// rent compliance · Orinda

Rent Ordinance Compliance in Orinda

State law only: 8.8% for Aug 2026 to Jul 2027 on the units AB 1482 covers. The cap, the registry, the fee and the notice for your unit, each on its own calendar.

8.8%State rent cap, Aug 2026 to Jul 2027
5,241Very High fire-hazard acreage, 2025 map
$5,545Median house rent, Oct 2026

How this works in Orinda

The state cap is 8.8% for Aug 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027. That number matters in Walnut Creek, Fremont and El Cerrito. It does not matter in Oakland (2.3%), Berkeley (1.0%), Alameda (2.7%), Richmond (1.5%), Hayward (5%), Concord (5%) or Antioch, where a local cap sits underneath it, and from Jan 1, 2027 it stops mattering for most pre-1995 multifamily in San Leandro too. Each of those cities also runs a registry, an annual fee and a filing rule, and most set relocation payments owed when a tenancy ends without fault. We keep one calendar per property and act on it.

Cap
State law only: 8.8% for Aug 2026 to Jul 2027 on the units AB 1482 covers. An individually owned house or condo is exempt from the state cap only if the lease carries the statutory exemption notice; homes owned by a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member are not exempt. Most Orinda rentals are individually owned houses, so the notice is the whole game.
Just cause
State just cause only, after 12 months of tenancy. No local ordinance.
Fees and filings
City business registration since Sep 1, 2018, exempt under $10,000 in annual receipts. No registry and no rent-program fee.

What is included

The full picture for owners is on the Orinda page; the service on its own is described under rent compliance.

// questions

Rent Compliance in Orinda: questions owners ask

Is there rent control in Orinda?

No. Orinda has no local cap, registry or just-cause ordinance. State law applies: 8.8% for Aug 2026 to Jul 2027 on covered units, and no cap on an individually owned house or condo if the lease carries the AB 1482 exemption notice. Without that notice your house is capped like an apartment.

How long does a $5,500 house sit empty between tenants?

We do not have a reliable Orinda-only figure. One listing service reports 14 to 21 days to lease in neighboring Lafayette at similar rents. At $5,545 a month that is $2,590 to $3,880 of lost rent per turnover, so we start marketing before the current tenant moves out, price from this month's comps, and have the house photographed and cleaned the week it empties.

My single-family home is exempt from rent control. Do I still have to register?

Often, yes. Oakland exempts single-family homes and condos from the cap but requires registration and follows just cause once the building is 10 or more years old. Berkeley requires registration and good cause for partially covered single-family tenancies at $244 per unit. Alameda, Richmond and Concord also register exempt units. Exempt from the cap is not exempt from the program.

How much can I raise the rent this year?

For Aug 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027 the state cap is 8.8%. Oakland is 2.3% on pre-1983 units, Berkeley 1.0% for calendar 2026, Alameda 2.7% from Sep 1, Richmond 1.5% from Sep 1, Hayward and Concord 5%, Antioch about 2% and recomputed with each CPI release. A unit exempt from both the state and local caps, such as an individually owned house with the exemption notice or a building under 15 years old, has no percentage limit, but an increase over 10% needs 90 days' notice.

What happens if I missed a registry deadline?

In Oakland an unregistered owner cannot raise rent, cannot file a petition, and non-registration is a defense to eviction. Berkeley doubles the fee. Richmond adds 10, 25 and 50% penalties and may lien the property. The fix is to register now, pay the penalty, and reset the calendar. We do that as part of onboarding.

What about San Leandro?

San Leandro adopted rent control on Feb 2, 2026, effective Jan 1, 2027: a cap of 3% or 65% of CPI, whichever is lower, on roughly 7,700 pre-1995 multifamily units, with base rent set at the rent in effect Jul 1, 2025. Increases taken since then may be rolled back. The new registry is about $149 per unit, and unregistered owners lose the right to raise rent or evict for the year. If you own there, the planning has to happen in 2026.

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