Rent Control 101
General information about rent control and renting in Berkeley.
Most of the 29,000 rental units in the City of Berkeley are covered by some portion of the Rent Stabilization and Eviction for Good Cause Ordinance (the Rent Ordinance). There are over 20,000 rental units in Berkeley with regulated rents. Since January of 1999, landlords have had the right to set the initial rent for new tenancies, and subsequent rent increases in units fully covered by the Rent Ordinance are limited by the law. This type of rent control is known as vacancy decontrol. In addition, with few exceptions, even Berkeley tenants who don't live in units with rent control are protected under the Eviction for Just Cause section of the Ordinance. The following pages provide general information and resources about rent control and renting in Berkeley.
