Willow and Hearth

A rent stabilized tenant in New York City who renews a lease starting on or after October 1, 2026 faces a legal increase of zero. The Rent Guidelines Board’s Apartment and Loft Order #58, adopted June 25, 2026, sets 0 percent for both one year and two year leases starting October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, the official figures for rent controlled units are above zero, and California adds a statewide cap on top.

Here is what each official source says, with the dates they apply to.

New York City

Order #58 covers lofts as well. It says any lease up to one year counts as a one year lease, and any lease over one year and up to two years counts as a two year lease. Adjustments lawfully put in place under earlier orders stay part of the base rent. If an owner charges more than the order allows, the order says the excess must be fully credited against the following month’s rent.

The order also deals with escalator clauses. Increases from escalator clauses are included in the lawful rent as of September 30, 2026, and where an owner can validly renew an escalator clause, that increase offsets the authorized increase unless the owner deletes the clause in writing by October 1, 2026.

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Housing Department’s renter protections page lists the Rent Stabilization Ordinance increase as 3 percent for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, although another line on the same page gives a different start date, so the page is not fully consistent. The same page says the City Council changed the formula to 90 percent of the average Consumer Price Index instead of 100 percent, with increases from February 2, 2026 ranging from a minimum of 1 percent to a maximum of 4 percent. The previous range was 3 percent to 8 percent.

The department’s rent increase calculator page lists 3 percent for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and does not list the 2026 to 2027 year, so confirm the current figure with the department. Both pages say landlords must give 30 days of written notice for increases under 10 percent, and the renter protections page says an increase is allowed once every 12 months.

Two other changes apply from February 2, 2026 according to the department, and the renter protections page says the utilities change is pending final City Council approval. Landlords can no longer add a percentage increase for utilities, and the extra 10 percent for adding a dependent to a tenancy is no longer allowed. A 10 percent increase for an added non dependent tenant is still permitted within 60 days of the landlord learning about that tenant, according to the department’s RSO overview, which was last modified September 22, 2026.

San Francisco

The San Francisco Rent Board’s announcement sets the allowable annual increase at 1.6 percent for rent controlled units from March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027. It gives the method. Multiply the tenant’s base rent by .016 and add that to the base rent, so a base rent of $2,000.00 rises by $32.00 to $2,032.00.

The California statewide cap

Many California renters are also covered by the state’s cap. The California Attorney General’s page, last modified July 16, 2026, says annual increases are capped at 5 percent plus the percentage change in the cost of living, up to a maximum of 10 percent. For increases starting August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, it lists maximums of 8.7 percent for the Los Angeles area, 8.8 percent for the San Francisco area, 8.2 percent for San Diego County, 8.1 percent for the Riverside area and 8.6 percent for all other counties.

The Attorney General says the state caps apply to most rental housing more than 15 years old, including corporate owned single family homes and condos, mobilehomes rented from park management, and housing rented by Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher recipients. It also says local caps do not apply to buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995 or to most single family homes and condos. When a unit turns over, the landlord may set the initial rent for new tenants under Civil Code section 1947.12.

What to check in your own notice

Find the date your lease or increase takes effect and match it to the period each agency lists. New York City is tied to the lease start date, Los Angeles to a July to June year, San Francisco to a March to February year, and the California statewide table to increases starting between August 1 and July 31.

Check that the percentage on your notice does not exceed the agency figure, that the notice period meets the rule (30 days of written notice in Los Angeles for increases under 10 percent), and that no utility add on or dependent charge is included in Los Angeles. If the notice looks wrong, contact the agency that publishes the figure, such as the Los Angeles Housing Department, the San Francisco Rent Board, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board or the California Attorney General, or a tenant counselor or attorney in your area. This article reports what the sources say and is not legal advice.