Alameda property owners are now working under two separate rent increase ceilings for the 2026-2027 cycle, and which one applies depends on when a building was built. Units in properties with two or more units on one lot built before February 1, 1995 are capped at a 2.7% Annual General Adjustment, effective September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Properties that fall outside the city's local rent control, including most built after that date, are instead governed by the state's AB 1482 cap, which rose to 8.8% for the year beginning August 1, 2026. A separate ordinance adopted this spring also rewrote several of the procedural rules owners have to follow, regardless of which cap governs their rent.
Key takeaways
- Alameda's 2026-2027 Annual General Adjustment is 2.7%, capping rent increases on properties with two or more units built before February 1, 1995, from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.
- Properties outside local rent control, generally those built after February 1995 or otherwise exempt, fall under the statewide AB 1482 cap, which rose to 8.8% for August 2026 through July 2027, up from 6.3% the year before.
- Ordinance No. 3398, adopted April 21, 2026, bars an owner move-in eviction when a comparable vacant unit exists on the same property and requires a 24-month gap between owner move-ins there.
- The same ordinance added new filing deadlines: buyout agreements within three business days, property transfer notices within 30 days of closing escrow, and new tenancy registrations within 30 days.
- Owners can no longer raise rent, or impose any utility or capital improvement pass-through, more than once every 12 months, or within 12 months of a tenancy's start.
What is Alameda's rent increase cap for 2026-2027?
The Annual General Adjustment, or AGA, is the yearly cap on rent increases under Alameda's local rent ordinance (Alameda Municipal Code Chapter VI, Article XV). It applies to residential units in properties with two or more units on a single legal lot that were built before February 1, 1995, which covers most of the city's older duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings.
The formula is fixed in the ordinance: 70% of the change in a regional cost-of-living index over the 12 months ending in April, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, with a floor of 1% and a ceiling of 5% regardless of how inflation moves. For the cycle running September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027, that calculation produced a 2.7% cap, toward the lower half of the ordinance's allowed range.
If a duplex in Alameda was built in the 1960s and both units are tenant-occupied, the maximum allowable increase on an existing tenancy during this cycle is 2.7%, absent a separately approved petition for a capital improvement pass-through or a comparable exception. The city's Rent Program publishes the AGA each year and is the authoritative source for the current figure.
Does AB 1482 apply instead of the local cap?
Not every rental in Alameda falls under the AGA. The statewide Tenant Protection Act, AB 1482, covers properties that sit outside Alameda's local rent control: most buildings completed after February 1, 1995 once they reach 15 years old on a rolling basis, three-or-more-unit properties not otherwise covered, certain two-unit arrangements where the second unit isn't owner-occupied, and single-family homes or condos owned by a corporation, REIT or an LLC with a corporate member (unless the owner provided the required exemption notice to the tenant).
AB 1482's formula differs from the local one: the lower of 10%, or 5% plus a regional cost-of-living adjustment. For August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026, that produced a 6.3% cap. For the cycle beginning August 1, 2026, the figure rose to 8.8%, reflecting a higher year-over-year change in the regional index the state uses. That is a larger jump than the local AGA saw over the same stretch, which is a useful reminder that the two caps move independently and an owner needs to know which one governs a given unit before sending a rent increase notice.
One rule holds regardless of which cap applies: Alameda's just-cause eviction protections cover every rental property in the city, not only the ones subject to the local rent cap. A property exempt from the AGA under Costa-Hawkins or AB 1482 is still subject to Alameda's eviction rules.
What Ordinance 3398 changes for owners
The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 3398 on April 21, 2026, amending the rent ordinance to align it with current Rent Program practice and close gaps that had come up in administration. Unlike the AGA, which resets every September, these changes affect day-to-day property management regardless of the calendar.
The most consequential change is to owner move-in evictions. An owner can no longer recover a unit for their own occupancy if a comparable vacant unit already exists on the same property, unless a disability-related accommodation specifically requires the occupied unit and the vacant one won't work. After one owner move-in, the ordinance now requires a 24-month wait before another move-in eviction at the same property, again with a narrow disability exception.
