Click the questions below to expand.

What is AB 1482? +

AB 1482 is a statewide law that protects tenants by:

Limiting the amount your landlord can increase rent in a single year to prevent excessive rent increases.
Requiring your landlord to have and state a fair reason if he/she wants to evict you after you have lived at the property for a year (also known as “Just Cause” eviction protection).

Is my unit covered by AB 1482? +

Most rental units are covered by AB 1482, including:

Most apartments. If you live in a newer building built after 2005, however, AB 1482 will not apply to you.
Duplexes built before 2005 if the owner of the duplex does not live in the duplex.
Single-family homes built before 2005 if a corporation owns the home.

Certain rental units are covered by AB 1482’s protections against rent gouging, but aren’t covered by AB 1482’s protections against arbitrary evictions:

Single-family homes where the landlord also lives there and rents out two or fewer units on the property.
Any housing where the landlord lives in the unit and the tenants share a bathroom and kitchen with the landlord (like if the tenant is a lodger).

Some units aren’t covered by AB 1482 at all:

Any housing—including apartments—built within the last 15 years (after 2005).
Units that are already covered by a rent-control or “just cause” law. In Santa Clara County, this includes some units in San Jose and Mountain View.
Duplexes if the owner lives in the duplex.
Hotels, hostels, or other short-term housing.
Student dormitories.

If my unit is covered by AB 1482, how much can my rent be increased? And for what reason? +

In most parts of California, if your unit is covered by AB 1482 the most that your landlord can increase your rent during one year is by 5% + CPI (CPI is the Consumer Price Index, which reflects overall inflation) or in Santa Clara County, by 6.0% or 10%—whichever is lower. Generally, this law means your landlord cannot raise the rent more than 6.0% per year. The law allows your landlord to give you up to two rent increases a year, but the total rent increase can’t exceed the limit in AB 1482.

For example: If your rent is $1,000, the most your landlord could raise your rent is roughly $60 annually. Your landlord could give you up to two rent increases in a year, but they cannot exceed $60.

If my unit is covered by AB 1482, can the landlord evict me? For what reason? +

If you are a tenant and your unit is covered by AB 1482, and you have lived there longer than a year, your landlord must give you a reason before evicting you.
If you have lived there less than a year, your landlord only has to give you a 30-day notice. They don’t have to list a reason for evicting you on that notice.

AB 1482 lists the reasons that your landlord can give to evict you:

Failure to pay the rent.
Violating the lease.
Being a nuisance.
Damaging the property, thereby reducing its value.
Refusing to sign a lease extension or renewal—provided the lease is of similar duration and with similar provisions as the previous lease.
Criminal activity on the residence or criminal activity/threat directed at the landlord or agent of the landlord.
Subletting when your lease doesn’t allow it.
Refusing to let the landlord enter the unit to make repairs, when there is an emergency, when the tenant abandons the property, or when there is a court order.
Using the property for illegal purposes.
Failing to leave employer-provided housing when the tenant was terminated as an employee, licensee, or agent of the landlord.
Failing to leave in the time promised after they had provided written notice of their intent to vacate the property, or after an offer to surrender the property is accepted by the landlord.

Additionally, a landlord can evict for the following reasons that are not a tenant’s fault. In those cases, the tenant is entitled to relocation assistance of one month’s rent and/or waiving the final month’s rent within 15 days of the notice.

The landlord wants to move in or have a family member move in.
The landlord wants to take the building off of the rental housing market per the Ellis Act.
To comply with a government order (such as a court order or a code enforcement order).
Substantial rehabilitation to repair the property for at least 30 days.

When did AB 1482 go into effect? +

Generally, the protections went into effect on January 1, 2020. However, some of the protections against excessive rent increases started from March 15, 2019. Any rent increase after March 15, 2019 should have been less than the rent limits. If any rent increase was above the limit, the rent starting on January 1, 2020 should be the rent on March 15, 2019 plus the allowable increase under AB 1482.

In this scenario, however, the landlord doesn’t have to give the tenant back any money the tenant may have paid over the increase allowed by AB 1482 before the rent was reset on January 1, 2020. For example: My rent is $1,000. My landlord gave me a $100 rent increase in June 2019, which is above the rent limits of AB 1482. Starting on January 1, 2020, my rent would go to $1,083, which is roughly the limit allowed by AB 1482.

What if my unit is not covered by AB 1482, can the landlord raise my rent? +

Yes. Generally, your landlord can increase the rent. If the increase is less than 10%, they must give you a 30-day notice of the rent increase. If it’s more than 10%, your landlord must give you at least a 60-day notice of the rent increase.

If my unit is not covered by AB 1482, can my landlord evict me? And for what reasons? +

Generally, if your unit is not covered by AB 1482, your landlord can evict you by giving you a 30-day notice if you have lived in your unit for less than a year. If you have lived there longer than a year, they can evict you by giving you a 60-day notice.

When does the law expire? +

The law expires on January 1, 2030.

I live in San Jose. What laws apply to me? +

You may live in a building in San Jose covered by San Jose’s Apartment Rent Ordinance or Tenant Protection Ordinance. Since these laws are more protective, AB 1482 may not apply to you. San Jose’s Apartment Rent Ordinance protects San Jose residents who live in apartment buildings with 3 or more units built before 1979. If you live in one of these units, your rents can only be increased by 5% a year.

San Jose’s Tenant Protection Ordinance covers most San Jose residents who live in apartments. This law means that a landlord must give you a reason before they can evict you. These are generally more protective than state law. You can learn more by going to the City of San Jose’s Housing Department’s website.

I live in Mountain View. What laws apply to me? +

You may live in a building in Mountain View where Mountain View’s Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act applies. Since these laws are more protective, AB 1482 may not apply to you.

Mountain View’s Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act protects Mountain View residents who live in apartment units built before 1995. If you live in one of those units, your rents can only be increased to account for inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index). In 2020, that is 2.9%.

Most Mountain View residents who live in apartments are covered by Mountain View’s Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act. This law means that a landlord must give you a reason before they can evict you. These reasons are generally more protective than state law. You can learn more by going to the City of Mountain View’s website.

What if my landlord increased my rent before January 1, 2020 and it is above the limits of AB 1482? +

You still have to pay your increased rent as long as the landlord gave you a 30-day written notice if the rent increase was below 10% or a 60-day written notice if the rent increase was above 10%. Not paying your rent will put you at risk for eviction. On January 1, 2020, your rent should have gone back to the amount it was at on March 15, 2019 plus the allowable increase for 2019 of 8.3%.

What do I do if I have questions? +

If you are in Santa Clara County, call the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley at (408) 280-2424.