Santa Cruz County, CA Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)
Key Facts
- Required notice
- 90 days before increase
- Applies to
- mobile home park spaces only
- Adjustment frequency
- once per year, resident's anniversary date
- Petition threshold
- 25% of park spaces, 45-day deadline
- Enforcing body
- Mobile & Manufactured Home Commission
Summary
In unincorporated Santa Cruz County, mobile home park owners must give residents 90 days' written notice before any annual general rent adjustment, using the exact form the county's code specifies. A notice that skips the form or the 90-day lead time is invalid. The rule applies only to mobile home and RV park space rents, not ordinary house or apartment leases.
(A) General rent adjustments may be made once each calendar year by the owner without notice to the County. A general rent adjustment notice, in the form specified in subsection (F) of this section, shall be mailed to the residents prior to the making of such a general rent adjustment. (B) This annual general rent adjustment may only be made on or after the anniversary date of the resident. ... (F) The owner shall give residents of each mobile home space a written notice 90 days before the general rent adjustment is due to go into effect. The form notice set forth below shall be used by the owner when notifying residents of the general rent adjustment. A rent adjustment notice not on this form shall be invalid.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
32, the Mobile Home Rent Adjustment Ordinance, a park owner may raise space rent once each calendar year, only on or after the resident's individual anniversary date, and does not need County approval to do so. 030(F): a rent adjustment notice not on this form is invalid and cannot be enforced. The required form itemizes the 1982 base rent and every adjustment layered on top of it, including changes in property taxes, up to 50% of the CPI increase since July 1, 1981, a prorated return on capital improvements, government-required service charge changes, and the space fee, so residents can check the owner's math line by line.
Residents also have the right, under subsection (H), to inspect the owner's supporting tax bills, insurance records, and capital-improvement cost documentation within five business days of a written request. 64 SCCC) within 45 days of the postmark on the notice, and the code encourages meeting and conferring with the owner first. This chapter binds only mobile home and manufactured home park spaces in the unincorporated county; it does not set a notice period for conventional single-family or apartment rentals, which fall under state law (Cal. Civil Code § 827) instead.
Violations & Fines
A general rent adjustment notice that is not on the county's required form, or that gives residents less than the full 90 days before the increase takes effect, is invalid under SCCC § 13.32.030(F) and cannot be collected as stated. Residents representing 25% or more of a park's spaces can challenge a noncompliant notice by petitioning the Mobile and Manufactured Home Commission within 45 days of the postmark, after first attempting to meet and confer with the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 90-day notice rule apply to a regular apartment rental in Santa Cruz County?
What if my mobile home park sends a rent increase notice that isn't on the county's form?
How can I dispute a mobile home park rent adjustment notice?
How often can a mobile home park raise space rent?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California rental property rules overview
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