Unfortunately, your landlord can probably increase your rent. The good news is that, in certain types of rentals, such as in an apartment building or other building that you share with other tenants and
DO NOT share with your landlord; your landlord can only increase your rent by a certain amount every year. Figuring out what amount more they’re allowed to charge you can be complicated. However, there are easy-to-use calculators online that should do most of the work for you, and we’ve included a link to one for you
here.
Remember to keep any paperwork that your landlord gives you in a safe place. It will have the date on it, which will be very important for making sure that they aren’t increasing your rent too much in a year. For example, if your landlord increases your rent by the maximum amount in March, they can’t increase your rent again in January. The year starts when they increase your rent, not on January 1st.
Legalese: Subsequent increases after that initial rental rate has been established are limited, over the course of any 12-month period, to increase no more than 5 percent plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower, of the lowest gross rental rate charged for that dwelling or unit at any time during the 12 months prior to the effective date of the increase. (Civil Code
Section 1947.12) [
Restrictions apply; in effect until January 1, 2030]