Free California Rent Increase Notice
California caps most annual rent increases at 5% plus regional CPI, 10% maximum (AB 1482) and requires 30 days’ written notice for an increase of 10% or less, 90 days for more. Generate a compliant notice below.
This California Rent Increase Notice raises the rent on a month-to-month tenancy under Civil Code Section 827 while staying within the AB 1482 cap (Section 1947.12). Confirm the increase fits the cap and any stricter local ordinance, then serve it with the right lead time. Our how to raise rent guide walks through the math, and the tenant screening laws by state hub helps you place reliable tenants in the first place.
California Rent Increase at a Glance
Statute
Civ. Code Section 827 / 1947.12
Increase 10% or less
30-day notice
Increase above 10%
90-day notice
AB 1482 annual cap
5% + CPI (10% max)
California Civil Code Section 827 and AB 1482
Give at least 30 days’ written notice for an increase of 10% or less in a 12-month period, and 90 days for an increase above 10%. Add 5 calendar days if you serve by mail (Code of Civil Procedure Section 1013). The new rent must also stay within the AB 1482 cap unless the unit is exempt.
How to Serve the California Rent Increase Notice
Determine the required notice period
Confirm the tenancy is month-to-month – you cannot raise rent mid-term on a fixed-term lease – and check whether AB 1482 or a stricter local ordinance applies to the unit.
Calculate the increase
Calculate the lawful increase: the lesser of 5% plus your region’s CPI change or 10% over the prior 12 months, counting no more than two increases in that period.
Prepare the written notice
Set the notice period by size: 30 days for an increase of 10% or less, 90 days for more, plus 5 days if you will serve by mail.
Serve the notice
Serve the notice by a method allowed under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162 – personal delivery, substituted service plus mail, or posting plus mail – and record the date and method.
Document and follow up
Keep a signed, dated copy and proof of service. If the tenant later disputes the increase, that record is what shows the notice period and cap were met.
Generate the California Notice
Complete the fields below to generate a California rent increase notice. The new rent and effective date must give the tenant the full statutory notice period. Service should comply with Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162; retain proof of service.
Set the effective date correctly
Count the full 30 or 90 days from when the tenant receives the notice, and add 5 calendar days if you serve by mail. An effective date that arrives before the notice period ends makes the notice defective.
1. Parties & Property
From (Landlord / Property Manager)
To (Tenant)
2. Rent Change Details
3. Notice Details
4. Signature
About This California Notice
A California rent increase notice is the written notice a landlord serves to raise the rent on a month-to-month tenancy. Since 2020 the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) has capped most annual increases, and Civil Code Section 827 has long set how much advance notice the tenant must receive. Getting both right is what makes the increase enforceable.
The AB 1482 cap in Civil Code Section 1947.12 limits a 12-month increase to the lesser of 5% plus the regional change in the cost of living or 10%, and it allows no more than two increases in that period. The cap is measured against the lowest rent charged during the prior 12 months. Some units are exempt – housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the last 15 years, and most single-family homes and condominiums that are not owned by a corporation or a real-estate investment trust – but a landlord claiming an exemption must give the tenant written notice of it. The statute is currently set to sunset on January 1, 2030.
Civil Code Section 827 sets the notice period by the size of the increase: at least 30 days for an increase of 10% or less in a 12-month period, and at least 90 days for anything above 10%. If the notice is served by mail, Code of Civil Procedure Section 1013 adds 5 calendar days, or 10 if it is mailed from outside California, so the effective date has to be pushed out accordingly. Service itself must follow Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162 – personal delivery, substituted service with a mailed copy, or posting with a mailed copy.
Local law can be stricter than the state floor. Under the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Berkeley run their own rent-control programs with lower caps and longer notice rules, and a landlord must follow whichever requirement is more protective of the tenant. A rent increase is also not a substitute for an eviction – AB 1482’s just-cause rules govern terminations separately, and an unlawful or improperly served increase simply gives the tenant a defense rather than a reason to leave. Keep the cap math, the notice, and the proof of service on file. Our how to raise rent guide covers the calculation, and screening applicants with verified reports keeps your tenancies stable so the increases you do serve actually stick.
