Berkeley, CA — landlord and rental rules

6 rules across 5 topics, including the county and state rules that bind here. Last verified 2026-08-18.

Rent controlVacancy decontrolJust-cause evictionRental registrationOther

Rent control

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Berkeley controls most pre-June-1980 multifamily rentals
Berkeleyhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 39 days ago.

Berkeley's Rent Ordinance fully covers most units in multifamily properties built before June 1980; separately alienable homes and newer construction are commonly only partially covered.

Berkeley has tenancy- and property-specific exceptions, including historic single-family tenancies and owner-occupied duplex/ADU rules. Use the Rent Board coverage lookup rather than inferring from type alone.

Exemptions

  • Most post-June-1980 new construction is outside the local rent ceiling.
  • Most single-family homes and condominiums are partially covered rather than rent controlled.
Construction
Built before 1981

Sources

AB 1482 caps increases at 5% plus CPI, to a 10% ceiling
Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 56 days ago.

The Tenant Protection Act caps annual rent increases at 5% plus CPI, with a hard ceiling of 10%, on housing built more than 15 years ago.

The 15-year window rolls forward, so a building drifts into coverage with age rather than being fixed by its construction date at purchase.

Annual cap
10%
Construction
Built before 2011

In effect since 2020-01-01.

Sources

  • California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) — Cal. Civ. Code §1946.2, §1947.12

Vacancy decontrol

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Costa-Hawkins preserves vacancy decontrol
Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 56 days ago.

Costa-Hawkins exempts post-1995 construction and single-family homes and condominiums from *local* rent control, and preserves the landlord's right to reset rent to market on vacancy.

It does not help at the affordable end, because affordable stock is old stock: the buildings a small investor can actually buy are usually the ones Costa-Hawkins does not exempt.

Vacancy decontrol
Yes — rent resets on vacancy
Construction
Built after 1995

Sources

  • Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act — Cal. Civ. Code §1954.50 et seq.

Just-cause eviction

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Berkeley just cause reaches most fully and partially covered rentals
Berkeleyhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 39 days ago.

Berkeley requires a cause listed in its Rent Ordinance to terminate most covered tenancies, including many newer units, single-family homes, and condominiums outside the local rent ceiling.

Most fully and partially covered rentals receive just-cause protection; narrow owner-shared and historic duplex/ADU exemptions require property-specific review.

Unit counts
1+ units

Sources

Rental registration

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Berkeley requires registration of fully and partially covered units
Berkeleyhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 39 days ago.

Owners register most fully and partially covered rental units with the Berkeley Rent Board and pay the applicable annual fee.

Registration reaches many units exempt from the local rent ceiling, including newer construction, single-family homes, and condominiums.

Use the Rent Board address lookup because full, partial, and no coverage carry different duties; owner-shared units, historic owner-occupied duplexes, qualifying owner-occupied ADUs and other stated classes can have no coverage.

Unit counts
1+ units

Sources

Other

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Insurance is a live underwriting problem, not a line item
Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 56 days ago.

FAIR Plan policies are up 139% since 2021, habitability claims are now commonly excluded, and earthquake cover is excluded from every standard policy.

Get a bindable quote before removing contingencies. An insurance assumption carried over from another state is the single largest silent error in a California pro forma.

Fair plan increase since2021
139%