Mountain View · Renting & eviction

Rent increases in Mountain View

City rule: the yearly general adjustment for covered rental units is 100% of CPI, never less than 2% or more than 5%. City rule: covered units' total increases may not exceed 10% in any 12 months without a Hearing Officer or Committee petition decision.

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Key points

Rent increases: City rule: the yearly general adjustment for covered rental units is 100% of CPI, never less than 2% or more than 5%.
12-month limit: City rule: covered units' total increases may not exceed 10% in any 12 months without a Hearing Officer or Committee petition decision.

Each rule below links to the section of the Mountain View Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Mountain View's code says

Mountain View code What Mountain View's code adds
Annual increase limit	100% of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, 12 months ending in March), rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a percent Applies: Annual General Adjustment for existing tenancies in Covered Rental Units, effective September 1; never less than 2% or more than 5% § 1707 · code text The Annual General Adjustment shall be equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (All Urban Consumers, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region, or any successor designation of that index that may later be adopted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) as reported and published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the twelve-month period ending as of March of the current year. The total increase in any 12-month period may not exceed 10% of the rent actually charged. Applies: Applies to the overall rent increase in any 12-month period. § 1707 · code text The overall Rent increase in any twelve-month period shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the Rent actually charged to the Tenant.
Floor or ceiling on the increase	The yearly general adjustment is never less than 2%. Applies: Applies to the yearly general rent adjustment. § 1707 · code text in no event shall the Annual General Adjustment be less than two percent (2%) or more than five percent (5%). The yearly general adjustment is never more than 5%. Applies: Applies to the yearly general rent adjustment. § 1707 · code text in no event shall the Annual General Adjustment be less than two percent (2%) or more than five percent (5%).
Units covered	Existing tenancies in covered rental units. § 1707 · code text The Annual General Adjustment is the percentage by which the Rent for existing tenancies in Covered Rental Units may be increased each year, subject to the limitations of this Article.
How often rent can go up	No more than 1 rent increase per 12-month period. § 1707 · code text No more than one Rent increase per twelve-month period may be imposed on a Tenant.
Petitions and pass-throughs	Increases above 10% in 12 months are allowed only by a Hearing Officer or Committee decision on a landlord petition. Applies: Applies to the overall rent increase in any 12-month period. § 1707 · code text Notwithstanding the foregoing, the overall Rent increase in any twelve-month period may exceed ten-percent (10%) of the Rent actually charged to the Tenant only if that Rent increase is pursuant to a decision of a Hearing Officer or the Committee as a result of a Landlord Petition pursuant to Section 1710(a) of this Article. A landlord may petition for a rent increase to ensure a fair and reasonable rate of return. Applies: The landlord must show the increase is needed to provide a fair rate of return. § 1710 · code text a Landlord may file a Petition for an upward adjustment of the Rent to ensure a fair and reasonable rate of return. relevant factors including property taxes, maintenance and operating expenses, qualifying capital improvements, changes in tenants or housing services, substantial deterioration, inadequate housing services or legal compliance, and the pattern of recent Rent increases or decreases Applies: Fair-rate-of-return upward adjustment § 1710 · code text In making any upward adjustment to the Rent based upon a Landlord's Petition to ensure a fair rate of return, the Hearing Officer or Committee shall consider relevant factors, including but not limited to, the following:

The California rule underneath

Where Mountain View's rule above does not cover a situation, state law still applies. For the statewide rule on its own, see California's statewide rent cap.

CA state law The statewide rule underneath
Rent cap right now	8.6% for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 (5% plus 3.6% inflation) Applies: Covered units only. Inflation is the California consumer price index (Department of Industrial Relations), used for counties outside the four metro areas, April to April, as the statute requires; the figure is recomputed every year. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1), (g)
Statewide rent increase cap (AB 1482)	5% plus the change in cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, over any 12 months Applies: Covered units only; measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior 12 months. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(1)
Number of rent increases	No more than two increases in any 12-month period Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)(2)
Rent cap — new construction exemption	Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years is exempt (rolling) Applies: Mobilehomes excepted. Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(4)
Rent cap — single-family home or condo exemption	A home or condo that can be sold on its own is exempt when the owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant was given the written exemption notice Applies: The same exemption applies to the just-cause rule (§ 1946.2(e)(8)). Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(5)
Rent cap — owner-occupied duplex exemption	A duplex in one building is exempt when the owner lived in the other unit at the start of the tenancy and still does, unless either unit is an ADU or JADU Civ. Code § 1947.12(d)(6)
New tenancy resets the rent	When no prior tenant remains, the owner may set the initial rent; the cap applies to later increases Civ. Code § 1947.12(b)
Rent cap sunset	§ 1947.12 is repealed on January 1, 2030 unless extended Civ. Code § 1947.12(o)

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Frequently asked questions

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California's statewide rent cap

Mountain View Municipal Code — full text