Rent Control Eligibility Checker

Yes. AB 1482, enacted in 2019, created a statewide rent cap of 5% plus local CPI inflation, with a combined maximum of 10% per year. It applies to most residential rental units built before 2007. Single-family homes rented by individual owners, condos, and units built in the last 15 years are generally exempt. Many California cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, have their own stricter local rent control ordinances that apply to older buildings regardless of AB 1482.

No. Texas state law prohibits local governments from enacting rent control ordinances. There is no statewide cap on rent increases, and no Texas city or county has rent control. Texas landlords can raise rent to any amount on a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days written notice, or at the end of a fixed-term lease with a new lease offer. There are no plans at the state level to change this position.

New York’s rent stabilisation system applies primarily to apartments in New York City buildings with six or more units built before 1974. The allowable annual increase is set by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board each year. Stabilised tenants have the right to renew their lease and cannot be displaced without cause. The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 significantly strengthened these protections. Outside New York City, localities can opt into the Emergency Tenant Protection Act to extend similar rules to their jurisdictions.

Oregon enacted statewide rent control in 2019, the first state in the US to do so in modern times. The law caps annual rent increases at 7% plus the local Consumer Price Index. The combined maximum increase is 10% in any 12-month period. Units built within the last 15 years are exempt. Landlords must give 90 days written notice before any rent increase. The law applies to month-to-month tenancies and to fixed-term leases at renewal.

No. Florida state law prohibits local rent control. Orange County voters approved a rent stabilisation ordinance in 2022, but a state court struck it down in 2023, finding it conflicted with state pre-emption law. Florida landlords face no statutory cap on rent increases. Tenants are protected only by the minimum notice requirement (15 days for month-to-month tenancies) before a new rent amount takes effect.

Pre-emption means a higher level of government (the state) has passed a law that prevents a lower level (the city or county) from legislating on the same subject. More than 30 states have pre-empted local rent control, meaning that even if a city council votes to introduce rent control, the ordinance is immediately void because state law prohibits it. In these states, the only path to rent control is changing the state statute, which requires a majority in the state legislature.

In most states with rent control, new construction is explicitly exempt for a period after completion. California exempts buildings for 15 years; Oregon exempts buildings for 15 years. This exemption is intended to incentivise new housing development by ensuring landlords can charge market rents during the period when they need to recoup construction costs. After the exemption period expires, the building falls under the statewide cap if all other eligibility conditions are met.

Rent control and just-cause eviction protections are related but separate. Strong rent control systems (like New York’s) typically include just-cause eviction rules that prevent landlords from removing a tenant simply to rent to someone else at a higher price. In California, AB 1482 includes both the rent cap and just-cause eviction protections for covered units. In states with no rent control, landlords can generally end a month-to-month tenancy with the required notice, without stating a reason.

Start by checking your city or county’s rent control board or housing authority website. Many jurisdictions maintain a public database where you can search by address. In California, the state Attorney General’s office publishes guidance on AB 1482 coverage. In New York City, the Rent Guidelines Board maintains a registry of stabilised units. If you cannot find a definitive answer, contact a local tenant rights organisation who can advise on your specific address.

No. Rent control regulates how much rent can increase for existing tenants in covered units. Affordable housing programmes (like Section 8 vouchers and income-based housing) subsidise rent for qualifying low-income tenants, often below market rate. A rent-controlled apartment is not necessarily affordable for a new tenant: the landlord can typically charge a market-rate rent to a new tenant even if the previous tenant paid below market under long-term control. The two systems serve different policy goals and often operate independently.