Key Takeaways
- AB 1482 does two things: caps rent increases at 5% plus inflation (10% max) and requires a legal reason to evict you.
- It is still in effect and currently scheduled to run until January 1, 2030 unless lawmakers extend it.
- Coverage is not all-or-nothing. Some homes are exempt from both parts, some from only one.
- Your landlord owes you a written notice either way, saying the law applies or saying the home is exempt.
- Missing exemption notice? The exemption may fail. This is the single most useful thing to check.
- Your city can protect you more, and where it does, the local rule wins.
What this guide covers
If you have been searching for AB 1482, you have probably hit the actual bill text: pages of legal language, cross-references, and definitions. Plenty of people read it and come away less sure than when they started.
So here it is in normal words. What the law does, whether it covers your home, and the one thing in your lease worth checking today.
What AB 1482 Is
The two protections: the rent cap and just cause
AB 1482 is the Tenant Protection Act of 2019. It gives covered California renters two things:
- A rent cap. Increases limited to 5% plus regional inflation, never more than 10% in a 12-month period.
- Just cause protection. After 12 months in the home, your landlord needs a legal reason from a set list to end your tenancy.
Both matter, and they work together. Without the cap, a landlord who could not evict you could simply price you out.
The civil code sections behind it
AB 1482 was the bill. Once passed, it became two sections of the California Civil Code:
- Civil Code 1946.2 is the just cause part
- Civil Code 1947.12 is the rent cap part
You will see both cited in leases and notices. If you see either number in your lease, that is the law being referenced.
Is AB 1482 still in effect?
Yes. It has been in force since January 1, 2020 and it is still law today.
It has been amended along the way. The most significant change was SB 567 in 2024, which tightened the rules on owner move-in and remodel evictions and added penalties when landlords use those reasons in bad faith.
The act does have an expiration date built in. It is currently scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2030 unless lawmakers extend it, which they may well do. Until then, it applies.
Who Is Covered (and Who Is Not)
Coverage is the part almost everyone gets wrong, because people assume it is all or nothing. It is not. A home can be exempt from one protection and still have the other.
| Type of home | Rent cap | Just cause |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment over 15 years old | Covered | Covered after 12 months |
| Built in the last 15 years | Exempt | Exempt |
| Single-family home, exemption notice in lease | Exempt | Exempt |
| Single-family home, no exemption notice | May be covered | May be covered |
| Owner-occupied duplex | Exempt | Exempt |
| Deed-restricted affordable housing | Often exempt | Often has its own rules |
| Covered home, under 12 months | Covered | Not yet |
Exempt from both protections
Housing built within the last 15 years, which rolls forward each year. Owner-occupied duplexes. Shared housing where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner. Dorms, hotels and short stays, hospitals and care facilities. Single-family homes and condos that meet both exemption conditions below.
Exempt from the rent cap only
Some deed-restricted affordable housing is exempt from the cap because its rent is already limited by other rules, while still carrying other protections. Certain local rent control situations also interact this way, with the local cap applying instead of the state one.
Exempt from just cause only
The most common version of this is simply time. If you have lived in a covered home for less than 12 months, the rent cap can apply to you while just cause protection has not started yet.
The single-family home exemption’s two conditions
Go look at your lease. It takes two minutes.
A single-family home or condo is exempt only if both are true:
1. Ownership. The owner is not a corporation, a real estate investment trust, or an LLC with a corporate member. An individual person or a family trust can qualify; a company usually cannot.
2. Written notice. Your lease contains specific written notice telling you the property is exempt from these protections.
Both are required. If the notice is missing from your lease, the exemption may not hold, which means the cap and just cause rules may protect you after all.
Search your lease and every addendum for “1946.2”, “1947.12”, or “exempt”. Nothing there? That is worth a conversation with legal aid or your local rent board.
The Notices Your Landlord Must Give You
The applicability notice for covered units
If your home is covered, your landlord is supposed to give you written notice saying so. It usually appears in the lease or as an addendum, and it explains that the rent cap and just cause rules apply.
Not receiving it does not remove your protection. The law applies whether or not your landlord told you about it.
The exemption notice, and what its absence means
If your landlord is claiming the single-family or condo exemption, the required written notice has to be in your lease. This is where it gets interesting for renters.
A landlord who never included that notice, and then tries to raise your rent above the cap or end your tenancy without a reason, may not be able to rely on the exemption. It is one of the most commonly missed steps by smaller landlords.
Check your lease: a walkthrough
- Find your lease and every addendum, including anything signed at renewal
- Search the text for “1946.2”, “1947.12”, “Tenant Protection”, or “exempt”
- Found an exemption notice? Then check condition one: who owns the property? A company name on your rent checks is a clue worth following
- Found an applicability notice instead? You are covered, and your landlord has confirmed it in writing
- Found nothing at all? Note that, keep your lease safe, and mention it when you get advice
Whatever you find, take a photo of the relevant page. It is small, and it can matter a lot.
