May 3, 2026

By Miles Williams, Broker/Owner, Real Property Management Southland | CA DRE #01968830

Last Updated: May 2026 | Reading Time: 16 minutes | Category: California Landlord Laws

A rent increase is one of the most routine moves a Long Beach landlord makes, and one of the most legally risky if done wrong. California’s AB 1482 tenant protection law is in full effect through January 2030, and Long Beach landlords operate under its rules every single day.

I have managed over 730 properties across Long Beach, Lakewood, Downey, and the surrounding cities for the past 11 years. Every year, without fail, we get calls from self-managing landlords who served a rent increase notice that doesn’t hold up. Not because the dollar amount was wrong. Because the notice period was one day short. Because it was sent by regular mail instead of certified. Because they tried to apply a mid-lease increase to a fixed-term tenant.

A rent increase that’s one day short on the notice period is an invalid rent increase. Full stop. The tenant can ignore it, and if you try to enforce it, you are the one in violation. That is how California law works, and Long Beach does not give landlords a grace period for good intentions.

This guide covers the current 2026 rent cap for Long Beach, exactly when you need 30 days versus 90 days, how to serve notice so it actually sticks, which properties are exempt from AB 1482, and the mistakes we see landlords make most often. If you have questions specific to your property after reading this, call our office, we have been doing this since 2014 and we are happy to walk you through it.

Long Beach Rent Increase Limits in 2026 (AB 1482 Current Cap)

California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) sets a statewide cap on annual rent increases for most residential rentals. The formula is straightforward: 5% plus the regional Consumer Price Index (CPI), with an absolute ceiling of 10% per year. You take the lower of those two numbers.

For 2026, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metropolitan Statistical Area CPI is 3%. That means the maximum allowable rent increase for a covered Long Beach property is 8% (5% + 3%). The 10% ceiling does not come into play because 8% is already below it.

This cap applies once per 12-month period. You cannot stack increases or apply two increases in one year to hit a larger total. Each increase must also be in response to a valid notice that was properly served, more on that below.

One thing I want to be direct about: this 8% cap is not a target. It is a ceiling. Raising rent to the maximum allowable amount without considering market conditions, your vacancy history, and your tenant relationship is a strategy that often backfires. We have seen landlords push to 8% and lose a five-year tenant who was paying on time every month, then spend three months at vacancy and $3,500 in turnover costs. Raising rent is a legitimate business decision, but so is keeping a good tenant in place at a below-market rate.

“Every property owner should look at their property as an asset and not just what’s the fee a property manager is going to cost me. So they should ask, how are you going to increase the value of my asset over the time that it’s under your management?”
Miles Williams, Broker/Owner, Real Property Management Southland

30-Day vs. 90-Day Notice: Which One Do You Need?

California Civil Code Section 827 governs the notice period required for rent increases. The rule splits on a single threshold: 10%.

• Increase under 10%: 30 days written notice before the new rent takes effect
• Increase of 10% or more: 90 days written notice before the new rent takes effect

Since the AB 1482 cap for Long Beach in 2026 is 8%, virtually every compliant rent increase will fall under the 30-day threshold. The 90-day rule becomes relevant in two situations: exempt properties (like single-family homes with the proper notice on file) where the owner could technically push above 10%, and in historical cases when the CPI was high enough to push the cap to or near 10%.

The notice period clock starts the day after the notice is received by the tenant, not the day you prepare it, not the day you mail it. If you send notice by certified mail on May 1, and it is received on May 4, the 30-day clock starts May 5. That means the earliest the new rent can take effect is June 4.

Note that the notice requirements for rent increases are separate from the Long Beach Just Cause Eviction Ordinance. A rent increase does not terminate a tenancy. But if a tenant vacates because they cannot afford the increase, that is a tenant decision, not a no-fault eviction. For more on Long Beach’s eviction requirements, see our guide to how to evict a tenant in Long Beach.

How to Properly Serve a Rent Increase Notice in California

Writing a correct notice and serving it correctly are two different things. California law is specific about how rent increase notices must be delivered. Use the wrong method and the notice is invalid, regardless of how accurately the dollar amount was calculated.

Under California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162, a notice can be served by any of these three methods:

1. Personal Delivery

   Hand the notice directly to the tenant in person. If the tenant is not at the rental unit at the time of delivery, you can personally serve an adult who is living at the premises. This is the cleanest method, no question of when the notice was received.

2. Certified Mail (Return Receipt)

   Send the notice by first-class certified mail with a return receipt requested. The delivery date on the return receipt is the date the tenant received the notice. This creates a paper record for your files. Standard first-class mail alone is not sufficient for evidentiary purposes.

3. Posting + Mail (Substituted Service)

   If the tenant is not available for personal service after a reasonable attempt, you can post the notice on the front door of the unit AND mail a copy to the tenant at the same address on the same day. Both the posting and the mailing must happen on the same day. Add 5 calendar days to the notice period when using this method.

What the Written Notice Must Include

There is no state-mandated form for a rent increase notice, but the notice must contain:

• The tenant’s name and rental address
• The current rent amount and the new rent amount
• The effective date of the increase (must be at least 30 or 90 days after service)
• The date the notice was prepared and served
• Your signature as the property owner or agent

If your property is covered by AB 1482, your notice does not need to state the legal basis for the increase, but it must not exceed the cap. If your property is exempt from AB 1482 and you have not already provided the exemption notice to the tenant, you should include that exemption language or serve a separate exemption notice. Consult with a California real estate attorney if you are unsure whether your property qualifies for an exemption.

