Berkeley’s 2026 rent increase cap (AGA) is 1.0% — the lowest number in AEBP’s territory, and also the easiest part of Berkeley compliance. In this video, we walk through the calendar-year AGA cycle, the three separate Rent Board registration deadlines, the longest new-tenancy delay of any city we manage in, and the persistent myth about when Berkeley’s just-cause eviction protection actually starts.
What This Video Covers
- Why Berkeley’s 1.0% AGA runs on a different calendar than Oakland’s or the state’s
- The three separate Rent Board registration deadlines — and the written-notice requirement added in December 2024
- The longest new-tenancy rent-increase delay of any city AEBP manages in
- The truth about Berkeley’s just-cause eviction timing, and where the “12-month” myth actually comes from
- Berkeley’s no-fault relocation payment figures for owner move-in and Ellis Act evictions
- What AEBP does differently with Berkeley’s required annual security deposit interest
In This Video
Berkeley’s Annual General Adjustment for 2026 is 1.0%, set by the Rent Stabilization Board and running on a calendar-year cycle — January through December — rather than the August-to-July window Oakland and AB 1482 both use. That mismatch is where multi-city owners actually get tripped up, not the rate itself.
Registration isn’t a single deadline, it’s three: the annual Rent Board fee (due July 2 for FY 2026–27, with a full 100% penalty for paying late), a 15-day window to register any new tenancy, and a 60-day window if a unit’s exemption status changes. As of December 2024, that 15-day new-tenancy window also requires giving the tenant written notice of the Rent Ordinance’s applicability, the unit’s exemption status, and their right to petition rent increases.
A brand-new Berkeley tenancy also can’t see its first AGA increase until the rest of the year it started, plus one full additional calendar year — the longest new-tenancy delay of any city AEBP manages a property in.
Just-cause eviction timing is where a persistent myth keeps circulating: that Berkeley protection doesn’t start until 12 months in, sometimes blamed on “Measure MM.” Checked directly against BMC 13.76.130, there’s no waiting period — just cause applies from day one of a covered tenancy. The 12-month figure belongs to AB 1482’s separate statewide backstop, and Measure MM itself has nothing to do with eviction timing at all.
Two more figures worth knowing: Berkeley’s no-fault relocation payment for an owner move-in or Ellis Act eviction is $19,413, plus an additional $6,471 for qualifying households — well above AB 1482’s flat one-month standard. And on required annual security deposit interest, AEBP moved away from mailing small paper checks (which tenants often don’t cash, eventually forcing an escheatment to the state) in favor of crediting the interest directly to the tenant’s rent ledger instead.
Key Takeaways
- Berkeley’s 2026 AGA is 1.0%, on a calendar-year (Jan–Dec) cycle — not Oakland’s or AB 1482’s August–July window
- Registration is three separate deadlines: the annual fee (July 2, 100% late penalty), 15-day new-tenancy registration (with written tenant notice required since Dec 2024), and 60-day exemption-status-change registration
- A new Berkeley tenancy can’t get its first AGA increase until the rest of the start year plus one full additional year — the longest new-tenancy delay AEBP tracks anywhere
- Just cause applies from day one of a covered tenancy under BMC 13.76.130 — the “12-month wait” and “Measure MM” claims are both myths
- No-fault relocation for owner move-in/Ellis Act evictions is $19,413, plus $6,471 for qualifying households, effective Jan 1, 2026
- Security deposit interest is due annually each December (legal backstop January 31) — AEBP delivers it as a rent-ledger credit rather than a check
Resources Mentioned
Not sure your Berkeley property is fully covered?
We’ve managed Berkeley rentals since 2005, including Rent Board registration, AGA notices, and Berkeley’s annual security-deposit-interest requirements.
Video Transcript
Berkeley’s rent increase this year is 1 percent — the smallest cap in the East Bay. If that’s the only number you know about Berkeley rent control, you’re already behind, because the calendar around that number is where owners actually get tripped up.
Start with timing. Berkeley runs its rent-ceiling year on the calendar — January through December — not the August-to-July window Oakland and the state’s AB 1482 use. Try to schedule a Berkeley increase the way you’d schedule an Oakland one, and you’ll get the date wrong.
Registration isn’t one deadline, it’s three. The annual Rent Board fee — this year due July 2nd, with a full 100 percent penalty if you’re late. A 15-day window to register any new tenancy, which as of December 2024 also requires giving the tenant written notice of their rights under the ordinance. And a 60-day window if a unit’s exemption status changes. Treat those as one open-ended task, and the annual fee is the one that actually costs money.
Then there’s the new-tenancy delay. A Berkeley tenancy can’t see its first rent increase until the rest of the year it started, plus one full additional year. Move a tenant in this March, and the earliest increase is 2028 — the longest new-tenancy delay of any city we manage in.
Now the part that actually surprises people: just cause. There’s a persistent myth that Berkeley eviction protection doesn’t start until 12 months in — sometimes blamed on “Measure MM.” We checked the actual ordinance directly. There’s no waiting period. Just cause applies from day one. That 12-month figure belongs to the state’s AB 1482 backstop, not Berkeley’s own rule — and Measure MM has nothing to do with eviction timing at all; it’s about registration and pandemic-era back rent.
One more figure worth knowing: no-fault terminations. For an owner move-in or an Ellis Act eviction, Berkeley’s relocation payment is $19,413 — well above the state’s flat one-month standard — plus another $6,471 if the household qualifies.
And here’s something we changed on our own end. Berkeley requires annual security deposit interest, and for years the standard was a small paper check. Tenants don’t cash small checks, and an uncashed one eventually has to be escheated to the state — so we stopped mailing checks and now credit the interest straight to the tenant’s rent ledger instead. No check to lose, nothing left outstanding.
The rate is the easy part of Berkeley rent control. The registration calendar, the new-tenancy delay, and the just-cause myth are what actually get owners in trouble — and that’s what the full written guide covers, linked below.
