Richmond’s 2026–27 rent increase cap (AGA) is 1.5% — down from 1.62%, and for the first time in years, lower than Oakland’s rate. In this video, we walk through why that relationship flipped, how Richmond’s two-part registration system differs from Oakland’s and Berkeley’s, what’s actually covered under Richmond’s ordinance, and the fees that catch new Richmond owners off guard.
What This Video Covers
- Why Richmond’s 2026–27 AGA is now lower than Oakland’s — and what changed
- How Richmond’s Property Enrollment and Tenancy Registration differ from Oakland’s and Berkeley’s single annual renewal
- What’s fully covered, partially covered, and exempt under Richmond’s ordinance
- The eight grounds for just-cause eviction under RMC 11.100.050
- Richmond’s Business License Tax and Residential Rental Inspection Program (RRIP) fees
- What AEBP has seen firsthand managing properties in both Oakland and Richmond
In This Video
Richmond’s Annual General Adjustment for September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027 is 1.5%, down slightly from the prior cycle’s 1.62%. Last cycle, Richmond’s rate ran higher than Oakland’s — 1.62% versus 0.8% — close enough that a multi-city owner could round Richmond up to Oakland’s number without under-collecting by much. This cycle that relationship reversed: Oakland’s cap rose to 2.3% in August, Richmond’s dropped to 1.5% in September. Applying last cycle’s assumption now means overcharging a Richmond tenant.
Coverage splits into three buckets. Fully covered units — multi-unit buildings permitted before February 1995 — get both Richmond’s rent cap and just-cause eviction protection. Partially covered units, including single-family homes and condos, get just cause but not Richmond’s local rent cap; they may still fall under California’s statewide AB 1482 cap instead, which has to be checked separately.
Registration is where owners coming from Oakland or Berkeley get tripped up. Richmond doesn’t run one annual renewal — it’s two separate filings: a one-time Property Enrollment per property, and a Tenancy Registration filed for each individual tenancy in fully-covered units, refiled on every turnover. A rent increase issued while either filing is out of date is void.
Just cause covers eight grounds under RMC 11.100.050, several requiring a written warning before the notice can be served. And two Richmond-specific costs catch new owners off guard: the Business License Tax, and RRIP registration and inspection fees — $110 for owner registration, $220 per unit for inspection, $94 for re-inspection if a unit fails, per the city’s FY 2026–27 fee schedule.
Key Takeaways
- Richmond’s 2026–27 AGA is 1.5%, down from 1.62% — and now lower than Oakland’s 2.3%
- Richmond splits registration into two filings — one-time Property Enrollment plus per-tenancy registration — not a single annual renewal
- Single-family homes and condos are “partially covered” — just cause only, no Richmond rent cap, though AB 1482 may still apply
- Just cause covers eight grounds under RMC 11.100.050, several requiring a prior written warning
- RRIP registration and inspection fees are $110 / $220 / $94, per the city’s FY 2026–27 fee schedule
- Confirm the current cycle’s rate for each city — don’t assume Richmond runs higher or lower than Oakland from memory
Resources Mentioned
Own rental property in Richmond, or across Richmond and another East Bay city?
We track Richmond’s registration, inspection, and relocation requirements alongside Oakland’s, Berkeley’s, and Emeryville’s across 600+ units in the East Bay.
Video Transcript
Richmond’s rent cap for the year ahead is 1.5 percent — down from last cycle’s 1.62 percent. That’s the easy number. What actually catches owners is the direction it just flipped, and how differently Richmond runs everything else.
Start with the flip. Last cycle, Richmond’s rate ran higher than Oakland’s — 1.62 percent versus Oakland’s 0.8 percent. Close enough that a multi-city owner could round Richmond up to Oakland’s number and only slightly under-collect. This cycle, that relationship reversed. Oakland’s cap rose to 2.3 percent in August. Richmond’s dropped to 1.5 percent in September. Apply Oakland’s rate to a Richmond unit now, and you’re over the cap — which a tenant can challenge.
Coverage works differently too. Richmond splits every unit into three buckets. Fully covered gets both the rent cap and just-cause protection — that’s multi-unit buildings permitted before 1995. Partially covered — single-family homes, condos, newer construction — gets just cause but not Richmond’s local cap. It might still fall under the state’s AB 1482 cap instead, which is worth checking separately, not assumed away.
Registration is where owners coming from Oakland or Berkeley get tripped up. Richmond doesn’t do one annual renewal. It’s two separate filings: a one-time Property Enrollment per property, and a Tenancy Registration for each individual tenancy in fully-covered units, refiled every time a tenant turns over. An increase issued while either filing is stale is void.
Just cause covers eight grounds — failure to pay rent, lease breach, nuisance, and more — several requiring a written warning first.
Here’s something we’ve seen directly. We manage properties in both Oakland and Richmond, and we watched that rate relationship flip firsthand this cycle. We’ve also seen how closely Richmond tracks ownership changes — a client who’d just bought a Richmond rental got a letter straight from the city reminding him a business license was required. Richmond pays closer attention than a lot of owners expect.
The bottom line: don’t carry forward what was true last cycle, or what’s true in another city. Confirm the current number before you serve the notice. The full written guide breaks down registration, just cause, relocation pay, and the fees Richmond owners don’t see coming — linked below.
