How Much Can You Raise the Rent in 2026-27? The New AB 1482 Caps for the Bay Area and Beyond
For rent increases taking effect between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, California's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) caps the annual increase on covered units at 5% plus regional inflation, with a hard ceiling of 10%. That works out to roughly 8.8% in the San Francisco-Oakland region, about 8.6% in Santa Clara County, and about 8.7% in the Los Angeles area for this period. But many older buildings fall under a local rent-control ordinance that caps increases far lower, and where that ordinance applies, the local limit controls. Confirm which rules apply to your specific unit before serving an increase.
Every August, California landlords ask the same question: how much can I raise the rent this year? The answer changed on August 1, 2026, and getting it wrong is costly, an over-limit increase can be unenforceable, and the tenant may owe nothing above the lawful amount. Here is where the numbers stand for 2026-27, from the owner's side.
How the AB 1482 cap works
The Tenant Protection Act limits annual rent increases on covered units to the lower of 5% plus the regional change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or a hard ceiling of 10%. The CPI piece is measured each spring and resets every August 1, so the allowable percentage shifts from year to year and from region to region.
The 2026-27 numbers by region
For increases taking effect between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, the approximate AB 1482 maximums are:
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward region (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo): about 8.8%
- Santa Clara County, including San Jose and the South Bay: about 8.6%
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, including Los Angeles and Orange counties: about 8.7%
- San Diego County: about 8.2%
- Riverside and San Bernardino counties: about 8.1%
These figures apply only to this period and reset again in August 2027. They are maximums for covered units, not a blanket permission to raise rent on every property.
Local rent control usually controls, and it is much lower
In the Bay Area, the statewide number is often not the one that matters. A large share of older apartment buildings sit under a local rent-control ordinance that caps increases well below the state limit. For the current period, Oakland's allowable increase is roughly 2.3% and Berkeley's is 1.0%, a fraction of the 8.8% statewide figure. Where a local ordinance covers your building, that local limit generally governs, and it typically adds its own notice, registration, and just-cause rules.
Is your unit even covered by AB 1482?
Not every unit is subject to the statewide cap. Common exemptions include certain single-family homes and condominiums not owned by a corporation (when the required notice is given to the tenant) and housing built within roughly the last 15 years. Whether a specific property is covered, exempt, or under a stricter local ordinance is a fact-specific question worth confirming before you plan an increase.
Where landlords get it wrong
The recurring, increase-voiding mistakes are the same each year: using the statewide percentage when a lower local cap applies, using the wrong region's CPI figure, stacking increases so the 12-month total exceeds the limit, missing required notice content, and mistiming the August 1 reset. Because an improper increase can be unenforceable, the safe move is to confirm the correct number and rules for your specific unit before serving anything.