How much can a landlord raise your rent?

There is no federal limit on rent increases. In California, many rentals whose certificate of occupancy is more than 15 years old can go up by no more than 5% plus regional inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower, in any 12 months. Alabama has no limit, and its law bars cities and counties from creating one. During a fixed-term lease, rent usually changes only if the lease allows it or you agree to a new amount. For every other state, see rent increase laws by state.

For increases that start between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027, the California cap is 8.2% in San Diego County and 8.6% in counties without their own index, such as Santa Cruz.

What is a normal rent increase per year?

Rents across the country rose 2.8% in the 12 months to September 2026, and 2.7% in the San Diego area, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index for rent of primary residence. That index follows the same rented homes over time, and BLS says most of the rents in its sample are paid by tenants who stay, not new leases, with each home priced every six months (BLS). So it is closer to what renewals do than to what a new listing asks. Your own increase can be well above or below it, because each landlord prices each unit. In California, a covered unit cannot go above the cap in the next section, whatever the market does. Alabama has no limit.

Rent of primary residence, all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted, September 2026, the latest month published when this page was built on 2026-10-30.

Can a landlord raise rent in the middle of a lease?

Usually not. A fixed-term lease sets the rent for its term, so it changes during the term only if the lease allows it or you agree to a new amount. Alabama's landlord-tenant law makes rent a term of the rental agreement (Ala. Code 35-9A-161). California's rule for changing rent with notice, Civil Code 827, applies to tenancies that run week to week or month to month. On a month-to-month tenancy the landlord can raise the rent, but only with written notice delivered in time, and in California only within the cap if the unit is covered. When a fixed lease ends, the landlord can offer a renewal at a new rent, which is where most increases happen. Read your lease for any clause that schedules or allows an increase.

How much can a landlord raise rent in California?

Under Civil Code 1947.12, a covered unit's rent cannot rise more than 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12 months. The cost of living is the regional consumer price index (CPI-U), or the state's California index where no regional one exists, measured as the table below shows. The rent can go up in at most two steps in 12 months for the same tenant. The cap is measured from the lowest gross rent charged in the prior 12 months. In finding that amount, any discounts, incentives, concessions or credits offered by the owner and accepted by the tenant "shall be excluded", so a free month does not lower the base. See net effective rent. If a tenant moves out, the landlord can set a new tenant's starting rent (California Attorney General).

Caps for increases starting August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027

Change = April 2025 to April 2026, or March to March where no April figure is published, as in San Diego and Riverside. Cap = 5% + the change, rounded to a tenth of a percent, at most 10%. Index levels: Department of Industrial Relations CPI table (updated 2026-10-15), matching the BLS series linked in each row. Every cap above equals the figure the California Attorney General publishes.

Which California rentals are exempt from the cap?

Civil Code 1947.12(d) lists the exemptions. Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years is exempt, unless the housing is a mobilehome, and that window rolls forward each year. A single-family home or condo that can be sold on its own is exempt only if the owner is not a corporation, a real estate investment trust, or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant was given the written exemption notice in the words the statute sets out. The exemption requires that written notice. Also exempt: deed-restricted or subsidized affordable housing, school and college dormitories, a duplex where the owner lives in the other unit, and units under a local rent control law that is stricter. Some cities add rules of their own; the Attorney General's rent cap page lists local limits. The statute is set to expire on January 1, 2030.

How much notice is required to raise rent?

In California, under Civil Code 827, a landlord raising rent on a week-to-week or month-to-month tenancy must give written notice, delivered in person or by mail. If the increase, together with any other increases in the past 12 months, is 10% or less of the rent charged during that time, the notice must arrive at least 30 days before the increase takes effect. If it is more than 10%, the notice period is 90 days. A notice mailed to an address in California adds five calendar days (Code of Civil Procedure 1013). The California Attorney General adds that a call, text or email saying the rent will go up is not enough. The landlord must still give a formal written notice. If a notice is not in writing or arrives late, the Attorney General suggests talking to a lawyer.

How much can a landlord raise rent in Alabama?

Alabama has no limit. No state statute caps rent, and Ala. Code 11-80-8.1 says a "local governmental unit" "shall not enact, maintain, or enforce" a rule that would control the rent charged for private property. Rent is set by the rental agreement; if none is agreed, the tenant owes the fair rental value (35-9A-161). There is no separate notice period for a rent increase in the statute. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended by either side with written notice at least 30 days before a rental date (35-9A-441(b)), and that section does not mention increases, so your lease governs how much notice you get. One limit does exist: under 35-9A-501, a landlord may not single you out with a rent increase because you complained to a government agency that enforces building or housing codes about a violation affecting health and safety, complained to the landlord about repairs the law requires (35-9A-204), or joined a tenants' union.

Can my landlord raise my rent $300?

In San Diego County, a $300 raise fits under the cap only if your current rent is above about $3,660 ($300 ÷ 8.2%). In counties on the California index, such as Santa Cruz, the line is about $3,490 ($300 ÷ 8.6%). Below that, a covered unit cannot take it. In Alabama there is no cap, so only your lease and notice matter. In California, compare the dollar increase with the cap for your area, measured from the lowest rent you were charged in the past 12 months. On $1,800 and $2,400 it is over 10%, which is more than any covered California unit can be raised in 12 months, and it would need 90 days' notice on a month-to-month tenancy even where the unit is exempt. On $3,200 it is 9.4%, over both current caps but under 10%, so a covered unit could not take it while an exempt one could with 30 days' notice.

Max = the largest increase in dollars a covered unit can take under the cap for San Diego County (8.2%) and counties on the California index (8.6%), for increases starting August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027.

Is it worth asking for less?

Often it is worth a message. When you leave, the landlord pays for the move: the unit sits empty while it earns nothing at market rent, it has to be cleaned and repaired before the next tenant, and it costs time or fees to list and re-let. A landlord weighing your counter against those costs may take a smaller increase from a tenant who pays on time. The strongest counter is one the landlord can check, such as comparable listings nearby asking less than the proposed rent. Our renewal tool puts numbers on each of those costs, shows its assumptions, and drafts the message. For how to word a counter, see how to negotiate rent. The landlord can still say no, so decide in advance what you will do if they do.

Built 2026-10-30. CPI data from the Department of Industrial Relations table updated 2026-10-15 (April 2026 and March 2026 index levels); rent index from BLS, September 2026. Law as read on 2026-10-30. Alabama sections were read that day from the Alabama Legislature's online Code of Alabama, which lists no amendment since enactment (35-9A: Act 2006-316; 11-80-8.1: Act 93-421). General information, not legal advice.