Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Rent Increases

If you have rent control in your city, inquire locally.

If you have a lease, the landlord must honor its terms. A typical one-year lease will specify a flat monthly rental rate for the entire year, but occasionally there might be an escalation clause or something like that.

If you are month-to-month, California law slightly regulates rent increases by requiring advance notice. If a proposed increase is 10$ or less, you are entitled to 30 days' notice, and if it's more than 10%, the landlord must give 60 days notice.

Other than rent control (where it exists) and the notice requirements, a landlord can raise rent to whatever level he/she chooses when the tenant doesn't have the protection of a lease.