Rent Increases in the East Bay: What Landlords Can (and Cannot) Do in 2026

Updated for 2026 | Reflects current AB 1482 CPI data and Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and Emeryville ordinance rates.

If you own rental property in the East Bay, you already know that raising rent isn’t as simple as picking a number. The rules governing East Bay rent increases in 2026 vary significantly by city — Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and Emeryville each have their own requirements layered on top of California’s statewide law, and the penalties for getting it wrong are real.

This guide gives you a clear, practical overview of how rent increases work in 2026: what the rules are, which properties they apply to, and what happens if they’re not followed. Use the links throughout to dive deeper into each city’s specific rules.

Start Here: What Is AB 1482?

AB 1482 is California’s statewide rent cap law, and it sets the baseline for most landlords across the state. Under AB 1482, annual rent increases are capped at 5% plus the local rate of inflation (CPI), with a hard ceiling of 10% — whichever is lower.

For 2026, the applicable CPI figure is based on the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area. We’ll walk through the exact calculation in our AB 1482 deep-dive article, including a step-by-step worked example with real numbers.

AB 1482 also includes just cause eviction protections, meaning landlords covered by the law can only terminate tenancies for specific legally defined reasons.

Which Properties Are Covered by AB 1482?

AB 1482 applies to most multi-family residential rentals in California that are more than 15 years old. It does not apply to:

• Single-family homes and condos — unless owned by a corporation, LLC, or real estate investment trust
• Properties built within the last 15 years
• Properties already subject to a local rent control ordinance that is stricter than AB 1482
• Owner-occupied duplexes where the owner lives in one unit

Important: In Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, local ordinances are stricter than AB 1482 — so for those properties, city rules take precedence. AB 1482 still matters for any units you own that fall outside the local ordinance’s scope.

East Bay Rent Control at a Glance

If you own property in multiple East Bay cities — or you’re trying to quickly compare rules across jurisdictions — this table is your starting point. Allowable increases are current as of the dates shown; each city updates its rate annually.

Note: Oakland and Emeryville follow the August 1 – July 31 cycle. Berkeley runs July 1 – June 30. Richmond runs September 1 – August 31. Emeryville has no local rent cap — the AB 1482 Alameda County rate (6.3%) applies. Verify all figures before implementing any increase.

Emeryville: No Local Rent Cap — But Strong Eviction Protections

Emeryville is a different kind of story from its neighbors. The city has no local rent cap of its own — instead, the AB 1482 statewide limit applies, which for the current period is 6.3% for Alameda County properties. That’s meaningfully higher than Oakland or Berkeley.

What Emeryville does have is one of the stronger just cause eviction ordinances in the East Bay, enacted in 2017. Landlords cannot terminate a tenancy without a qualifying reason — either a for-cause reason (non-payment, lease violation, illegal activity) or a no-fault reason (owner move-in, substantial renovation, removing the unit from the market). No-fault terminations require relocation assistance to the tenant.

One procedural requirement that often catches Emeryville landlords off guard: when you serve a notice of termination, you must deliver a copy to the Emeryville City Clerk within 10 days. Skipping this step does not invalidate the notice, but it is a compliance obligation worth building into your process.

We’ll cover Emeryville’s rules in full detail in our Emeryville Landlord Guide — coming soon.

Oakland Rent Control

Oakland has its own Rent Adjustment Program (RAP), which applies to most multi-family rental units built before 1983. The current allowable annual increase is 0.8% — one of the most restrictive in the state.

Oakland landlords must also register their rental units with the RAP and pay an annual registration fee. Skipping registration isn’t just an administrative oversight — it can affect your ability to implement rent increases and expose you to penalties.

For a full breakdown of Oakland’s rules, petition process, and registration requirements, see our Oakland Rent Control 2026 guide →

Berkeley Rent Stabilization

Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance is administered by the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board and applies to most residential units built before 1980. The Annual General Adjustment (AGA) for 2026 is 1.0%.

Like Oakland, Berkeley requires landlords to register rental units annually. Berkeley’s rules around petitions — both landlord petitions for additional increases and tenant petitions challenging increases — add another layer of complexity that’s worth understanding before you act.

For the full picture, see our Berkeley Rent Control 2026 guide →

Richmond Rent Control

Richmond’s Rent Program covers most residential rental units and sets its own Annual General Adjustment separately from Oakland and Berkeley. The current AGA is 1.62% for the period running September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026.

Richmond is often overlooked in conversations about East Bay rent control — which means the pool of landlords operating with incomplete information is larger than you might expect. Registration, petition rights, and just cause protections all apply here in the same way they do in Oakland and Berkeley.

Full details in our Richmond Rent Control 2026 guide — coming April 2026.

Do You Own in More Than One East Bay City?

This is more common than people think — a duplex in Oakland, units in Emeryville, and an older Berkeley apartment can all be subject to completely different rules, even if they’re only a few miles apart.

The allowable increase percentage, the registration requirements, the notice timing, and the penalty structure can all vary. Applying the wrong city’s rules — or assuming AB 1482 is your only obligation — is one of the most common and costly mistakes East Bay landlords make.

If you manage a mixed portfolio, it’s worth mapping each unit to its governing ordinance before any increase cycle — especially in Emeryville, where the rent rules and eviction rules operate on entirely different frameworks.

Notice Requirements: Timing Matters

Even if your rent increase is legally compliant, it won’t hold up if the notice isn’t delivered correctly. California law requires:

• 30 days’ notice for increases of 10% or less (though check local ordinances — some require more)
• 60 days’ notice for increases over 10%
• Proper delivery method — personal service or first-class mail with certificate of mailing

The clock starts from the date of delivery, not the date you write the notice. Getting this wrong means the increase doesn’t take effect when you expect it to — and in some cases, it’s void entirely.

See our California Rent Increase Notice Requirements guide → for a full walkthrough, including how to handle tenant pushback professionally.

Frequently Asked Questions