What Is AB 1482?
Assembly Bill 1482, the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019, is California’s statewide rent cap and just cause eviction law. It went into effect on January 1, 2020, and applies to most residential rental properties in California.
If you’re a landlord in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, the Bay Area, or anywhere else in California, AB 1482 almost certainly affects your properties. Understanding it isn’t optional — it’s a legal requirement that carries real penalties for non-compliance. If you’re self-managing your rental properties, staying on top of these rules is part of the job.
The Two Key Provisions
1. Rent Cap: How Much You Can Raise Rent
AB 1482 limits annual rent increases to the lesser of:
- 5% + local CPI (Consumer Price Index), or
- 10%
This means your maximum allowable rent increase depends on your local area’s inflation rate. Here’s how that works in practice:
| Region | CPI (2025 example) | Max Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | 3.2% | 8.2% (5% + 3.2%) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 3.8% | 8.8% (5% + 3.8%) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 3.5% | 8.5% (5% + 3.5%) |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 4.1% | 9.1% (5% + 4.1%) |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 5.5% | 10% (capped) |
Important: The CPI used is the April-to-April change for your region, published annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means your allowable increase changes every year.
2. Just Cause Eviction
After a tenant has occupied a unit for 12 months (or 24 months from the start of the tenancy after April 1, 2024), you can only terminate their tenancy for specific reasons. These fall into two categories:
At-fault just cause (tenant did something wrong):
- Nonpayment of rent
- Breach of lease terms
- Nuisance or criminal activity
- Refusal to sign a comparable lease renewal
- Refusal to allow the landlord legal access
- Subletting in violation of the lease
No-fault just cause (not the tenant’s fault — requires relocation assistance):
- Owner move-in (you or an immediate family member)
- Withdrawal from the rental market (Ellis Act)
- Substantial remodel requiring tenant to vacate
- Compliance with a government order
Relocation assistance for no-fault evictions: You must provide one month’s rent in relocation assistance OR waive the final month’s rent.
What Properties Are Exempt?
AB 1482 does NOT apply to:
- Single-family homes and condos — but ONLY if the owner is not a corporation, REIT, or LLC with a corporate member, AND you’ve provided the required exemption notice to the tenant
- Properties built within the last 15 years (rolling window — so a property built in 2012 was exempt until 2027)
- Duplexes where the owner lives in one unit (owner-occupied duplex exemption)
- Affordable housing with deed restrictions
- Properties already covered by stricter local rent control (e.g., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Oakland, West Hollywood)
Critical requirement for single-family home exemption: You must provide written notice to the tenant (as specified in Civil Code §1946.2(e)) stating that the property is exempt. If you don’t provide this notice, the exemption doesn’t apply — even if the property otherwise qualifies.
How to Calculate Your Maximum Rent Increase
Follow these steps:
- Determine your CPI region — California uses regional CPI data. Sacramento, LA, SF, San Diego, and Riverside each have their own CPI.
- Find the April-to-April CPI change — Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Your local apartment association (SRHA, CAA) usually publishes this prominently each year.
- Calculate: 5% + CPI — If the result exceeds 10%, your cap is 10%.
- Check for local rent control — If your city has its own rent control ordinance, you must follow whichever is stricter.
- Verify the 12-month rule — You can only increase rent once per 12-month period.
Example Calculation (Sacramento, 2026)
Current rent: $1,800/month
Sacramento CPI (April 2025–April 2026): 3.4%
Maximum increase: 5% + 3.4% = 8.4%
Maximum new rent: $1,800 × 1.084 = $1,951.20
Maximum dollar increase: $151.20/month
Notice Requirements
When raising rent, California law requires:
- 30 days’ written notice for increases of 10% or less
- 90 days’ written notice for increases greater than 10% (which would only apply if allowed by a local ordinance pre-dating AB 1482)
The notice must be served properly — personal delivery, substituted service, or first-class mail (which adds 5 days to the notice period).
Penalties for Non-Compliance
AB 1482 violations can be costly:
- Rent overcharges — Tenants can recover excess rent paid, plus potential punitive damages
- Wrongful eviction — Actual damages, plus potential punitive damages, plus attorney’s fees
- Missing exemption notice — Losing your single-family home exemption, meaning AB 1482 applies retroactively
Local Rent Control: Know Your City
Several California cities have rent control ordinances that are stricter than AB 1482. If your property is in one of these cities, you must follow the local ordinance:
| City | Allowable Increase (typical) | Key Difference from AB 1482 |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | City follows AB 1482 (no separate ordinance as of 2026) | — |
| Los Angeles | 3–8% (varies by year) | Stricter; covers more property types |
| San Francisco | ~2.3% (based on CPI) | Much stricter; no 5% base |
| Oakland | CPI only (no base %) | Stricter; includes banking restrictions |
| San Jose | 5% cap | Flat cap, not tied to CPI |
| Berkeley | ~1–3% | Among the strictest in the state |
Best Practices for AB 1482 Compliance
- Track your CPI annually — Set a calendar reminder for May (when April CPI data is published) to calculate your new maximum allowable increase.
- Document everything — Keep copies of all rent increase notices, exemption notices, and delivery confirmations.
- Use compliant notice templates — Don’t draft rent increase notices from scratch. Use templates from your apartment association or lease management software.
- Track the 12-month rule — Note the date of each rent increase. You cannot increase rent again within 12 months.
- Know your exemptions — If your property qualifies for an exemption, serve the required notice BEFORE any tenancy begins.
- Monitor local ordinances — Cities can adopt or change their own rent control rules. Automated compliance monitoring tracks these changes for you.
- Consult an attorney for evictions — Just cause eviction requirements are nuanced. An hour of legal consultation is worth it before serving any termination notice.
AB 1482 Sunset Date
AB 1482 was originally set to expire on January 1, 2030. However, AB 12 (2024) extended the Tenant Protection Act through January 1, 2035. Landlords should plan for AB 1482 compliance as a long-term reality, not a temporary measure.
Stay Compliant Without the Stress
The biggest risk for California landlords isn’t the rent cap itself — it’s not knowing the rules have changed. This is one reason many owners weigh the cost of hiring a property manager against self-managing — but with the right tools, compliance doesn’t have to be the deciding factor. CPI numbers change annually. Cities can adopt new ordinances. Court decisions can reinterpret existing law.
LeaseBase tracks AB 1482 compliance automatically for each of your properties — including your local CPI, maximum allowable increase, notice deadlines, and any local ordinance changes. You see a clear dashboard instead of guessing whether you’re compliant.