Richmond, 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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Richmond controls qualifying pre-February-1995 multi-unit rents
Richmondhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 45 days ago.

Richmond limits annual increases for qualifying multi-unit rental property built before February 1995 and publishes the annual general adjustment.

The rent ceiling reaches qualifying multi-unit property, including small multifamily buildings.

Verify the tenancy's controlled status, base rent and current annual adjustment in Rent Program records.

Unit counts
2+ units
Construction
Built before 1996
AB 1482 caps increases at 5% plus CPI, to a 10% ceiling
Californiamedium confidence

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 62 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 — 62 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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Richmond adds local just-cause protections
Richmondhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 45 days ago.

Richmond's Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction, and Homeowner Protection Ordinance requires an authorised cause and the local notice process for covered tenancy terminations.

Establish the unit's local coverage and the permitted termination ground before relying on the statewide regime or underwriting a vacancy.

Exemptions

  • The ordinance retains property- and tenancy-specific exemptions that must be checked in the Rent Program record.

Rental registration

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Richmond enrolls rental property and registers controlled tenancies
Richmondhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 45 days ago.

Richmond requires rental properties to enroll with the Rent Program and requires controlled tenancies to maintain the programme's registration record.

Property enrollment reaches rental housing broadly; controlled-tenancy registration carries the narrower rent-control scope.

Confirm both the property enrollment and each controlled tenancy rather than treating one as proof of the other.

Unit counts
1+ units

Other

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

Verified on 2026-08-01 — 62 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%