Newer buildings and many houses follow California's limit instead: 5% plus local inflation, never more than 10% a year. In the San Francisco Bay Area that is 8.8% until Jul 31, 2027. Your address tells us which one applies.
Who can help
Get free legal helpIf your landlord won't fix it.LawHelpCA
State law applies here too. Where both cover a rental, the stricter city rule usually wins; each rule below says so.
East Palo Alto lawDepends on the building
East Palo Alto Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance of 2010 (rent stabilization)
Can my landlord raise my rent?
Yes, but only 2.0% until Jun 2027.
Rent can go up only once every 12 months, and never more than 10%.
Depends on the year the building was built.
Who it covers
Buildings completed on or before Jan 1, 1988.
Not owner-occupied buildings with 3 units or fewer.
Exemptions: Single-family dwellings (except with same tenant since before 1996); units constructed after Jan. 1, 1988; transient occupancies; care facilities; certain non-profit/resident-owned housing; voucher/government-assisted units; owner-occupied two- and three-unit properties. Mobile home spaces are governed by the 1988 Ordinance. Costa-Hawkins vacancy decontrol allows initial rent to be reset on new tenancies.
In force since
Aug 2010
Enacted
Jun 2010
Figure period
until Jun 2027
The law, word for word
“Rent increases may not exceed 10% in any 12-month period …”
East Palo Alto Mun. Code ch. 14.04 · cityofepa.org · Retrieved Oct 4, 2026
California lawDepends on the building
California Tenant Protection Act rent cap
Can my landlord raise my rent?
For most older rentals, yes: max 5% plus inflation (never over 10%).
The cap follows local inflation (April to April) and resets each August 1.
Depends on the year the building was built.
Who it covers
Not buildings less than 15 years old.
Not owner-occupied buildings with 2 units or fewer.
Covers: Residential real property generally, unless exempt.
Exemptions: Deed-restricted/subsidized affordable housing; dormitories; housing under stricter local rent control; CO issued within previous 15 years; certain separately alienable properties (single-family homes, condos) with non-corporate owners and written notice; owner-occupied duplexes.
In force since
Mar 15, 2019
Current version since
Apr 1, 2024
Set to be repealed
Jan 1, 2030
The law, word for word
“an owner of residential real property shall not, over the course of any 12-month period, increase the gross rental rate for a dwelling or a unit more than 5 percent plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower …”