Rent Increases for Long-Term California Tenants: What You Actually Owe

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation

Long-term California tenants — those who have lived in the same unit for many years, often at rents significantly below current market rates — are the primary targets of landlord rent increase strategies. Understanding exactly what increases are legal, how to calculate the maximum permissible increase, and how to verify landlord claims about CPI and other variables protects you from paying more than the law requires.

The AB 1482 Calculation

Under AB 1482, the maximum rent increase in any 12-month period is 5% plus the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in your region, with a total cap of 10%. The CPI used must be the regional CPI for your area — not a national figure. The relevant regional CPI reports are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 12-month period runs from the date of the last rent increase, not the calendar year. A landlord who uses the wrong CPI region or the wrong 12-month period may be claiming a higher increase than is legally permitted.

Calculating Your Maximum Increase

Find the BLS CPI-U report for your region (Bay Area, Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, San Diego, or the broader California series depending on your location). Identify the percentage change for the 12 months ending in April of the current year (or the most recent published period). Add 5% to that CPI percentage. If the result exceeds 10%, the maximum is 10%. If the result is less than 5%, your landlord can still raise rent up to 5% (the floor). Verify the landlord’s claimed increase against this calculation.

Local Ordinances May Be More Protective

AB 1482 sets a ceiling on rent increases — local rent control ordinances may set a lower ceiling. Los Angeles’s RSO, San Francisco’s Rent Ordinance, Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Program, and other local ordinances all have their own increase formulas that may produce lower maximums than AB 1482. If you live in a jurisdiction with local rent control, calculate your maximum increase under both state and local law and use the more protective figure. The Justice Foundation kit includes the maximum increase calculation for all major California rent control jurisdictions.