It's been a historic year for rent control on the West Coast, as California joins Oregon as the first states to approve statewide rent control laws.
"Tenants across California will for the first time have protections against how much landlords can increase their rents after legislators on Wednesday narrowly approved a measure to cap annual rent hikes," reports Liam Dillon.
"Under Assembly Bill 1482, most yearly rent increases over the next decade will be limited to 5% plus inflation and tenants will receive protections against being evicted without cause," according to Dillon. The law will expand rent control to two million additional rental units around the state.
The new law will take effect on January 1, 2020. Dillon details some of the political discussion both leading up to, and following, the bill's approval. As Dillon notes, the State Legislature approved the bill less than a year after the state's voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have allowed cities and counties to impose much stricter versions of local rent controls.
For more background on the historic law, see also an article written by Matt Levin just prior to the bill's final approval detailing the scope and expected consequences of the law.
California follows less than a year after the Oregon State Legislature implemented a statewide cap on rent increases, bringing the total now to two states that have implemented statewide rent control.
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