Tenants in roughly 27,500 rent-controlled apartments across Santa Monica will see their rent go up by no more than 2.6% starting Tuesday, September 1, after the Rent Control Board set the 2026 general adjustment.

For a one-bedroom renter paying the citywide median of $2,700, that translates to about $70 a month more. The board capped the maximum dollar increase at $70 for any unit with a current maximum allowable rent of $2,674 or above, according to the city's official Maximum Lawful Rent page. Tenants in cheaper units will pay 2.6% of their current rent, a smaller dollar amount.

Landlords who want to apply the increase must deliver written notice to tenants by Saturday, August 1. That's the 30-day minimum required under Santa Monica's rent control law.

How the number is set

The annual general adjustment is pegged to 75% of the change in the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area over the 12 months ending in March, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. The law caps the adjustment between zero and 3%. The 2026 figure of 2.6% falls between the 2.3% adjustment that took effect in September 2025 and the 3% ceiling hit in September 2024, according to the Rent Control Board's annual report.

Who's covered, who's not

Santa Monica's rent control ordinance covers residential units built before April 10, 1979. Single-family homes and condominiums are generally exempt. As of December 31, 2025, the city had 27,589 controlled rental units on the books, with one-bedrooms (12,945 units) and two-bedrooms (9,695 units) making up 82% of the stock.

Conditions for a valid increase

A rent hike under the 2026 general adjustment is only legal if the tenancy started before September 1, 2025; all registration fees and penalties are paid; the unit is properly registered; there are no uncorrected health, safety, or housing code violations on the property; and the owner is in full compliance with the rent control law, according to the city's Maximum Lawful Rent page.

Landlords can also pass through up to $10 per month of the $240 annual registration fee to tenants with proper notice.

What tenants should do

Renters who receive a notice can verify their unit's maximum allowable rent using the Rent Control Board's online lookup tool at smgov.net/departments/rentcontrol/mar.aspx. Tenants who believe their landlord is overcharging or failed to properly serve notice can file a petition with the board at no cost.

The board, chaired by Daniel Ivanov, meets on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 1685 Main Street. Upcoming meeting dates are posted at smgov.net/Current_Board_Meetings.aspx.

Residents can reach Rent Control Administrator Jonathan Holub's office at (310) 458-8751, by email at [email protected], or in person at Room 202 of City Hall.