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California · 2026 reference year · Tenant guide

How much can my landlord raise my rent in California in 2026? If your unit is AB 1482-covered, 8.8% is the legal max for 2026. If your city has stricter rent control, that cap binds. Here's how to check yours, and what to do if the notice is over the cap.

This page is for tenants — RentCeiling is built primarily for landlords to get their notices right, but tenants type this exact question thousands of times a month and the answer is the same statutes from the same Civil Code. The decision tree below tells you what cap applies to your unit, what to do if a notice exceeds the cap, and how to forward a clean answer to your landlord if the notice is just wrong on the math.

The 2026 numbers

Run the California calculator with your specific unit info to get the operative cap. The catalog:

  • AB 1482 statewide: 8.8% (Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12).
  • Los Angeles RSO: 3.0% through June 30, 2026; ~2.8% projected from July 1 (LAMC §151.06).
  • San Francisco: 1.6% rent year 2026-27 (SF Admin. Code Ch. 37 §37.3(a)(1)(B)).
  • Berkeley: 1.0% calendar year 2026 (BMC §13.76.110).
  • Oakland: 1.7% July 2025-June 2026 (OMC §8.22).
  • Santa Monica: 0.8% September 2025-August 2026.
  • West Hollywood: 0.75% September 2025-August 2026.

Which cap applies to your unit?

California rent-control coverage is layered. The lawful cap for any unit is the strictest of: (a) the local ordinance if your city has one and your unit is covered, (b) AB 1482 if you're not covered by a stricter local rule and your unit is not exempt. Three quick questions:

  1. What city is the unit in? If LA city limits, SF city limits, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, El Monte, Bell Gardens, Inglewood, Culver City, or Pasadena — there's a local ordinance to check first.
  2. When was the building first issued a certificate of occupancy? LA RSO covers most pre-Oct-1-1978 buildings with 2+ units. SF covers most pre-June-1979 buildings with 2+ units. Berkeley covers most pre-1980 rental units. Other cities have their own coverage dates. AB 1482 covers most units that are 15+ years from initial certificate of occupancy.
  3. Is your unit a single-family rental? Single- family rentals (including condos) are exempt from AB 1482 only if the owner is a natural person (not a corporation, REIT, or any LLC with a corporate member) AND the owner served you the specific Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(d)(5) exemption notice before the tenancy began (or by August 1, 2020 for tenancies existing as of that date). If either prong fails, AB 1482 applies.

What to do if the notice is over the cap

If the percentage your landlord is asking for exceeds the operative cap, the notice is void as to the increase under Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(h). Practical sequence:

  1. Don't pay the higher amount. Continue paying your prior rent on its normal schedule. The prior rent remains the lawful rent until a valid notice is served.
  2. Send a written response. Cite the operative cap and the controlling statute. Sample wording: "The notice dated [date] requests a rent increase of [X]%. The applicable cap under [statute and percentage] is [Y]%. The notice exceeds the cap and is void as to the increase under Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(h). I will continue paying the existing rent of $[Z] on its normal schedule." Send by certified mail with return receipt requested.
  3. Document the prior rent. Keep your last 12 months of rent payment records, bank statements showing the payments, and any prior leases or rent rolls.
  4. If your landlord retaliates with an unlawful detainer (eviction filing) for non-payment of the increased amount, the over-cap notice is a complete defense. Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(h)(3) authorizes recovery of overpayments up to 3x as treble damages, plus attorney fees. Local resources: SF Tenants Union, Tenants Together (statewide), Bay Area Legal Aid, LA County Bar Lawyer Referral, AHF Healthy Housing Foundation, Inquilinos Unidos.

Show the math to your landlord

Most over-cap notices come from landlords who are sincerely confused about which cap applies — not from bad actors. A printed copy of the RentCeiling calculator output for your unit, with the statutes cited, often resolves the dispute without escalation. The calculator's output includes the operative cap, the statute reference, the maximum lawful new rent for your current rent, and the notice period required (30 or 90 days). Forward it to your landlord with a brief note. If they're not bad actors, they'll re-serve a clean notice at the right percentage.

Just-cause and notice-period protections

Cap-percentage compliance is one of three rent-related protections California tenants get. The other two:

  • Just-cause eviction (Cal. Civ. Code §1946.2). Once you've lived in the unit for 12 months, the landlord can only terminate the tenancy "for cause" — at-fault or no-fault reasons listed in the statute. See the just-cause explainer.
  • Notice-period rules (Cal. Civ. Code §827(b)). 30 days for increases under 10%; 90 days for any increase 10% or more, or cumulative 12-month increases summing to 10% or more. See the 90-day notice explainer.

Run the California calculator (free)

Common questions

How much can my landlord raise my rent in California in 2026?

It depends on whether your unit is covered by AB 1482, a stricter local ordinance, both, or neither. AB 1482 statewide cap is 8.8% for 2026. Local caps for 2026: LA RSO 3.0% (~2.8% from July 1), San Francisco 1.6%, Berkeley 1.0%, Oakland 1.7%, Santa Monica 0.8%, West Hollywood 0.75%. The lawful cap is the stricter of state vs local. Costa-Hawkins-exempt single-family rentals owned by natural persons with the proper exemption notice served are not subject to AB 1482.

How do I know if my unit is rent-controlled?

Pull the building's certificate of occupancy date from the city building department. Pre-Oct-1-1978 in LA city limits with 2+ units = LA RSO covered. Pre-June-1979 in SF city limits with 2+ units = SF Rent Ordinance covered. Pre-1980 in Berkeley = BMC 13.76 covered. If none of those, AB 1482 covers most non-Costa-Hawkins-exempt units that are 15+ years from initial certificate of occupancy. Single-family rentals are exempt from AB 1482 only if the landlord is a natural person AND served the §1947.12(d)(5) exemption notice.

What if my landlord serves a notice above the cap?

Don't pay the higher amount. Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(h)(2) makes the over-cap notice void as to the increase — your prior rent stays in force. Send a written response citing the statute and the operative cap percentage, and continue paying the prior amount. If your landlord retaliates with an unlawful detainer, the over-cap notice is a complete defense and Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(h)(3) authorizes recovery of overpayments up to 3x as treble damages plus attorney fees.

Can my landlord raise rent more than once a year?

Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12(a)(2) limits AB 1482 increases to one per 12-month period. Local ordinances generally do the same. So even if the landlord stays under the percentage cap, they can only serve one notice in any rolling 12-month window. A second notice within 12 months is void unless the unit is fully exempt from rent control.

Does the landlord have to give me 30 days notice or 90?

30 days for any single increase under 10% of the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months. 90 days if any single increase is 10% or more, OR if cumulative increases over the prior 12 months sum to 10% or more. Add 5 days for service by mail. The rule lives at Cal. Civ. Code §827(b)(3). For 2026 the AB 1482 cap of 8.8% means most notices will be 30-day, but two stacked increases in 12 months can trigger 90.