Mountain View Rent Control: Buying a CSFRA Rental Property
Mountain View rent control comes from the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), which voters approved as Measure V in 2016 and which has been in effect since December 23, 2016. It caps yearly rent increases and limits evictions in most rental buildings of three or more units built before February 1, 1995, and it extends eviction protection, but not rent limits, to buildings of three or more units built from then through December 23, 2016. Single-family homes on their own parcel, condominiums, duplexes and units first occupied after December 23, 2016 are outside it, according to the city’s FAQ.
For a buyer, the CSFRA decides what rent a building can legally collect, how fast it can rise and when a tenancy can end. That makes it as important to the price of a Mountain View apartment building as the roof or the rent roll. This page explains coverage, the Annual General Adjustment, registration and fees, the nine just causes, the separate mobile home ordinance, and what to check before you buy or sell. It sits alongside our Mountain View real estate overview and the wider Santa Clara County guide.
Which Mountain View rentals the CSFRA covers
Coverage turns on the number of units on the property and the date the building was first built or occupied. The city’s Rent Stabilization Division sorts rentals into three groups.
| Property | Rent limits (Annual General Adjustment) | Just cause for eviction |
|---|---|---|
| Three or more units, built before February 1, 1995 | Yes (fully covered) | Yes |
| Three or more units, built February 1, 1995 through December 23, 2016 | No (partially covered) | Yes |
| First certificate of occupancy after December 23, 2016 | No | No |
| Single-family home on a parcel with no other residential unit, condominium or duplex | No | No |
| Government-owned or subsidized units | No | No |
The city lists other exemptions as well, so treat the table as a starting point. The Rent Stabilization Division offers an address lookup on its map site, and the division answers coverage questions at 650-903-6136.
A rental outside the CSFRA is not necessarily unregulated. California’s Tenant Protection Act can still reach it, and our guide to AB 1482 for landlords explains which units the state rules cover and which exemptions apply.
How the Annual General Adjustment works
For fully covered units, the Rental Housing Committee sets one Annual General Adjustment (AGA) each year. The city’s FAQ says it equals 100% of the rise in the Bay Area Consumer Price Index from February to February, with a floor of 2% and a ceiling of 5%. Each AGA year runs from September 1 to August 31.
An owner may apply the AGA only when all of these are true, according to the city’s rent increase page:
- At least 12 months have passed since the tenant’s last increase.
- The annual Rental Housing Fees are paid.
- The property is registered with the city.
- The owner is otherwise in compliance with the CSFRA, including having no outstanding code violations.
- The tenant received at least 30 days’ advance written notice.
| AGA year (starting September 1) | Allowed increase | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3.4% | City rent increase page |
| 2018 | 3.6% | City rent increase page |
| 2019 | 3.5% | City rent increase page |
| 2020 | 2.9% | City rent increase page |
| 2021 | 2.0% | City rent increase page |
| 2022 | 5.0% | City rent increase page |
| 2023 | 5.0% | City rent increase page |
| 2024 | 2.4% | City rent increase page |
| 2025 | Up to 2.7% | Listed as the 2025 banked adjustment on the 2026 notice form; unofficial third-party copy (GoCodebook) |
| 2026 | Up to 2.5% | 2026 notice form, rev. June 1, 2026; unofficial third-party copy (GoCodebook) |
When we checked on October 24, 2026, the city’s own rent increase page still ended at 2.4% for 2024, and we found no city announcement of a later figure. The 2025 and 2026 figures come from an unofficial third-party copy of the city’s 2026 rent increase notice form, so confirm them with the Rent Stabilization Division before you serve a notice or build a pro forma.
Banked increases
If an owner skips an increase in a given year, the CSFRA lets the owner bank it and add it in a later year on top of that year’s AGA. Banked increases carry extra notice language from the CSFRA regulations, a copy of the notice must be filed with the city, and lower-income or rent-burdened tenants can file an undue hardship petition against them. A building with years of banked increases may have legal rents well above what tenants pay today, but collecting them is neither automatic nor certain.
Vacancy decontrol, base rent and petitions
When a fully covered unit becomes vacant, the owner may set the new tenant’s starting rent at market, the city’s FAQ explains, and the new tenancy then falls back under the AGA. Rent increases are measured from the base rent. For tenancies that existed on or before October 19, 2015, the base rent is the rent in effect on that date, which can still matter in long tenancies.
Either side can ask the Rental Housing Committee to adjust rents. Owners can file a Maintenance of Net Operating Income petition to protect a fair return, or a Specified Capital Improvement petition. Tenants can petition for a lower rent when the rent exceeds the lawful amount, when the unit has health or building code violations, when services or maintenance have been reduced, or on undue hardship grounds. A pending or decided petition belongs in any buyer’s file review.
Just cause and relocation in Mountain View
In both fully and partially covered buildings, the city says an owner may serve a termination notice for only nine reasons:
- Failure to pay rent
- Breach of lease
- Nuisance
- Criminal activity
- Failure to give access
- Temporary vacancy for necessary or substantial repairs
- Owner move-in
- Withdrawal of the units from the rental market
- Demolition
The last four can trigger relocation assistance under the city’s Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance. The city’s June 2024 FAQ describes eligible households as those with income up to 120% of the median household income plus $5,000. It lists the assistance as a full refund of the security deposit, a rental agency subscription, one-on-one housing search help and a payment equal to three months’ rent, plus $8,000 more, adjusted yearly for Bay Area CPI, for households with special circumstances. Income limits and amounts change, so get the current figures from the city before any notice goes out.
Where a local just cause ordinance adopted on or before September 1, 2019 applies, California’s statewide just cause section steps aside for it. Our guide to just cause eviction rules for landlords explains how the state and local layers fit together.
