East Palo Alto, 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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East Palo Alto regulates covered rents and tenancy filings
East Palo Altohigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 42 days ago.

East Palo Alto's Rent Stabilization Ordinance limits increases for covered units and requires the programme's annual registration and tenancy-change filings.

Use the city's applicability rules and registry to establish the unit's coverage, lawful rent and current increase ceiling.

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

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 59 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 — 59 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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East Palo Alto requires just cause for covered terminations
East Palo Altohigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 42 days ago.

East Palo Alto's Rent Stabilization Ordinance requires an authorised cause and the programme's filing process for terminating a covered tenancy.

Confirm registration, tenancy status, the stated termination ground and required filing before relying on vacancy.

Exemptions

  • The city's applicability rules retain unit- and tenancy-specific exceptions that require a Rent Program check.

Rental registration

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East Palo Alto requires annual registration and tenancy-change filings
East Palo Altohigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 42 days ago.

Landlords of regulated units register annually and file the Rent Program's required tenancy-change information.

Confirm current registration, lawful rent, tenancy status and every claimed exemption before closing.

Other

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

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 59 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%