2026 Rent Increase Limits for Concord and Fairfield Rental Owners
Short answer: For increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, the maximum rent increase on rentals covered by California's AB 1482 is 8.8% in Concord and the rest of Contra Costa County, and 8.6% in Fairfield and the rest of Solano County. But many Concord apartments are under the city's own, stricter 5% cap.
That number is a legal ceiling, not a recommendation. Before raising rent, you need to know whether your property is covered at all, whether a city rule is stricter, and what the market will actually support.
Key takeaways
- Concord and Contra Costa County: 8.8% under AB 1482 for increases effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.
- Concord's own ordinance: a 5% annual cap on covered multifamily buildings built before February 1, 1995. The stricter rule wins.
- Fairfield and Solano County: 8.6% under AB 1482. Fairfield has no city rent control.
- Many single-family homes are exempt from AB 1482, but only if the lease includes the required notice.
- The cap is a ceiling. Price the renewal to the market, not to the maximum.
What is AB 1482?
AB 1482, the California Tenant Protection Act, limits how much rent can go up in any 12-month period on covered rentals. The cap is 5% plus the regional change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), never more than 10%. Because CPI changes every year, so does the cap.
The current figures apply to increases that take effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027:
| Region | Counties | 2026-27 cap |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco area | Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo | 8.8% |
| Los Angeles area | Los Angeles, Orange | 8.7% |
| San Diego area | San Diego | 8.2% |
| Riverside area | Riverside, San Bernardino | 8.1% |
| Everywhere else | Including Sacramento, Placer, and Solano counties | 8.6% |
Concord is in Contra Costa County, which uses the San Francisco area CPI: 8.8% for 2026-27. Fairfield is in Solano County, which is not part of that region and falls under the statewide figure of 8.6%. Owners with homes in both cities have two different caps in the same portfolio.
Concord has its own, stricter cap
Concord's Residential Tenant Protection Program caps annual increases at 5% on covered units, generally multifamily buildings of two or more units built before February 1, 1995. For those units, the 5% city cap applies, not the 8.8% state cap, because the stricter rule controls.
On a $2,250 Concord apartment, that is the difference between a $113 increase under the city cap and a $198 increase under AB 1482. Applying the wrong number is an easy mistake to make, and an easy one to avoid.
Concord also requires every rental owner to register units with the city's rent registry each year, and its just cause and relocation rules can reach single-family homes and condos for owners with more than two. Single-family homes, condos, and newer buildings are exempt from the city's 5% cap, so most Concord houses fall back to AB 1482 and its 8.8% limit, unless they are exempt from that too.
Fairfield and Solano County
Fairfield has no city rent control ordinance, so AB 1482 is the rule for covered Fairfield homes, at 8.6%. Many Fairfield, Suisun City, and Vacaville homes were built within the last 15 years and are exempt from AB 1482 for now. That exemption rolls forward each year, so homes built around 2011 are aging into coverage.
Four rules owners get wrong
- The cap covers 12 months, not one increase. All increases in any 12-month period, added together, cannot exceed the cap.
- It is measured from the lowest rent in the past 12 months. If you offered a concession or a lower rate at any point in that window, that lower number is your starting point.
- The date that matters is when the increase takes effect, not when you send the notice. An increase effective July 31, 2026 uses last year's cap.
- Notice still applies. An increase of 10% or less requires at least 30 days' written notice, and you generally cannot raise rent during a fixed lease term unless the lease allows it.
Who is exempt from AB 1482?
The most common exemptions are:
- Newer buildings: housing that received its certificate of occupancy within the last 15 years. This is a rolling date, so a home built in 2011 that was exempt last year may not be exempt now.
- Single-family homes and condos owned by individuals, not by a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member, but only if the lease includes the required written exemption notice. No notice, no exemption.
- An owner-occupied duplex where the owner has lived in one unit since the tenancy began.
- Deed-restricted affordable housing and dormitories.
Two homes owned by the same investor can have completely different rules. Check the property, not just the percentage.
The maximum is a ceiling, not a target
A legal maximum and a smart rent are two different numbers.
Say a covered Fairfield home leases for $2,800. The 8.6% maximum would add $241, to $3,041. Whether $3,041 is the right rent depends on what comparable homes are leasing for today, and in a market with frequent military moves around Travis AFB, keeping a good tenant has real value.
If comparable homes are renting for less, pushing to the cap can turn a good tenant into a vacancy. One month empty on a $2,800 home costs $2,800, which can wipe out years of the extra increase. In other cases, a home that has fallen well below market should take a meaningful increase within the legal limit, because under a cap, every year you wait makes it harder to catch up.
That is why every Legacy renewal starts 90 days before the lease ends with an Annual Investment Review: the legal limit for that specific property, a current market rent analysis, how the tenant has performed, and our recommendation. You decide with both numbers in front of you.
A rent increase checklist
Before you send any increase notice:
- Confirm whether the property is covered by AB 1482 or exempt.
- If you are relying on the single-family exemption, confirm the exemption notice is in the lease.
- Check for a city ordinance that is stricter than state law.
- Use the cap for the date the increase takes effect.
- Add up every increase in the past 12 months, measured from the lowest rent charged.
- Compare the legal maximum to current market rent.
- Give proper written notice.
- Keep a record of how you calculated it.
How Legacy handles rent increases
Rent increases across our Concord and Fairfield portfolio follow the same process: identify which rules apply to each property, calculate the legal maximum, compare it to market, and recommend a number. Owners with homes in more than one city do not have to track which cap, which date, and which notice applies where.
For what management costs, read our local guides: property management cost in Concord, property management cost in Fairfield, and flat fee vs. percentage pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord raise rent in Concord in 2026?
It depends on the property. Covered multifamily units built before February 1, 1995 are capped at 5% under Concord's ordinance. Other covered rentals fall under AB 1482, which allows up to 8.8% for increases effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Exempt properties are not subject to either cap.
What is the rent cap in Fairfield for 2026?
Fairfield has no local rent control. Covered Fairfield rentals fall under AB 1482, which allows up to 8.6% for increases effective August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, because Solano County is not part of the San Francisco CPI region.
Why is Concord's cap different from Fairfield's?
AB 1482 uses regional CPI. Contra Costa County is in the San Francisco area region (8.8% for 2026-27); Solano County uses the statewide figure (8.6%). Concord also has its own 5% cap for older multifamily buildings.
Is my single-family home exempt from AB 1482?
It can be, if it is owned by an individual rather than a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member, and the lease includes the required written exemption notice. Without the notice, the exemption does not apply.
Does Legacy raise rent to the maximum every year?
No. We recommend an increase based on the legal limit for that property and current market rent, and the owner approves it. Sometimes the right answer is the maximum, and sometimes keeping a good tenant at a slightly lower increase earns more.
Talk to us about your property
Call our Concord office at (925) 262-8145 or our Fairfield office at (707) 317-9570 to find out which rules apply to your rental and what the market supports. Every plan includes a market rent analysis before each renewal. Request a free rental analysis.