Struggling with rent while you work this out?
A free two-minute check shows which California programs may help in your county. No cost, no credit card.
Check My Eligibility FreeThe Rent Cap in Brief
The formula and the once-a-year rule
Where the cap applies, increases are limited to 5% plus your regional inflation figure, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12-month period. The cap applies to the total, so a landlord cannot get around it with several smaller increases.
Notice rules apply either way: 30 days for increases of 10% or less, 90 days for anything higher.
The math, worked examples, and how to find your regional figure are all in our California rent control guide.
Just Cause in Brief
The 12-month rule and the cause categories
After 12 months in a covered home, your landlord needs a legal reason to end your tenancy. Reasons split into at-fault, meaning something you did such as not paying rent or breaking the lease, and no-fault, meaning the owner is moving in, taking the place off the market, or doing a major remodel.
No-fault reasons come with relocation help worth one month’s rent, paid to you or waived from your final month. Full detail in just cause eviction California.
How AB 1482 Interacts With Local Laws
Stronger local ordinances still win
AB 1482 is a floor, not a ceiling. Cities can and do go further.
Local rent control in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Santa Monica usually allows much smaller increases than the state cap. Local just cause ordinances often cover buildings the state law exempts, and can require more relocation money.
Where the local rule protects you more, that is the one that applies. So if you live in a rent-controlled city, check the local rules first and treat AB 1482 as the backstop.
If Your Landlord Violates AB 1482
Over-cap increases
Work out the percentage, confirm your home is covered, then write to your landlord setting out what you believe the lawful amount is. Many increases are honest mistakes and get corrected right there.
If not, contact your local rent board if you have one, your city or county housing department, or legal aid. Be cautious about simply paying the old amount, because if you have the coverage question wrong you become a tenant behind on rent.
Evictions without cause
If your home is covered and the notice gives no legal reason, or a reason not on the list, that is a defense you raise in your written court Answer. You get 10 court days from being served to file it, and a court self-help center will help you free of charge.
Also check whether relocation money was offered on a no-fault notice. Missing it can be a defect.
Remedies and where to complain
- Local rent board if your city has one. They investigate and can order corrections.
- City or county housing department for local ordinance violations.
- Legal aid for advice and representation if you qualify on income.
- Court, by raising it as a defense in an eviction case, or in small claims for money owed.
- Damages under SB 567 if a no-fault reason turned out to be false, such as an owner who never moved in.
Where to Get Help
Rent boards, legal aid, and official resources
Local rent boards know exactly which units are covered and what this year’s allowable increase is. Legal aid organizations help income-qualifying renters free. Court self-help centers are free for everyone. The California Attorney General’s office publishes renter rights information, and many city housing departments publish their own AB 1482 FAQs.
California rental assistance programs
Dial 211 for local referrals. A free eligibility check against 100+ rent assistance California programs takes about two minutes and a real person calls within 24 hours.
Related: California tenant rights and California eviction laws.
AB 1482 FAQ
What exempts a property from AB 1482?
The main exemptions are housing built within the last 15 years, single-family homes and condos where the owner is not a corporate entity and the required exemption notice appears in the lease, owner-occupied duplexes, shared housing where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, dorms, hotels, and care facilities. Some deed-restricted affordable housing is exempt from the rent cap while keeping other protections. The single-family exemption is the one worth checking closely, because both conditions must be met.
What is the AB 1482 disclosure?
It is the written notice your landlord is supposed to give you about the law. There are two versions. If your home is covered, you should receive notice saying the rent cap and just cause rules apply. If your landlord is claiming the single-family or condo exemption, the lease must contain specific written notice saying the property is exempt. That second one matters most: if it is missing, your landlord may not be able to rely on the exemption at all.
Is AB 1482 still in effect?
Yes. It has applied since January 1, 2020 and remains law. It was strengthened in 2024 by SB 567, which tightened owner move-in and remodel evictions and added penalties for bad-faith use. The act is currently scheduled to expire on January 1, 2030 unless lawmakers extend it. Until then it applies, and separately your city’s own rules may protect you regardless of what happens to the state law.
Does AB 1482 apply to single-family homes?
Sometimes. A single-family home or condo is exempt only if the owner is not a corporation, real estate investment trust, or LLC with a corporate member, and your lease contains the required written exemption notice. If either condition is missing, the home may be covered. So a single-family home owned by a company is generally covered, and one owned by an individual whose lease never mentioned the exemption may also be covered. Read your lease before assuming you have no protection.
What civil code is AB 1482?
AB 1482 was the bill number. Once it passed it became two sections of the California Civil Code: section 1946.2, which contains the just cause eviction rules, and section 1947.12, which contains the rent cap. If you see either number in your lease, a rent increase notice, or an eviction notice, that is this law being referenced.