AB 1482 Exemptions: Does Your Long Beach Property Qualify?

Not every Long Beach rental is subject to AB 1482. The law has several built-in exemptions. But here is the critical thing that most landlords miss: exemptions are not automatic. Even if your property qualifies, you must take the right steps to put the tenant on notice of that exemption, or AB 1482 protections may still apply.

The Exemption Notice Requirement

If you own a single-family home or condo in Long Beach and believe your property is exempt from AB 1482, you must provide a written notice to the tenant containing the following language (or substantially similar language) from Civil Code Section 1946.2(e)(8):

This notice should be included in the original lease agreement at signing. If it was not in the original lease, you can serve it as a separate written addendum, but you cannot retroactively claim an exemption for a rent increase already served without that notice on file. This is crucial, crucial to get right before you try to increase rent above the AB 1482 cap.

Also note: the 15-year exemption is a rolling window. A building constructed in 2011 was exempt in 2024, but it falls under AB 1482 protection once it reaches 15 years old. You need to track the construction date of your property and know when it crosses that threshold.

How to Calculate the Maximum Legal Rent Increase for Your Long Beach Property

The math is not complicated, but you have to use the right CPI figure for the right time period. Here is the step-by-step process.

Sample Calculation Table, 2026 Long Beach

Where do landlords find the most current CPI data? The California Apartment Association (CAA) maintains an updated CPI calculator on their website (caanet.org) specifically for AB 1482 compliance. The CAA calculator is updated each year when the Department of Industrial Relations publishes new CPI data, typically in late spring or early summer. If you are increasing rent between August and July of any given year, use the CPI figure published for that cycle, not the prior year’s figure.

Common Rent Increase Mistakes, And How They Cost Long Beach Landlords

We see the same errors over and over. Most of them are procedural, not intentional. But procedural errors in California landlord-tenant law carry real consequences: an invalid rent increase, potential liability for illegal collection, or a path to a tenant complaint filed with the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office.

When Month-to-Month vs. Fixed-Term Leases Change the Rules

The type of tenancy you have in place significantly affects when and how you can raise rent. These are different situations governed by the same notice requirements, but with different practical timelines.

Month-to-Month Tenancies

On a month-to-month lease, you can serve a rent increase notice at any time, as long as you give the correct advance notice (30 days for under 10%, 90 days for 10% or more) and do not exceed the AB 1482 cap if your property is covered. The new rent takes effect on whatever date is stated in the notice, provided that date is after the notice period has run.

For example: tenant is on a month-to-month agreement with rent due on the first of the month. You serve a 30-day notice on April 1 by certified mail, delivered April 3. The 30-day clock starts April 4. The earliest effective date is May 4. Most landlords time this so the new rent starts on the first of the month following the notice period, in this case, June 1 is the cleanest option.

Fixed-Term Leases

You cannot raise rent during a fixed-term lease. The rent is locked until the lease expires. Your window to implement an increase is at the time of lease renewal, either in the new lease agreement itself, or via a written notice of increase served before the lease converts to month-to-month.

Here is a timing trap many Long Beach landlords miss: if your fixed-term lease expires on September 30 and you want the new rent to take effect on October 1, you need to serve the 30-day notice no later than September 1 (or earlier, to account for delivery). If you wait until September 20 to send the notice, the earliest your increase can take effect is October 21, and you may have a month-to-month tenant paying the old rate in the gap.

If you manage your Long Beach rental on your own, staying on top of lease expiration dates and the notice calendar is one of the more time-consuming parts of the job. We track this for every property we manage, lease end dates, last rent increase dates, and upcoming notice windows, so landlords never miss a window or serve a notice that doesn’t hold up. You can learn more about what full-service Long Beach property management actually covers by reading about how to reduce your Long Beach rental operating costs.

What Happens If You Raise Rent Illegally in Long Beach?

An invalid rent increase, one that exceeds the AB 1482 cap, used the wrong notice period, or was served incorrectly, carries real legal exposure for Long Beach landlords. Understanding the consequences is as important as understanding the rules.

Tenant Remedies Under California Law

If a landlord collects rent above the AB 1482 cap on a covered property, the tenant has the right to:

• Refuse to pay the excess amount, The tenant can continue paying the last valid rent amount. They are not obligated to pay the unlawful portion.
• Demand a refund of any overcharges already collected, going back to the date of the unlawful increase
• File a complaint with the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office or California Attorney General’s office
• Sue the landlord for actual damages, plus statutory damages up to three times the monthly amount of the unlawful rent increase under Civil Code Section 1947.12, plus attorney’s fees and costs if they prevail

Beyond the direct legal exposure, an improper rent increase can derail your ability to enforce other lease terms. Courts in Los Angeles County take procedural compliance seriously. If you are ever before a judge on an unlawful detainer action and the opposing attorney can point to a prior invalid rent increase, it damages your credibility as a landlord who follows the rules. That is a tough conversation to have, and one we help our clients avoid entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions: Raising Rent in Long Beach, California

Miles Williams

Broker/Owner, Real Property Management Southland | CA DRE #01968830

Miles Williams founded Real Property Management Southland in 2014 while completing his Master’s program at Cal State Long Beach. With over 11 years managing more than 730 properties across Long Beach, Lakewood, Downey, and surrounding communities, Miles and his team specialize in full-service residential management for single-family and multi-family rentals. RPM Southland holds over 800 five-star Google reviews at 4.8 stars and a 95% client retention rate. His philosophy: treat every property as the asset it is, play the long game, and have the tough conversations before they become expensive ones.