Is My San Francisco Apartment Rent Controlled?

Answer first: Many San Francisco apartments built on or before June 13, 1979 have both rent control and eviction protection under the city's Rent Ordinance. Units first built after that date usually have eviction protection but no local cap on rent increases. Under the state's Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, most single-family homes and condos are also outside the local rent increase limits, but they keep the city's just cause eviction rules. For a covered unit, the most a landlord can raise the rent from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 is 1.6% a year, plus any banked increases.

A building's age is a strong signal, not an answer. The only way to be sure is to ask the San Francisco Rent Board.

General information, not legal advice. A building-age check is a signal, not a rent control determination. Confirm your own unit with a Rent Board counselor or a tenant counseling group. Sources were checked on October 1, 2026.

The short version

Each row has exceptions. The sections below explain them.

What the June 13, 1979 date means

The San Francisco Rent Ordinance took effect on June 13, 1979. That date is still the line for rent increase limits.

• On or before June 13, 1979. sf.gov says many residential units built on or before June 13, 1979 have both rent control and eviction protection.
• After June 13, 1979. The Rent Board says units first constructed after June 13, 1979 are exempt from the rent increase limits, but not from the just cause eviction rules.

The test is the building's paperwork, not the age a listing gives. The Rent Board says the new construction exemption applies only if:

1. the first certificate of occupancy for the unit was issued after June 13, 1979, and
2. there was no residential use of the unit before that certificate was issued.

So a unit in an old building that was renovated later is usually still covered. Units that got a Rent Board determination of "substantial rehabilitation" are also exempt from the rent increase limits.

A new tenancy can start at any rent. State law (Civil Code section 1954.53) lets an owner set the first rent for a new tenant in most cases. Rent control then limits the increases during your tenancy.

What Costa-Hawkins exempts

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act is a state law. It limits what city rent control can cover. In San Francisco it matters most for single-family homes, condos and newer buildings.

Single-family homes and condos. The Rent Board says single-family homes and condos are generally exempt from the rent increase limits if the tenancy started on or after January 1, 1996. A tenancy that started before January 1, 1996 is still fully covered.

The exemption does not apply in some cases. The Rent Board lists these:

• a home with a legal or unlawful in-law unit, unless both are rented together;
• a single-family home with another residential building on the same lot;
• an owner-occupied home where several rooms are rented, like a boarding house;
• a condo the original subdividing owner has not yet sold;
• a property with a serious code violation that stayed unfixed for 6 months or more before the last vacancy; and
• a unit where the prior tenancy ended by a notice to quit or under Civil Code section 827.

Newer buildings. Costa-Hawkins also stops cities from extending rent control to units with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995, and keeps exemptions that cities already had for new construction. In San Francisco that is why the 1979 cutoff stays in place.

Eviction protection still applies. The Rent Board says units exempt under Costa-Hawkins are still covered by the Rent Ordinance for all other purposes, including just cause eviction rules. A landlord needs one of the allowed reasons to end your tenancy.

The state cap may apply instead. If your unit is outside local rent control, the state's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) may still limit increases to 5% plus the regional change in the cost of living, with a maximum of 10% a year. It does not cover every unit. New buildings, for example, are exempt for their first 15 years. The Rent Board cannot enforce the state law. Our Bay Area rent control guide explains who it covers.

How to check your building

1. Find the year built. sf.gov tells renters to search their address on the Property Information Map. You can also look up the parcel on the Assessor-Recorder's portal.
2. Check the type of home. Is it an apartment in a building with 2 or more units, a single-family home, or a condo? For a home or condo, note when your tenancy started.
3. Ask the Rent Board. Counselors answer questions on the Rent Ordinance by phone at 415-252-4600, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm. You can also go in person to 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 700. Counseling is available in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin, with interpretation for other languages. The Rent Board says it cannot give legal advice.
4. Keep your paperwork. Save your lease, every rent increase notice and your rent receipts.

sf.gov says some units are hard to classify. If you are not sure, it tells you to speak with a Rent Board counselor.

How much can the rent go up?

For a rent-controlled unit, the Rent Board publishes one allowable increase each year. It runs from March 1 to the last day of February.

sf.gov says the amount is 60% of the increase in the Bay Area Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. To work out the increase, multiply your base rent by the rate. The Rent Board's own example: on a base rent of $2,000 a month, a 1.6% increase is $32.00, so the new rent is $2,032 a month.

Other rules from sf.gov:

• Once every 12 months. The first increase can come 12 months after your tenancy starts. After that, increases follow your anniversary date.
• Written notice. The landlord must give 30 days' written notice. If the increase, alone or added to another in the same year, is more than 10%, they must give 90 days' notice. Add 5 days if the notice is mailed.
• A rent increase license. Since July 1, 2022 (March 1, 2023 for some properties), a landlord must get a rent increase license before imposing an annual or banked increase. That requires reporting the unit to the Rent Board Housing Inventory.

Banked increases

A landlord who skips a yearly increase can save it and add it later. This is a "banked" increase. The Rent Board's rules:

• Banked increases are added together, not compounded or prorated.
• Banking has only been allowed since April 1, 1982.
• Banked increases do not expire during a tenancy, and there is no limit on how much can be banked.
• A banked increase can create a new anniversary date.

