AB 1482: California's rent cap, in plain English

The headline rules

The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) caps annual rent increases at 5% + local CPI, with a hard ceiling of 10%. It also imposes just-cause eviction requirements for tenants in occupancy more than 12 months. Both apply automatically to most multifamily housing and many single-family rentals in California.

Both cap and just-cause expire January 1, 2030 unless renewed.

Who's covered

• Covered: Apartments, condos owned by entities (LLCs, corporations), and single-family homes owned by REITs or institutional investors.
• Exempt from cap: Single-family homes and condos owned by individuals (must give written notice to tenant). New construction certificate of occupancy issued in the last 15 years. Owner-occupied duplexes. Properties already covered by local rent control with similar protections.
• Exempt from just-cause: Same list, plus units rented less than 12 months.

How to calculate the cap

The cap formula: 5% + April-to-April change in the metro CPI-U, capped at 10%.

The 10% absolute cap means in high-CPI years (2022-2023) increases were limited to 10% even if the formula said more.

Common landlord mistakes

• Not giving the AB 1482 exemption notice in writing. Single-family rentals owned by individuals must hand-deliver the "this rental is not subject to the rent cap" notice to qualify for the exemption. Skip it and you are covered by default.
• Raising more than once in 12 months. Cumulative caps apply. Two 4% increases in the same year is a violation.
• Trying to evict without "just cause" on a tenant past month 12. Even a no-cause notice requires relocation assistance equal to one month's rent.
• Misreading "new construction" as the year built. It is the certificate-of-occupancy date, not the year built or the renovation date.

For the exact regulatory text and recent attorney-general guidance: calandlordlaws.com/rent-control.