.
Banked Increases Can Make a Legal Raise Look Huge
When a landlord skips an annual increase or takes less than the full allowable amount, the unused portion doesn’t disappear. The ordinance lets landlords “bank” those unused increases and apply them in a later year, with no expiration date on banked amounts.3American Legal Publishing. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.3 – Rent Limitations A landlord who has held rent steady for five years can combine all five years of unused increases into a single notice.
The math compounds. Each year’s percentage applies to what the rent would have been if that year’s full increase had been taken. If you receive a large increase your landlord attributes to banking, ask for a written worksheet showing the calculation year by year, and check it against the historical rates published on the Rent Board’s website. A common landlord mistake is applying each year’s percentage to the current rent rather than compounding sequentially, which produces an incorrect total.
Extra Charges for Building Upgrades
Landlords can petition the Rent Board to raise rents beyond the annual cap to recover the cost of building improvements like roof replacements, seismic retrofitting, or new heating systems. The work must be complete before the petition is filed, and the Rent Board must approve the increase before it takes effect.7SF.gov. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.7 – Certification of Rent Increases for Capital Improvements
How much passes through depends on building size. In buildings with five or fewer residential units, 100% of the certified cost of non-required improvements can be passed through to tenants who benefit from the work, subject to an annual cap of 5% of the tenant’s base rent or $30, whichever is greater. In buildings with six or more units, 50% of the certified cost can be passed through, capped at 10% of base rent or $30 annually.8American Legal Publishing. San Francisco Administrative Code SEC 37.7 – Certification of Rent Increases for Capital Improvements Work required by law, such as mandatory seismic retrofitting, gets full pass-through regardless of building size. The approved costs are spread over amortization periods ranging from 7 to 20 years depending on the type of improvement, and the charge appears as a separate line item that drops off once the period ends. It does not become part of your permanent base rent.
Required Notice Before Any Increase
California law sets the timing for how a landlord must notify you of an increase. If the increase is 10% or less of the rent charged at any point during the prior 12 months, at least 30 days’ written notice is required. If the increase exceeds 10%, whether from a single raise or from combined increases over the preceding 12 months, the required notice jumps to 90 days.9California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 827 – Change in Terms of Lease A landlord who raised rent 6% six months ago and now wants another 6% must provide 90 days’ notice for the second increase.
Notice must be delivered in person or by mail. When served by mail within California, the notice period is extended by five calendar days to account for delivery. If either the mailing address or the destination is outside California but within the U.S., the extension is 10 calendar days.9California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 827 – Change in Terms of Lease A notice that falls short on timing or delivery is invalid. Keep every written notice you receive; the date of service is often the detail that determines whether an increase is enforceable.
What To Do if the Increase Looks Wrong
If your rent was raised above the allowable annual percentage, without proper notice, or based on a miscalculated banked increase, you can file a petition with the San Francisco Rent Board at no cost. The Rent Board handles these disputes through mediation first, and if that doesn’t resolve the issue, an Administrative Law Judge conducts a formal hearing.10SF.gov. Tenant Petitions
You can also request a full determination of your lawful rent, which is especially useful if you’ve been in the unit for years and aren’t sure whether past increases were properly calculated. The Rent Board will reconstruct your rent history and identify any overcharges. Landlords who imposed unlawful increases can be required to roll back the rent and refund the excess. File sooner rather than later. There’s no hard cutoff, but the further back the disputed increase, the harder it becomes to reconstruct records. Gather your lease, all rent increase notices, and bank statements showing what you actually paid before submitting.