Milpitas, CA Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Milpitas, CA, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Scope
- Mobile home park space rent only, not apartments
- Increase trigger
- Lesser of 5% or 50% of CPI increase
- Frequency limit
- One increase per 12-month period
- Review body
- 3-member Mobile Home Park Rental Review Board
- Tenant petition threshold
- 10% of affected tenants
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 224.2, 8/18/92
Summary
Milpitas has no general rent control for apartments, but its Mobile Home Park Rent Increases chapter caps space rent hikes at the lesser of 5 percent or half the CPI increase, once per year, with a tenant-triggered hearing before a City rental review board.
Except as provided in this Chapter, any space rent increase, after November 1, 1991, which exceeds an average of fifty percent (50%) of the increase of the CPI for the twelve (12) month period ending sixty (60) days before notice of such rent increase is given, or five percent (5%), whichever is less, above the space rent, shall be subject to review under the hearing process. ... The space rent of any mobile home space may not be increased more than once in any twelve (12) month period.
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code Chapter III-30, adopted in 1992 after a mediation ordinance dating to 1985, applies only to space rent in mobile home parks; it does not create rent control for apartments or other rental housing in the City. Any space rent increase after November 1, 1991 that exceeds an average of 50 percent of the increase in the Bay Area Consumer Price Index over the prior 12 months, or 5 percent, whichever is less, above the current space rent, triggers review under the hearing process, and rent may not be increased more than once in any 12-month period.
Tenants can invoke the process by filing a petition signed by at least 10 percent of affected tenants with the City Clerk, designating a tenant representative; owners seeking an increase above the cap must also file a petition and notify all affected tenants in writing. The three-member Mobile Home Park Rental Review Board, with one alternate appointed by the City Council, holds a hearing within 45 working days of a valid petition, with at least 20 days' notice and materials exchanged at least 15 working days ahead; hearing costs are paid by the City.
Exceptions include a 30-day vacancy decontrol window after a space is first rented, fixed-term leases longer than 12 months, and rent set after voluntary termination, abandonment, dealer pull-out, or court-ordered eviction. On an in-place sale of a mobile home, the incoming owner inherits the prior tenant's rent as the new base.
Violations & Fines
Only the portion of a requested increase that exceeds the CPI/5 percent formula is held back; it cannot take effect until the Rental Review Board allows it, in whole or in part, following the hearing. An owner who fails to give the required uniform annual notice of increase, or who omits the tenant notice of hearing-process rights required by § III-30-11.00, is subject to the same hearing-process review as an excessive increase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Milpitas have rent control for apartments?
How much can a Milpitas mobile home park raise space rent?
How do mobile home tenants challenge a rent increase in Milpitas?
Are new mobile home spaces exempt from the rent cap?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milpitas
California rules heatmap·Compare Milpitas to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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Rent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle rent control.