California · Rent Increases

Rent Increases in California: What Are My Rights?

This is not legal advice. We explain what the law says. We cannot tell you what to do in your situation. For that, talk to a lawyer. Find free legal and rent help in California.

California caps how much most landlords can raise rent each year. This page explains the statewide cap, which homes it does not cover, and how much notice you must get. It also explains what you can do if your landlord breaks these rules. Some cities add stricter rules; check your city's guide.

How much notice you get

  1. Your landlord must tell you about a rent increase in writing, handed to you in person or sent by mail. A call, text, or email is not enough. For an increase of 10% or less, the notice must reach you at least 30 days before the new rent starts. For more than 10%, you must get at least 90 days. Other increases in the past 12 months count toward the 10%. Example: on $2,000 rent, $200 or less needs 30 days, and $201 or more needs 90 days.

    Sources:
    1. Civ. Code § 827(b)(1)-(3)(A), California Legislative Information. Law.
    2. Notice for Rent Increases, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  2. When your landlord must give 90 days' notice of a rent increase, 30 days is enough in one case. That is when the increase comes from an income or family-size recertification (a required check of your income or household), which is required by law.

    Source:
    1. Civ. Code § 827(b)(3)(B), California Legislative Information. Law.

Check the new rent

  1. In any 12 months, your landlord cannot raise your rent by more than 5% plus the local rise in the cost of living. The increase can never be more than 10%. Example: 10% of $2,000 rent is $200, so the rent can never go above $2,200 in one year. The cap is measured from the lowest rent you paid in the 12 months before the increase. This rule is the Tenant Protection Act, Civil Code section 1947.12.

    Sources:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), California Legislative Information. Law.
    2. Statewide Rent Increase Caps, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  2. The exact cap depends on your county and the date the increase starts. For increases starting between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, the caps are: Los Angeles and Orange counties, 8.7%. Riverside and San Bernardino counties, 8.1%. San Diego County, 8.2%. The San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties), 8.8%. All other counties, 8.6%. Example: 8.7% of $2,000 rent is $174, so the new rent can be at most $2,174.

    Source:
    1. Statewide Rent Increase Caps chart, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  3. The Attorney General lists the current rent caps. The cost-of-living number behind the caps comes from April price data, so the caps change every August 1.

    Sources:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(g)(3)(B)(ii), California Legislative Information. Law.
    2. Statewide Rent Increase Caps chart, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  4. If you stay in the same home, your landlord can raise the rent at most 2 times in any 12 months. The 2 increases added together still cannot go over the yearly cap. Example: if the cap on $2,000 rent is $174, the landlord could add $100 in March and $74 in September, but nothing more that year.

    Source:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(2), California Legislative Information. Law.

  5. When everyone from the old rental moves out, the landlord can set any starting rent for the next renter. The cap then limits every later increase for that new renter.

    Source:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(b), California Legislative Information. Law.

  6. The cap does not cover every home. It does not apply to housing that got its certificate of occupancy (the permit to live there) in the last 15 years. It also skips a 2-unit building where the owner lives in the other unit, college or school dorms, and housing with a recorded affordable-housing restriction. The 15-year rule is rolling: your building becomes covered when it turns 15.

    Sources:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(6), California Legislative Information. Law.
    2. Who These Protections Apply To, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  7. A single-family home or condo is outside the rent cap only if 2 things are both true. First, the owner is not a corporation, a real estate investment trust, or an LLC with a corporate member. The owner is also not the management of a mobilehome (a manufactured home) park. Any other owner, such as a person, can meet this part. Second, your landlord gave you a written notice saying the home is not covered by section 1947.12.

    Sources:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(5), California Legislative Information. Law.
    2. Statewide Rent Increase Caps, California Attorney General. A government guide.

  8. A single-family home or condo can be left out of the rent cap only if your landlord gives you a written notice saying so. For rentals starting or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, the notice must be in the lease. For a mobilehome (a manufactured home), the date is July 1, 2022. If your landlord never gave you that notice, this rule does not take your home out of the cap.

    Source:
    1. Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(5), California Legislative Information. Law.

  9. Your city or county may set a lower cap than the state. When the local cap is lower, the local cap applies. For example, the City of Los Angeles allows 3% for increases starting between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027. 3% of $2,000 rent is $60. A state law called the Costa-Hawkins Act limits local caps. Local caps cannot cover buildings first approved for people to live in after February 1, 1995, or most single-family homes and condos. Check your city's guide.

    Sources:
    1. Local Rent Increase Caps chart, City of Los Angeles, California Attorney General. A government guide.
    2. Civ. Code § 1954.52(a)(1), California Legislative Information. Law.

  10. When you get a rent increase notice, first check 3 things. Is it in writing? Does the start date give you 30 or 90 days? Is the amount within the cap for your county? Then, if something is wrong, write to your landlord and say which rule the notice breaks. Keep the notice, your lease, and copies of every message. If the notice is late or not in writing, the Attorney General says to ask a lawyer about your rights.

    Sources:
    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. Housing Conditions, California Attorney General. A government guide.

If the increase is not allowed

  1. If your landlord demands or collects rent above the cap, you can sue. The court can order a refund of the extra amount. The landlord may have acted on purpose, or with oppression, fraud, or a wish to harm you. If so, the court can award up to 3 times the extra amount. Example: a $600 extra charge can mean up to $1,800. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays. The court can also make the landlord pay your lawyer fees. You must file within 3 years of the extra charge.

    Sources:
    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. Civ. Code § 1947.12(k)(4), California Legislative Information. Law.

  2. Your landlord cannot raise your rent to punish you. This applies if you are paid up on rent and you complained about repairs to your landlord or a city agency. The 180-day clock can also start from a housing inspection, a citation, or a court case about repairs. A rent increase made in retaliation within 180 days after the latest of those events is not allowed.

    Source:
    1. Civ. Code § 1942.5(a), California Legislative Information. Law.

Published by Nazanin, September 24, 2026. Sources checked October 5, 2026. Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.