The Rent Board's example: a tenant moved in on August 1, 2022. The landlord skipped the increases on August 1, 2023 (3.6%) and August 1, 2024 (1.7%). On August 1, 2025, the landlord could impose a banked increase of 5.3% (3.6% plus 1.7%).

If you think a rent increase is wrong, you can file a tenant petition with the Rent Board for an "unlawful rent increase or request for determination of lawful rent". There is no charge to file.

What is not a rent control determination

None of these settle whether your unit is covered:

• A listing that says "rent controlled". Listings on rental marketplaces, classified boards and building websites are written by the person renting the unit. They can be wrong.
• The year built alone. It is a strong signal, but the exemptions above can change the answer.
• What a landlord or agent tells you. Ask for it in writing, then check it with the Rent Board.
• RentReboot's rent-controlled filter. It is a building-age signal to help you search, not a legal answer.

The Rent Board can decide. A landlord can file a petition asking the Rent Board to determine whether a property or unit is exempt from the Rent Ordinance. A tenant can file a petition about an unlawful rent increase or for a determination of lawful rent.

Finding a rent-controlled apartment

RentReboot's San Francisco rent-controlled apartments page shows listings in buildings that our records suggest were built before the 1979 cutoff. Treat it as a starting point, then confirm with the Rent Board before you sign.

RentReboot watches 100+ Bay Area rental sources and sends you the matches by email or text. There is a free plan and optional paid upgrades. Set up Bay Area apartment alerts. To compare the main ways to search, see the best apartment search sites in San Francisco.

San Francisco rent control FAQs

Is my apartment rent controlled if the building was built before 1979?

Probably, but not always. sf.gov says many units built on or before June 13, 1979 have rent control and eviction protection. Single-family homes, condos and some other units can still be exempt from the rent limits. Ask a Rent Board counselor to confirm.

Are condos and single-family homes rent controlled in San Francisco?

Usually not for rent increases, if the tenancy started on or after January 1, 1996. The state's Costa-Hawkins law exempts them from local rent increase limits, with exceptions. They still have the city's just cause eviction protections.

How much can my landlord raise my rent in 2026?

For a rent-controlled unit, the allowable increase from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 is 1.6%. The landlord may add banked increases from earlier years they skipped. They can raise the rent only once every 12 months, with written notice and a rent increase license.

My building was built after 1979. Do I have any protection?

Yes. Units built after June 13, 1979 still have the city's just cause eviction protection. The state's Tenant Protection Act may also cap your increases once the building is more than 15 years old. The Rent Board cannot enforce the state cap.

Can a landlord set any rent for a new tenant?

In most cases, yes. State law lets an owner set the first rent for a new tenancy. Rent control limits the increases after you move in.

Who decides if my unit is rent controlled?

The San Francisco Rent Board. A landlord can petition the Rent Board to decide whether a unit is exempt, and a tenant can petition about an unlawful rent increase. Filing a tenant petition is free.

More Bay Area renter guides

• Which Bay Area Cities Have Rent Control in 2026?: the state cap and each city's allowable increase.
• How Do San Francisco Housing Lotteries Work?: below-market-rate rentals, income limits and preferences.
• What Does It Cost to Rent in the Bay Area in 2026?: asking rents by city and neighborhood.
• San Francisco rent-controlled apartments
• Bay Area apartment alerts

Sources

Checked on October 1, 2026. Laws and official rates can change. Recheck these sources before you rely on them.

1. sf.gov: Learn about San Francisco rental laws: units built on or before June 13, 1979, the Property Information Map, excluded housing types, Rent Board phone and hours.
2. sf.gov: Partial exemption for newly constructed rental units: the post-1979 exemption, the certificate of occupancy test, substantial rehabilitation, just cause, the state cap.
3. sf.gov: Partial exemption for certain single-family homes and condominiums under Costa-Hawkins: the January 1, 1996 rule and its exceptions.
4. California Civil Code section 1954.52: Costa-Hawkins exemptions for new construction and separately sold units.
5. California Civil Code section 1954.53: an owner may set the initial rent.
6. California Civil Code section 1947.12: the Tenant Protection Act rent cap and its exemptions.
7. sf.gov: Current rates, including rent increase: 1.6%, 1.4% and 1.7%.
8. sf.gov: Annual rent increase for 3/1/26 to 2/28/27 announced: the $2,000 worked example.
9. sf.gov: Learn about rent increases in San Francisco: the 60% of CPI formula, once every 12 months, notice periods, the rent increase license.
10. sf.gov: Banked rent increases: how banking works and the worked example.
11. sf.gov: Landlord petitions and passthroughs: petitions to decide whether a unit is exempt.
12. sf.gov: Tenant petitions: unlawful rent increase petitions, no filing charge.
13. sf.gov: Speak with a Rent Board counselor: phone, hours, address, languages, no legal advice.
14. sf.gov: Use the Assessor-Recorder's community portal: parcel lookup.
15. sf.gov: Get help from a tenant counselor: tenant counseling organizations.