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Rental Property Rules in Alameda, CA (2026)

5 verified rental property rules for Alameda, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Rent Control

Alameda caps most residential rent increases at an Annual General Adjustment tied to seventy percent of the Bay Area Consumer Price Index, floored at one percent and capped at five percent, under the City's Rent Control Ordinance, Sec. 6-58.60. A Rent Program Administrator announces the exact figure every May 31 for increases effective that September.

Alameda Rent Control Annual Cap

Significant Restrictions

Alameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 6-58.60(A) (Establishment of Base Rent, Temporary Reduction of Rent, and Annual General Adjustment) (Ord. No. 3249 N.S.; Ord. No. 3250 N.S.)

Beginning September 1, 2019, except as provided in subsection B of this Section 6-58.60, no Landlord shall charge Rent for any Rental Unit not exempt under State Law in an amount greater than the Base Rent plus increases expressly allowed under this Article. If there were no Rent in effect on September 1, 2019, the Base Rent shall be the Rent that was charged on the first date that Rent was cha...

Just Cause Eviction

Alameda landlords cannot terminate a tenancy for any reason outside eight specific just-cause grounds in the city's rent control ordinance, from nonpayment and lease breach to owner move-in, demolition, or a government order to vacate. Owner move-ins and no-fault terminations trigger mandatory relocation payments, and evicting on an invalid ground exposes the landlord to a wrongful-eviction suit.

Alameda Just-Cause Eviction Protections

Significant Restrictions

Alameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 6-58.80 (Evictions and Terminations of Tenancies), Article XV Rent Control Ordinance (Ord. No. 3249 N.S., § 3, 9-3-2019; Ord. No. 3250 N.S., § 3, 9-17-2019; Ord. No. 3361 N.S., § 1, 12-19-2023; Ord. No. 3398 N.S., § 1, 4-21-2026)

No Landlord shall take action to terminate any Tenancy including, but not limited to, making a demand for possession of a Rental Unit, threatening to terminate a Tenancy, serving any notice to quit or other notice to terminate a Tenancy, e.g. an eviction notice, bringing any action to recover possession or be granted possession of a Rental Unit except on one (1) of the following grounds: A.Fail...

Rental Registration

Every landlord in Alameda must register each rental unit with the Rent Program Administrator, filing a new registration within 30 days of a tenancy's start and reporting any ownership change within 30 days of escrow closing. The Administrator uses these filings to set the Maximum Allowable Rent, and misreporting the rent actually charged is a separate violation.

Alameda Rental Unit Registration Requirement

Some Restrictions

Alameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 6-58.55 (Rent Registry), Article XV Rent Control Ordinance (Ord. No. 3249 N.S., § 3, 9-3-2019; Ord. No. 3250 N.S., § 3, 9-17-2019)

A.The Landlord shall as provided in Regulations complete and submit to the Program Administrator a registration statement for each Rental Unit on a registration statement approved by the Program Administrator. In addition, except for those Rental Units exempt from rent control under State Law, a Landlord: (i) shall complete and submit to the Program Administrator within thirty (30) days of the ...

Rent Increase Notice

Before raising rent by the Annual General Adjustment, an Alameda landlord must serve the tenant the legally required rent-increase notice and be current on rent-program fees and unit registration, under Sec. 6-58.65. A noncompliant notice must be rescinded and any rent already collected under it refunded to the tenant.

Alameda Rent Increase Notice Rule

Some Restrictions

Alameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 6-58.65(A) (Conditions for Taking the Annual General Adjustment) (Ord. No. 3249 N.S.; Ord. No. 3250 N.S.)

A Landlord may increase Rent by the Annual General Adjustment only if the Landlord:1.Serves the Tenant with a legally required notice of a Rent Increase as provided by statute.2.Has complied with all other provisions of the City's Rent Control Ordinance, as that Ordinance may be amended from time to time, and with any other applicable policies, regulations or resolutions concerning Rent, includ...

Repairs & Habitability

Alameda's Property Maintenance Code makes the owner of any rental structure responsible for extermination before renting or leasing it and for keeping the structure and premises in a rodent- or pest-free condition throughout the tenancy. Section 13-11A.3(h) amends IPMC 309.2 to place that duty on the landlord unless the tenant's own neglect causes the infestation.

Alameda Rental Unit Pest-Free Condition Duty

Some Restrictions

Alameda, CA, Municipal Code Sec. 13-11A.3(h) (IPMC Sec. 309.2)

309.2 Owner. The owner of any structure shall be responsible for extermination within the structure prior to renting or leasing the structure. The owner of a structure or premises containing a dwelling unit, multiple occupancy, rooming house or a nonresidential structure shall be responsible for maintaining the structure and premises in a rodent or pest-free condition. If an infestation is caus...

Looking for Alameda County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Alameda city rules.

Rental Property Rules in Alameda County