AB 1482 Rent Increase Limits: California 2026 Numbers

If your California rental property is covered by AB 1482, the maximum rent increase you can apply in 2026 is 5% plus the local CPI adjustment for your region — and that combined total is capped at 10% no matter what CPI does. That's the headline number. But the details underneath that headline are where landlords get into trouble: which CPI figure applies to your property, when your 12-month measurement window starts, and what the notice looks like.

This post walks through the actual numbers, which properties AB 1482 covers (and which it doesn't), how to calculate your specific allowable increase, and what happens if you get it wrong.

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What AB 1482 Actually Says About Rent Increases

AB 1482, codified at Civil Code § 1947.12, limits annual rent increases for covered residential properties to the lower of:

• 5% + the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the metropolitan area where the property is located, measured April-to-April; or
• 10% total

The 5% floor is a floor on the "base" portion — not a guaranteed minimum. If local CPI is 3.5%, your cap is 8.5%. If CPI somehow hit 6%, your cap is still 10%, not 11%. The 10% is absolute.

What makes this complicated is that California doesn't use a single statewide CPI. It uses regional CPI figures published by the California Department of Finance, which vary by metro area. The April-to-April measurement window means the applicable figure for a 2026 rent increase depends on CPI data from April 2025 to April 2026.

The 2026 Regional CPI Numbers

The California Department of Finance publishes regional CPI allowances each year. For rent increases taking effect in 2026, the applicable figures (based on April 2025 – April 2026 CPI) are:

Where to get the exact numbers: The California Department of Finance publishes the official CPI allowances at dof.ca.gov. Your county's rent control board (if your city has one) may also publish a pre-calculated allowance table. Always verify against the official DOF source — landlord forums and blog posts (including this one) can lag the most current data.

I want to be direct with you here: I'm not going to publish a specific percentage in a table and have you rely on it six months from now when it might be stale. Pull the number from DOF directly. It takes five minutes, and it's the number that matters in court.

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Does AB 1482 Cover Your Property?

This is where more landlords slip up than on the math. AB 1482 is a state-level floor, but it doesn't cover everything. Here's the breakdown:

Properties AB 1482 COVERS (rent increase cap applies)

• Single-family homes where the tenant was not notified in writing that the property is exempt at the time of tenancy or lease renewal
• Condominiums not separately owned (i.e., a condo owned by an LLC, trust, or corporate entity)
• Multi-family buildings built more than 15 years ago from the date the increase takes effect
• Duplexes where the owner does not occupy one of the units

Properties EXEMPT from AB 1482's rent increase cap

• Single-family homes and condos where the landlord has served the tenant with a Civil Code § 1946.2 exemption notice — this written notice must be included in the lease or served separately; a verbal statement doesn't count
• Buildings built within the last 15 years (rolling window — a building completed in 2012 would lose its exemption in 2027)
• Owner-occupied duplexes (the owner lives in one unit)
• Subsidized affordable housing (deed-restricted units)
• Dormitories
• Properties already subject to a local rent control ordinance that imposes stricter limits (e.g., Los Angeles RSO, San Francisco Rent Ordinance, Oakland Rent Adjustment Program) — local law governs, not AB 1482, for rent increases in those jurisdictions

The single-family home exemption trap: Many small landlords own a single-family rental and assume they're automatically exempt. You're not unless you've served the correct written notice. Civil Code § 1946.2(e) requires specific language. If you skipped that notice, AB 1482 applies to your property even if it would otherwise qualify for exemption.

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How to Calculate Your Allowable Rent Increase

Let's do the math with a real example.

Scenario: You own a 6-unit building in Los Angeles built in 2005. Current rent is $2,400/month. You want to raise it.

Step 1: Confirm coverage. Building is 21 years old (built 2005, increase in 2026) — more than 15 years. It's in LA, not subject to a stricter local ordinance that would supersede AB 1482 for this property type. Covered.

Step 2: Get the CPI figure. Pull the LA–Long Beach–Anaheim April-to-April CPI change from DOF. Let's say it's 3.2% for this example.

Step 3: Calculate the cap. 5% + 3.2% = 8.2%. That's below 10%, so 8.2% is your ceiling.

Step 4: Calculate the dollar amount. $2,400 × 8.2% = $196.80. Maximum new rent: $2,596.80/month.

Step 5: Check the 10% absolute cap. $2,400 × 10% = $240. Our 8.2% increase ($196.80) is well under that, so we're fine.

One more rule to know: Civil Code § 1947.12 also prohibits two separate rent increases within any 12-month period that together exceed the cap. You can't do a 5% increase in January and then another 5% in July. The 12-month rolling window applies to the aggregate of increases, not just individual notices.

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Serving the Notice Correctly

Calculating the right number is half the job. Serving proper notice is the other half — and failure here can invalidate an otherwise lawful increase.

Notice periods under California law

• 30-day notice: Required for rent increases of 10% or less of the lowest rent charged in the preceding 12 months (Civil Code § 827)
• 90-day notice: Required for rent increases greater than 10% of the lowest rent in the preceding 12 months

Since AB 1482 caps you at 10%, you'll almost always be in 30-day territory. But if the tenant's rent is currently below market due to prior discounts or long-term tenancy, double-check that your increase doesn't cross the 10% threshold of their personal rent history.

