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Albany · Renting & eviction

Rent increases in Albany

City rule: a tenant may request review when increases total over 5% above base rent in 12 months; the increase is not delayed. State law caps rent increases on covered units at 8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

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Key points

  • Rent review: City rule: a tenant may request review when increases total over 5% above base rent in 12 months; the increase is not delayed.
  • Rent cap: State law caps rent increases on covered units at 8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

Each rule below links to the section of the Albany Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Albany's code says

Albany code What Albany's code adds
Units covered
  • Any housing unit offered for rent or lease in the City.
    Applies: Rent Review Program: tenants can request conciliation and mediation of an increase; the Rent Review Officer only recommends a resolution.
    § 5-25 · code text
    Means any housing unit offered for rent or lease in the City.
  • Not covered: units with a recorded regulatory agreement requiring rent to tenants at set income levels.
    Applies: Rent Review Program.
    § 5-25 · code text
    Residential property shall exclude any housing unit that is subject to a recorded regulatory agreement that requires that the housing unit be rented to a tenant at specified income levels as defined by the regulatory agreement.
  • Not covered: units outside the City's authority, such as University of California student or faculty housing and federally owned housing.
    Applies: Rent Review Program.
    § 5-25 · code text
    Additionally, residential property shall exclude any housing unit which is outside the scope of the City's regulatory authority, including but not limited to any housing unit owned by the University of California and utilized for student or faculty housing, as well as any housing unit owned by the federal government.
Petitions and pass-throughs
  • A tenant may request review, including conciliation and mediation, when an increase raises rent more than 5% above base rent.
    Applies: Request in writing to the Director within 15 calendar days of the increase notice. A review request does not delay the increase.
    § 5-25 · code text
    Raises the rent to an amount more than five (5%) percent above the base rent;
  • A tenant may request review, including conciliation and mediation, when increases in 12 months total over 5% above base rent.
    Applies: Base rent is rent before the first increase in those 12 months. Written request within 15 calendar days of notice; the increase is not delayed.
    § 5-25 · code text
    Follows a prior rent increase or rent increases within the previous twelve-month period where the combined rent increases are more than five (5%) percent above the base rent paid prior to the first rent increase of the twelve-month period.

Also in Albany's code: Rent Review Program (§ 5-25). This page does not summarize it yet.

The California rule underneath

Where Albany's rule above does not cover a situation, state law still applies. For the statewide rule on its own, see California's statewide rent cap.

CA state law The statewide rule underneath
Rent cap right now
8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.8% inflation)
Applies: Covered units only. Inflation is the BLS consumer price index for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area, April to April, as the statute requires; the figure is recomputed every year.
Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), (g)
Statewide rent increase cap (AB 1482)
5% plus the change in cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12 months
Applies: Covered units only; measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months.
Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1)
Number of rent increases
No more than two increases in any 12-month period
Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(2)
Rent cap — new construction exemption
Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years is exempt (rolling)
Applies: Mobilehomes excepted.
Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(4)
Rent cap — single-family home or condo exemption
A home or condo that can be sold on its own is exempt when the owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant was given the written exemption notice
Applies: The same exemption applies to the just-cause rule (§ 1946.2(e)(8)).
Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(5)
Rent cap — owner-occupied duplex exemption
A duplex in one building is exempt when the owner lived in the other unit at the start of the tenancy and still does, unless either unit is an ADU or JADU
Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(6)
New tenancy resets the rent
When no prior tenant remains, the owner may set the initial rent; the cap applies to later increases
Civ. Code § 1947.12(b)
Rent cap sunset
§ 1947.12 is repealed on January 1, 2030 unless extended
Civ. Code § 1947.12(o)

Who this affects

TenantsLandlordsProperty managers

Frequently asked questions

How much can rent go up in Albany?

City rule: a tenant may request review when increases total over 5% above base rent in 12 months; the increase is not delayed. State law caps rent increases on covered units at 8.8% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

General information, not legal advice.

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More on renting & eviction in Albany

All renting & eviction rules in Albany

California's statewide rent cap

Albany Municipal Code — full text