Relocation and buyout procedures were tightened as well. When a tenant has to vacate for health or safety reasons, the owner must provide written notice of relocation-payment entitlement within three business days. A tenant displaced for more than seven days can elect to end the tenancy and collect a permanent relocation payment rather than returning. Buyout agreements now have a hard filing deadline: owners must submit the signed agreement to the Rent Program Administrator within three business days and give the tenant a signed copy.
Reporting obligations expanded across the board. Owners must now file, among other items, annual registration statements, transfer notices within 30 days of escrow closing, registration of any new tenancy within 30 days, and copies of relocation-related rent increase notices within three days. An owner who unlawfully terminates a tenancy has to report the outcome to the Rent Program within 10 days. On the relief side, a unit left vacant for an entire fiscal year is now exempt from the program fee for that year.
Two more changes matter for routine operations. Rent cannot be raised, and no pass-through imposed, more than once in any 12-month period, or within 12 months of a tenancy starting. And when a rent petition does reach a hearing, the ordinance now sets expectations for how fast it moves: hearings generally within 30 days of the petition being accepted, and a hearing officer's decision due within 30 days after that, effective immediately even if a party seeks judicial review.
What this means for owners weighing hold, refinance or sell decisions
For an individual owner of a handful of units, much of this is paperwork rather than economics, but the paperwork has teeth. Missing a 30-day transfer notice, filing a buyout agreement late, or sending an owner move-in notice without confirming there's no comparable vacant unit can turn into a tenant petition or a fee dispute that costs far more than the rent increase being pursued.
This is also a reasonable moment to take stock of a property's compliance file, particularly for an owner who has held the same building for years and managed it informally. A lender or buyer doing diligence on a refinance or a sale increasingly looks at registration history and rent-increase documentation alongside rent roll and operating numbers. Getting notice templates, registration filings and rent-increase records current now is cheaper than reconstructing them under deadline pressure during a transaction.
This post is for general information and does not constitute legal, tax or financial advice. Owners should talk with a qualified attorney or CPA about how Alameda's rent ordinance and AB 1482 apply to a specific property before acting on a rent increase, an owner move-in, or a buyout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the rent increase cap in Alameda for 2026?
It depends on the building. Properties with two or more units built before February 1, 1995 are capped at a 2.7% Annual General Adjustment from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Properties outside that local rent control, generally newer construction or certain corporate-owned homes, fall under the statewide AB 1482 cap of 8.8% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.
Does Alameda's rent control apply to a duplex?
Generally yes, if the duplex was built before February 1, 1995 and the owner doesn't occupy one of the two units as their own residence. In that case, the Annual General Adjustment caps the rent increase. A duplex that doesn't meet those conditions typically falls under the statewide AB 1482 cap instead.
Can a landlord move into a rental unit in Alameda?
It depends on whether a comparable unit is already vacant on the same property. Under Ordinance No. 3398, adopted in April 2026, an owner move-in eviction is barred if a comparable vacant unit exists, unless a disability-related accommodation requires the occupied unit specifically. Owners must also wait 24 months between owner move-ins at the same property.
How often can rent be raised on an Alameda rental unit?
No more than once in any 12-month period, and never within the first 12 months of a tenancy, under the rules Ordinance No. 3398 put in place in 2026. This applies on top of whichever percentage cap, local or AB 1482, governs the unit.
What are the new buyout agreement rules in Alameda?
Since Ordinance No. 3398 took effect, an owner who reaches a buyout agreement with a tenant must file the signed agreement with the Rent Program Administrator within three business days and provide the tenant a signed copy. The ordinance also clarified relocation-payment eligibility and notice timing for tenants who vacate for health or safety reasons.
Sources
- City of Alameda Rent Program, Annual General Adjustment announced, effective September 1, 2026
- Ordinance No. 3398, Rent Ordinance Amendments, adopted April 21, 2026 (PDF)
- City of Alameda, FAQ: AB 1482, California Tenant Protection Act
- Alameda Rent Ordinance, Alameda Municipal Code Chapter VI, Article XV (PDF)