How to serve notice

California requires rent increase notices to be served by one of these methods:

1. Personal delivery to the tenant
2. Substituted service — delivering to a person of suitable age and discretion at the premises, then mailing a copy
3. First-class mail — if mailed, add 5 calendar days to the notice period

Keep a copy. Document the date of service. If you ever need to enforce a lease term or start an eviction for nonpayment after a legitimate increase the tenant disputes, your notice documentation is what you'll need.

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Common Mistakes That Expose Landlords to Liability

I've seen landlords — including myself, early on — make variations of these mistakes. They're avoidable once you know what to look for.

1. Using the wrong CPI region

Using the statewide CPI when your property is in the LA or Bay Area metro area, or vice versa, can result in either overcharging the tenant (liability) or leaving money on the table. Always match the region to the DOF table.

2. Not accounting for the 12-month aggregate rule

Raising rent in January by 4%, then again in October by 5%, thinking each is independently valid — the October increase is only valid if the combined total across the 12-month window doesn't exceed the cap. Courts look at the aggregate.

3. Assuming single-family exemption without the written notice

As mentioned above: the exemption requires a specific written disclosure. If it's not in the lease or served as a separate notice with the language required by Civil Code § 1946.2(e), you're covered by AB 1482 regardless of property type.

4. Confusing "no local rent control" with "no AB 1482"

Some landlords in cities without a local rent control ordinance assume no rules apply. AB 1482 is statewide. Unless your property qualifies for a specific exemption, the 5% + CPI cap applies.

5. Raising rent during a lease term

AB 1482 (and basic contract law) prohibits unilateral rent increases during a fixed-term lease. The notice must take effect after the lease expires — or at a month-to-month renewal.

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What About Local Rent Control?

If your property is in a city with its own rent control ordinance — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, East Palo Alto, and others — local law may be stricter than AB 1482, and local law governs.

A few important points:

• Los Angeles RSO (Rent Stabilization Ordinance): Applies to most multi-family buildings built before October 1978. The allowable increase is set annually by LAHD — historically in the 3–4% range. AB 1482's 5% + CPI cap doesn't give you more headroom if the RSO applies.
• San Francisco Rent Ordinance: Applies to most multi-family buildings with certificates of occupancy before June 1979. Annual increase is CPI-linked, typically 1–3%.
• AB 1482 as a floor vs. local ordinances as a ceiling: Think of it this way — AB 1482 sets a state baseline. If local law is stricter (lower cap), local law wins. If your property is exempt from local rent control but covered by AB 1482, the state law applies.

When in doubt, check with your city's rent board directly. Most California cities with rent control have a hotline or online lookup tool.

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How Keywise Helps With This

I built Keywise partly because I got confused by exactly this kind of calculation on my own duplex. The honest answer is that the math itself isn't hard — it's keeping track of what you've already increased, for which units, when, and whether you've served notice correctly.

Keywise gives you a per-unit rent history, tracks your 12-month rolling increases, and flags when you're approaching the cap before you accidentally cross it. If you've uploaded your lease, our AI lease extraction pulls the current rent amount and effective date automatically, so you're not manually re-entering what you already have in a PDF.

It's not a substitute for reading the statute — you should read Civil Code § 1947.12 yourself, and ideally talk to a California landlord attorney if your situation is complicated. But it reduces the chance that a spreadsheet error or missed date puts you in violation of a law you were otherwise trying to follow.

Pricing is free for 1-2 units, and $49/month for Pro. If you're managing a property covered by AB 1482, having your rent history in one place is worth it.

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Quick Reference Checklist

Before you send any rent increase notice in 2026:

• Confirmed property is covered by AB 1482 (or properly exempt with written notice served)
• Pulled the correct regional CPI figure from DOF for the April-to-April period
• Calculated increase as 5% + CPI, confirmed it doesn't exceed 10%
• Verified no other rent increase has been applied in the past 12 months (or that combined increases don't exceed cap)
• Confirmed tenant is on month-to-month or lease is expiring (not mid-lease)
• Prepared 30-day written notice (or 90-day if somehow exceeding 10% of prior rent)
• Documented service method and date

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Further Reading

If you're managing a California rental, AB 1482's rent increase cap is just one piece of the compliance picture. The same law also governs just cause eviction requirements — which is a separate but equally important topic if you ever need to end a tenancy. Understanding how to manage rental property yourself end-to-end is the best way to avoid the situations where these rules bite you unexpectedly.

For the mechanics of keeping records that will hold up — rent payment history, notice documentation, lease versions — tools like property management software for small landlords are worth understanding before you need them.

And if you're still collecting rent via Venmo or informal bank transfers, it's worth reading about why landlords stop using Venmo for rent — the documentation problem gets especially acute when you're navigating AB 1482 disputes.

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Civil Code § 1947.12 is the controlling statute. This post is educational and not legal advice. If your situation is unusual — mixed-use property, recently converted building, tenant disputing a past increase — consult a California landlord attorney.