Registration and the Rental Housing Fee
Owners of covered properties must register them with the city every year and pay a per-unit Rental Housing Fee that funds the program. The CSFRA does not allow the fee to be passed through to tenants. City pages give January 31 as the deadline for registration and payment, and the registration page lists late fees of 4% per unit per month on unpaid fees and $25 per unit per month for an incomplete registration.
The fee changes each year. City pages we checked in October 2026 showed only older amounts: $108 per unit for fiscal 2023-24 on the registration page and $120 per unit for 2024 in the June 2024 FAQ. Ask the division for the current invoice figure. The practical point for buyers: an unregistered or unpaid property cannot lawfully take the AGA, so a seller’s missed filings can freeze the rents you are buying.
Mobile homes: the separate MHRSO
Mobile home spaces are not under the CSFRA. The City Council adopted the Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance (MHRSO) on September 28, 2021, and it took effect October 28, 2021. It covers spaces in Mountain View mobile home parks and mobile homes that are not owner occupied, and the same Rental Housing Committee administers it.
- Increases: one a year, starting September 1, 2022, at an AGA equal to 100% of CPI, with the same 2% floor and 5% ceiling.
- Banking: allowed, up to a maximum total increase of 10% in any one year.
- Petitions: park owners can seek a fair return or a temporary capital improvement pass-through, capped at 50% of the cost and 5% of base rent; residents can petition for lower rent.
- Exemptions: mobile homes not used as a primary residence, and spaces covered by a council-approved agreement that at least 80% of park residents approved.
Before you buy a CSFRA building
A Mountain View apartment building’s value rests on its lawful rents, not its asking rents. Use the contingency period to rebuild the rent picture from documents.
- Confirm coverage. Get the first certificate of occupancy date and the unit count, and run the address through the city’s lookup.
- Check registration and fees for every year since 2017, including late fees owed.
- Rebuild each unit’s lawful rent from the base rent, every AGA taken and any banked amounts, and compare it with the rent roll.
- Read every notice served in recent years, including rent increase notices, banked-increase filings and termination notices.
- Ask about petitions, past or pending, and any code violations, since either can block or reverse increases.
- Get tenant estoppels confirming rent, deposits and terms; our guide to estoppel certificates covers what to ask for.
- Underwrite at the AGA, not at market, until units turn over, and price in the city’s transfer tax, which rises for sales above $6 million.
Our rental property analysis guide walks through the cash flow, and buying property with tenants in place covers what transfers to you at closing. If you want help running the building, Diamond manages some rental properties and works with partner managers on others. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.
Selling a rent-stabilized building
Buyers of CSFRA property will ask for the same records listed above, so assemble them before you list: registrations, fee receipts, a unit-by-unit rent history, notices, petitions and any relocation payments. Gaps in that file show up as lower offers or longer contingencies. If you plan to buy again, our 1031 exchange guide explains the timing, and our multifamily investment services page explains how we market apartment buildings.
Investors comparing cities can read our guide to the San Jose rent ordinance, which uses a different coverage date and a fixed 5% limit.
This is general information, not legal advice. CSFRA coverage, banked increases, petitions and terminations turn on regulations and facts this page cannot cover, so talk to a California landlord-tenant attorney who practices in Mountain View before you serve a notice or rely on a rent figure.
Questions people ask
Does Mountain View have rent control?
Yes. The CSFRA limits rent increases in most buildings of three or more units built before February 1, 1995, and adds just cause eviction protection for buildings of three or more units built from then through December 23, 2016.
How much can rent go up in Mountain View in 2026?
An unofficial copy of the city’s 2026 notice form lists the 2026 Annual General Adjustment as up to 2.5% for fully covered units, but the city’s rent page still showed 2.4% for 2024 when we checked in October 2026, so confirm with the city. The owner must be registered, paid up and in compliance to use any AGA.
Are single-family homes and condos covered by the CSFRA?
No. The city’s FAQ lists single-family homes on a parcel with no other residential unit, condominiums and duplexes as exempt. State law may still apply to them.
Can a landlord raise rent to market when a tenant moves out?
Yes, for fully covered units. Vacancy decontrol lets the owner set a new starting rent at market, and the new tenancy is then limited by the AGA.
What happens if the property isn’t registered?
The owner cannot lawfully apply the Annual General Adjustment until the property is registered and the Rental Housing Fees are paid, and late fees accrue monthly.
Is there rent control for mobile homes in Mountain View?
Yes. The Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance, in effect since October 28, 2021, limits space rent increases to one a year at 100% of CPI, between 2% and 5%.
Who runs the CSFRA?
The Rental Housing Committee, five members and one alternate, administers both the CSFRA and the MHRSO, and the city’s Rent Stabilization Division handles day-to-day questions, registration and petitions.
Weighing a Mountain View apartment building, or getting one ready to sell? We can help you rebuild the rent history and test the numbers before you commit. Start with our investment property services or contact Diamond.
Sources & notes
- City of Mountain View: Rent Stabilization (CSFRA overview and coverage)
- City of Mountain View: Rent and allowed rent increases (AGA history 2017 to 2024, conditions, banking)
- City of Mountain View Rent Stabilization Division: Frequently Asked Questions about the CSFRA (rev. June 7, 2024)
- City of Mountain View: CSFRA FAQs (AGA formula, effective date)
- City of Mountain View: Property registration and fees
- City of Mountain View: Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance FAQ
- City of Mountain View: Rental Housing Committee
- GoCodebook library: unofficial third-party copy of Mountain View’s 2026 CSFRA rent increase notice form text (rev. June 1, 2026)
- Justia: California Civil Code section 1946.2 (local just cause ordinances, subdivision (i))
- City of Mountain View: Real property transfer (conveyance) tax (Measure G, effective December 20, 2024)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