To calculate the cap, start from the lowest rent the tenant was charged in the prior 12 months, add 5% plus the percentage change in the regional Consumer Price Index published for the area, and stop at 10% if the total runs higher. Because that CPI figure changes and differs by region, confirm the current number before you set the new rent. If the unit is exempt, the written notice of exemption must use the language the statute requires and generally must have been given in the lease or by separate notice; an exemption claimed without it does not hold. None of this replaces the screening you do at move-in – a tenant chosen for steady income and a clean payment history is the one most likely to absorb a lawful increase without a dispute.
California Statutory Requirements
- At least 30 days’ written notice for an increase of 10% or less in 12 months (Civil Code Section 827(b)).
- At least 90 days’ notice for an increase above 10%.
- Add 5 calendar days if served by mail (Code of Civil Procedure Section 1013).
- Increase within the AB 1482 cap – 5% plus regional CPI, 10% maximum – unless the unit is exempt (Civil Code Section 1947.12).
- No more than two increases in any 12-month period.
Service Methods Permitted
- Personal delivery to the tenant.
- Substituted service on a person of suitable age at the residence, plus a mailed copy.
- Posting on the unit plus a mailed copy, if the tenant cannot be found.
- Mailing adds 5 calendar days, or 10 if out of state, to the notice period (CCP Sections 1162 and 1013).
Common Mistakes
- Giving 30 days when the increase exceeds 10% and 90 are required.
- Forgetting the 5-day mail extension, so the effective date lands too early.
- Exceeding the AB 1482 cap, or serving more than two increases in 12 months.
- Improper service – skipping the mailed copy on substituted or posted service.
- Claiming an exemption without giving the tenant the required written notice of it.
Best Practices
- Check the local ordinance first – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Berkeley can cap you below the state limit.
- Document the cap math from the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months.
- State the current rent, the new rent, the effective date, and the statute on the notice.
- Serve by a Section 1162 method and keep dated proof of service.
Bottom line
In California, a rent increase is lawful only when it fits the AB 1482 cap (5% plus CPI, 10% max), gives the right notice – 30 days at or below 10%, 90 days above, plus 5 for mail – and is served under Section 1162. Miss any of those and the notice is unenforceable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice is required for a California rent increase?
California Civil Code Section 827(b) requires at least 30 days’ written notice for a rent increase of 10% or less in any 12-month period, and at least 90 days for an increase above 10%. If you serve by mail, add 5 calendar days under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1013.
Is there a cap on rent increases in California?
Yes. Under the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, Civil Code Section 1947.12), increases on covered units are capped at the lesser of 5% plus the regional change in the cost of living or 10% total over 12 months, with no more than two increases in that period. Newer buildings and most single-family homes not owned by a corporation are exempt but must receive written notice of the exemption.
How must the notice be served?
Use one of the methods in Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162: personal delivery to the tenant; substituted service on someone of suitable age at the residence plus a mailed copy; or posting on the unit plus a mailed copy. Mailing adds 5 days, or 10 if out of state, to the notice period.
What happens if the tenant doesn’t pay the new rent?
A rent increase is not, by itself, grounds for eviction. If a properly served, statute-compliant increase takes effect and the tenant pays only the old amount, the shortfall is unpaid rent you can address with a pay-or-quit notice. But if the increase was defective – wrong notice period, bad service, or over the cap – the tenant can raise that as a defense.
Can the tenant refuse the increase?
A tenant cannot veto a lawful increase but is not bound by an unlawful one. An increase that exceeds the Section 1947.12 cap, skips the required 30- or 90-day notice, or is improperly served is unenforceable, and the tenant may keep paying the prior lawful rent.
What are common mistakes that invalidate the notice?
The usual errors are giving 30 days when 90 are required, forgetting the 5-day mail extension, exceeding the AB 1482 cap, serving more than two increases in 12 months, and improper service under Section 1162. Any one of these can void the notice.
Can a landlord raise rent during a fixed-term California lease?
No. A landlord cannot raise the rent mid-term on a fixed-term lease unless the lease itself allows it. The increase takes effect when the term ends or at renewal, with the Section 827 notice and the AB 1482 cap applying to month-to-month tenancies.
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