Rent control in Berkeley, CA

2 rules apply — the local one first, then the county and state rules that bind alongside it.

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

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 1 day 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 — 18 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.

Exemptions

  • Housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years.
  • An owner-occupied duplex is exempt when the owner occupied one unit as their principal residence at the tenancy's start and remains there.
  • A separately alienable single-family home or condominium is exempt only when the owner is not a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member and the tenant received the statutory exemption notice.
Annual cap
10%
Owner-occupied exemption
Yes

In effect since 2020-01-01.

Sources

Every rule for Berkeley, CA