AB 1482 Inland Empire Landlord Guide — Rent Increases, Exemptions, and Just Cause

California's AB 1482 — the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 — created statewide rent increase caps and just cause eviction requirements that apply to a large share of California rental properties. If you own rental property in the Inland Empire, understanding which rules apply to your specific property is not optional. Getting it wrong — raising rent above the cap on a covered property, or failing to include an exemption notice on a single-family home — creates legal exposure that a competent tenant's attorney will find.

This guide explains AB 1482 specifically for Inland Empire landlords in cities like Moreno Valley, Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Rialto, Perris, Beaumont, and the surrounding communities. Note that this is educational content, not legal advice — consult a California landlord-tenant attorney for guidance specific to your situation.

What AB 1482 Does

AB 1482 has two main components that operate somewhat independently:

1. Annual rent increase cap — limits how much you can raise rent on covered properties
2. Just cause eviction requirement — limits when you can terminate a tenancy on covered properties after 12 months of occupancy

A property can be subject to one component but not the other. This creates four possible situations for any given property, which is where most landlord confusion begins.

The Annual Rent Increase Cap

For covered properties, AB 1482 limits annual rent increases to 5% plus local CPI, with a maximum of 10%. The CPI component is the regional Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which changes each year.

The cap applies to the unit, not the tenant. If you re-rent a covered property to a new tenant, you can set the new rent at market rate. AB 1482 does not restrict what you can charge at initial lease-up — only how much you can increase during an ongoing tenancy.

Which Properties Are Covered

AB 1482's rent increase cap applies to residential properties that:

• Were built and occupied before January 1, 2005 (properties less than 15 years old are exempt)
• Are not single-family homes or condos with a valid exemption notice
• Are not covered by a stricter local rent control ordinance
• Are not government-subsidized affordable housing with its own restrictions

In practice, this means most apartment buildings in the Inland Empire built before 2005 are subject to the rent cap. Duplexes, triplexes, and small multifamily built before 2005 are also covered unless owner-occupied (more on that below). The large number of newer apartment developments in Beaumont, Menifee, and Murrieta built post-2005 are not currently covered.

The Single-Family Home Exemption — Critical for IE Landlords

This is where most Inland Empire single-family landlords either protect themselves or create an unnecessary problem. Single-family homes and condos can be exempt from AB 1482's rent cap if the owner provides a specific written notice at or before lease signing. The required language is specified in Civil Code Section 1946.2.

If you own your Moreno Valley or Riverside rental in your own name, or through a standard LLC where all members are individuals (not corporations), and you include this notice in every lease and lease renewal, your single-family rental is exempt from both the rent cap and just cause requirements. If you fail to include the notice, the exemption is lost — and you may be subject to the cap even on a single-family home that would otherwise qualify.

For professional management, this is a routine compliance task — residential property management providers should be including this notice in all qualifying leases automatically.

Just Cause Eviction Requirements

The just cause component of AB 1482 applies to covered properties after a tenant has been in occupancy for 12 months. After that threshold, you need a qualifying reason — called "just cause" — to terminate the tenancy.

At-fault just cause includes: nonpayment of rent, breach of a material lease term, maintaining a nuisance, criminal activity on the property, refusing to execute a new lease with substantially similar terms after expiration, subletting without permission, and refusing the landlord's lawful entry.

No-fault just cause includes: owner or immediate family member move-in (with proper notice and 30-day cure period), withdrawal of the unit from the rental market (Ellis Act), substantial rehabilitation requiring the unit be vacated, and compliance with a government order to vacate. No-fault terminations require relocation assistance equal to one month's rent.

Just cause is a significant constraint for landlords who want flexibility to recover their property. For single-family home management, the exemption notice is what protects you from just cause requirements — which is another reason it cannot be missed at lease signing.

AB 1482 in Specific IE Cities

Most Inland Empire cities have no local rent control ordinance, which means AB 1482 is the only protection in place:

• Moreno Valley — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies to covered properties.
• Riverside — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies.
• San Bernardino — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies.
• Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies.
• Perris, Hemet, San Jacinto — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies.
• Beaumont, Banning, Calimesa, Yucaipa — No local rent control. AB 1482 applies.

Unincorporated areas (Bloomington, Woodcrest, Highgrove, Mead Valley, Cherry Valley, Mentone) are governed by San Bernardino County or Riverside County — neither of which has a local rent control ordinance. AB 1482 is the only cap in effect.

Practical Compliance for IE Landlords

To protect yourself and stay compliant with AB 1482:

• Determine whether your property is covered (built before 2005, not a newly constructed SFR, not subject to stricter local rules)
• For single-family homes and condos: include the Civil Code §1946.2 exemption notice in every lease and lease renewal
• Track your rent increase history — keep records of when increases were applied and the amount
• For covered multifamily: calculate your maximum annual increase using the current CPI before sending any rent increase notice
• For no-fault terminations on covered properties: confirm relocation assistance requirements and comply with the notice period

For landlords using professional property management, AB 1482 compliance should be built into the lease preparation and rent increase workflow — it's not something to manage manually.

Frequently Asked Questions