East Palo Alto, CA local landlord rules
State law also applies. See California landlord-tenant law and the California landlord FAQ. State rules: Security deposit limit · Deposit return deadline · Notice to enter · Late fees · Eviction notice (nonpayment) · Rent increase notice.
Quick facts
| Topic | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Rent control / stabilization | Yes. Registered landlords may raise rent once a year by the annual general adjustment, and total increases are limited to 10% in any 12 months. |
| Just-cause eviction | Yes. Just cause is required for eviction. |
| Rental licensing / registration | Yes. Landlords must file a registration statement within 30 days after each new tenancy begins. |
Details & sources
Rent control / stabilization
Yes. Registered landlords may raise rent once a year by the annual general adjustment, and total increases are limited to 10% in any 12 months.
Verified Source: East Palo Alto Mun. Code §§ 14.04.090, 14.04.100 (Browser transcription) · last checked 2026-10-15
Back to quick facts ↑Just-cause eviction
Yes. Just cause is required for eviction.
Verified Source: East Palo Alto Mun. Code § 14.04.160 (Browser transcription) · last checked 2026-10-15
Back to quick facts ↑Rental licensing / registration
Yes. Landlords must file a registration statement within 30 days after each new tenancy begins.
Verified Source: East Palo Alto Mun. Code § 14.04.080 (Browser transcription) · last checked 2026-10-15
Back to quick facts ↑Research coverage
1 of 13 topics checked at the local level (state law is covered on the state page). A topic counts as checked only when every subtopic in it is checked or no additional requirement was found after a recorded full read. How coverage works.
| Topic | Status | Subtopics done |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Deposit return deadlines | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Rent increases and rent control | Checked: requirement found | 1 of 1 |
| Late fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Landlord entry | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Repairs and habitability | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Screening and application fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Fair housing and assistance animals | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Disclosures | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Renewal and termination | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Eviction | Partially researched | 1 of 3 |
| Registration and licensing | Partially researched | 1 of 3 |
| Short-term rentals | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
Also applies statewide
California rules that also apply in East Palo Alto:
- Security deposit limit
- The landlord may not collect a security deposit of more than one month's rent in addition to the first month's rent. Some small landlords and service-member tenants fall under exceptions. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California security deposit limit page
- Deposit return deadline
- No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, the landlord must send an itemized statement of deductions and return any remaining deposit (by personal delivery, first-class mail, or electronically where rent or deposit was paid that way). Since April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit after it is returned and before repairs or cleaning that will be deducted, and again after those are done. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g)(2), (h) · last checked 2026-10-23 · Full California deposit return deadline page
- Notice to enter
- Written notice of the date, approximate time, and purpose of entry, and entry only during normal business hours (except in emergencies). 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice; if mailed, at least 6 days before. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1954(d) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California notice to enter page
- Late fees
- Under § 1671(c)(2) and (d), a liquidated-damages clause in a residential lease is void unless the parties agree to an amount presumed to be the damage, and only where actual damages would be impracticable or extremely difficult to fix. Courts apply this to late fees (Harbor Island Holdings v. Kim, 2003). No statute caps residential late fees. Verified Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1671(b)–(d); Harbor Island Holdings, LLC v. Kim (2003) 107 Cal.App.4th 79 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full California late fees page
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