Does AB 1482 apply to your rental property — and how much can you actually raise the rent in 2026? This video walks through both questions with real numbers, including a step-by-step calculation on a $2,400/month unit you can follow with your own property.
Note: the video below was recorded for the August 2025–July 2026 rate period, when the AB 1482 cap was 6.3% and Oakland’s AGA was 0.8%. The figures spoken in the video reflect that period accurately. The written figures on this page have been updated to the confirmed rates for August 2026–July 2027 (AB 1482 8.8%, Oakland 2.3%) — use the written figures below for current compliance. Correction: the video says you can raise rent “only once every 12 months.” AB 1482 actually allows up to two increases in a 12-month period, AB 1482 — California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019 — sets a statewide ceiling on annual rent increases and layers just cause eviction protections on top. For increases effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, the confirmed maximum under AB 1482 is 8.8%: the formula is 5% plus the SF-Oakland-Hayward metro CPI of 3.8%, confirmed from April 2026 BLS data (the prior period, through July 31, 2026, was 6.3%). But if you own in Oakland or Berkeley, that number doesn’t apply to you — local ordinances override AB 1482 entirely. Oakland landlords are capped at 2.3% effective August 1, 2026 (was 0.8%). Berkeley landlords at 1.0% (unchanged, on its own calendar-year cycle). The statewide rate only governs where no stricter local ordinance exists. Coverage under AB 1482 turns primarily on building age. Most multi-family residential buildings more than 15 years old are covered — and that 15-year threshold rolls forward each year, meaning buildings constructed in 2011 become covered in 2026. Single-family homes are exempt, but only if the landlord has served the tenant with the specific written exemption notice required by Civil Code §1946.2. If you own a single-family rental through an LLC, corporation, or REIT, the exemption does not apply regardless — the property is covered. The calculation is straightforward once you know you’re covered: take your current rent, multiply by the maximum percentage (5% + regional CPI, not to exceed 10%), and check what increases have already taken effect in the prior 12 months. The cap applies to the combined total over any rolling 12 months, and AB 1482 allows at most two increases in that window. Oakland is stricter and allows only one. Every covered unit also carries just cause eviction protections after 12 months of tenancy. You cannot terminate a tenancy without a qualifying reason — and for certain no-fault terminations, you owe the tenant one month’s rent in relocation assistance. This is the rule most landlords don’t discover until they’re already in the middle of a termination. If you’re issuing a no-fault termination notice on a covered unit, confirm the relocation obligation before you serve it. We manage 600+ units across Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond — and we track every CPI update, local ordinance rate, and exemption requirement so our clients never raise rent more than they should, or less than they can. If you own rental property in California, you’ve probably heard of AB 1482 — the state’s rent cap law. But there are two questions that actually matter: does it apply to your property? And if it does, exactly how much can you raise the rent? In the next couple of minutes, I’m going to walk you through both. Let’s start with whether you’re even covered. AB 1482 covers most residential rentals in California — but not all of them. Here’s the quick version. If you own an apartment building or multi-family property that was built more than 15 years ago, you’re almost certainly covered. And here’s something people miss — that 15-year rule is rolling. A building from 2011 just became covered this year. Now, single-family homes. A lot of landlords assume they’re automatically exempt. That’s only true if you’re not a corporation or LLC, and — this is the part people forget — you’ve actually served the tenant with a written exemption notice. Skip that notice, and you’re covered whether you meant to be or not. And if you own in Oakland or Berkeley — pause here, because local rent control applies to you. AB 1482’s 6.3% is not your number. Oakland is 0.8%. Berkeley is 1.0%. Local rules take over entirely. Okay — so if your property is covered by AB 1482, here’s what you need to know about actually calculating the increase. And I’m going to use real numbers so you can follow along with your own unit. The formula is CPI plus 5 percent, with a maximum of 10 percent. For the current period — August 2025 through July 2026 — the confirmed CPI for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro is 1.3 percent. Add 5, and your maximum is 6.3 percent. The 10 percent cap isn’t triggered here. Let me walk through a real example. Say your tenant is paying $2,400 a month. Take that $2,400, multiply by 6.3 percent — that’s $151.20. So the most you can charge is $2,551.20 per month. That’s your ceiling. You don’t have to take the full increase, but you can’t go above it. One more thing that trips people up: you can only do this once every 12 months. And that clock runs from the date of your last increase — not the calendar year. So if you raised rent in June 2025, you can’t raise it again until June 2026, regardless of what month we’re in now. One thing I want to flag quickly — AB 1482 isn’t just about the rent cap. If your unit is covered, you also have just cause eviction requirements. That means after a tenant has been there 12 months, you can’t end the tenancy without a qualifying reason. Non-payment, lease violation, owner move-in — those are all valid. But you can’t just ask someone to leave because you feel like it. If you’re triggering a no-fault termination — like moving in yourself or doing a major renovation — you also owe the tenant one month’s rent as relocation assistance. That’s easy to miss and expensive when you do. Getting this right every year — the right CPI figure, the right ceiling, the right notice — is one of those things that sounds straightforward until it isn’t. We calculate and document compliant rent increases for over 580 units across the East Bay, so our clients don’t have to think about it. If you want the full breakdown — including the exemption rules, the Oakland and Berkeley specifics, and the notice requirements — the complete guide is linked in the description. It’s free, it’s detailed, and it has the numbers you need for 2026. If this was useful, subscribe to our YouTube channel — we cover this stuff every week. And I’ll see you in the next one.What This Video Covers
What East Bay Landlords Need to Know
Key Takeaways
Laws & Resources Mentioned
Have Questions About Your Property?
Video Transcript (recorded for the 2025–2026 rate period — see note above for current 2026–27 figures)
