How much notice is required to raise the rent in California?

Verified July 7, 2026 All California topics →

Check your municipality. California does not preempt local rent regulation — city or county ordinances may impose rent caps, notice rules, and fee limits that are stricter than the state-level rules on this page and are not covered here. Verify your municipality's ordinances before relying on any figure below.

What the state record says

Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, Civ. Code § 1947.12): annual increases on covered units capped at the lesser of 5% + regional CPI or 10%, measured against the lowest rent in the prior 12 months, max two increases per 12 months, in effect through 2030. Exempt: housing with certificate of occupancy within 15 years (rolling), most single-family homes/condos not owned by corporations or REITs (exemption requires statutory written disclosure to the tenant), owner-occupied duplexes. Stricter local rent-control ordinances control where they exist.

California requires 30 days' written notice for a rent increase of 10% or less over any 12-month window, and 90 days' notice for anything larger — plus five extra days when the notice is mailed.

Separately, the statewide Tenant Protection Act caps annual increases on covered units at 5% plus local CPI or 10%, whichever is lower, with at most two increases per year. Many single-family homes and newer buildings are exempt from the cap (but never from the notice rules), and cities with stricter local rent control keep their own limits.

California rent increase notice at a glance

Notice — month-to-month	30 days
Varies by increase size	30 days' written notice if the increase, combined with all increases in the prior 12 months, totals 10% or less; 90 days' written notice if the cumulative 12-month increase exceeds 10%. Add 5 calendar days if served by mail (CCP § 1013).
Fixed-term leases	Rent may not be increased during a fixed term unless the lease provides for it; §827 notice mechanics govern month-to-month changes.
Statewide rent control / stabilization	Yes
Rent control details	Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, Civ. Code § 1947.12): annual increases on covered units capped at the lesser of 5% + regional CPI or 10%, measured against the lowest rent in the prior 12 months, max two increases per 12 months, in effect through 2030. Exempt: housing with certificate of occupancy within 15 years (rolling), most single-family homes/condos not owned by corporations or REITs (exemption requires statutory written disclosure to the tenant), owner-occupied duplexes. Stricter local rent-control ordinances control where they exist.
Local rent control preempted	No
Frequency limits	No more than two increases in any 12-month period on AB 1482-covered units.

Notes and caveats

Two independent legal layers: §827 notice mechanics apply to ALL increases; AB 1482 caps apply only to covered units. Exemption from the cap requires serving the statutory disclosure language — a missed disclosure forfeits the exemption.

Statute citations

Cal. Civ. Code § 827 (b) Official source
Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12 (AB 1482) Official source

How this record was verified: Web verification against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (Civ. Code 1950.5, 827; AB 12 bill text) with corroborating county/city government sources (SF.gov, LA County DCBA, San Mateo County) for AB 1482 and Civ. Code 1954 operation.