Bay Area

Oakland Landlords Allowed to Raise Rents Aug. 1

Starting on August 1, the amount that landlords can increase the rent for tenants living in rent-controlled units in Oakland will change. For most tenants living in these units, landlords cannot raise their rent more than 2.3%, a figure called the annual allowable rent increase, which is based off of calculating 60% of this years’ change in the consumer price index, or CPI. The city has long limited rent increases to 60% of CPI, and starting in 2022, Oakland passed an ordinance capping rent increases at 3% if the CPI increase exceeds that rate.

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

A rent controlled duplex located in West Oakland. Photographed on July 22 by Zack Haber.

By Zack Haber

Starting on August 1, the amount that landlords can increase the rent for tenants living in rent-controlled units in Oakland will change.

For most tenants living in these units, landlords cannot raise their rent more than 2.3%, a figure called the annual allowable rent increase, which is based off of calculating 60% of this years’ change in the consumer price index, or CPI.

The city has long limited rent increases to 60% of CPI, and starting in 2022, Oakland passed an ordinance capping rent increases at 3% if the CPI increase exceeds that rate.

Landlords can’t raise rent more than once a year, and they need to inform tenants in writing 30 days prior to any increase going into effect. The current 2.3% annual allowable rent increase will be in effect until Aug 1, 2025.

In Oakland, rent control applies to most tenants living in units built before 1983, but excludes those living in all condos and almost all single-family homes, regardless of when those units were built.

Most renters who don’t live in a rent-controlled units have their rent increases limited by a separate state law, which allows a higher increase: 5% plus CPI, or 10%, whichever is less. That limitation, however, doesn’t apply to certain types of housing units, including those built within the last 15 years.

Under certain circumstances, some landlords with tenants living in rent-controlled units will be able to raise the rent higher than 2.3% as well. In each of these circumstances, the landlord must inform their tenant why the rent increase exceeds the annual allowable rent increase.

The most common way an Oakland tenant living in a rent-controlled unit could legally be charged more than the 2.3% limit is through ‘banking.’ In this case, ‘banking’ is a process where a landlord who didn’t raise a tenants’ rent to a maximum allowable amount in one or more of the previous 10 years can bank that increase and apply it to the present year. Essentially, a landlord can calculate how much a tenant’s rent would be if they had charged the maximum allowable increase during those years and apply that increase to the current year.

The new banked increase, however, has a further limitation: it can’t exceed three times the amount of the current years’ annual allowable rent increase. That means that this year, no landlord can raise a tenants’ rent more than 6.9% through banking.

Calculating what is legally allowed in a banked rent increase can involve some complicated math. But the city has provided a list of previous years’ maximum allowable rent increases, a banking rent increase calculator, and instructions for its use on its website.

In addition to banking, there are few other ways an Oakland landlord can increase the rent higher than the annual allowable limit including capital improvement, increased housing service costs, uninsured repair costs, and fair return.

In each of these cases though, the landlord must file a petition with Oakland’s rent adjustment board and get the board’s approval for the increase. Before making any ruling, the board must also inform the tenant of their landlord’s petition and offer them an opportunity to challenge the increase.

A capital improvement increase could include some reimbursement for property improvements that benefit the tenant.

An uninsured repair increase could occur if the landlord can prove increased costs arose due to a disaster causing damage that they have to repair to comply with state or local law. A fair return increase could be applied if a landlord chooses to combine any of the previously mentioned increases.

If a landlord of a rent-controlled unit raises a tenants’ rent over annual allowable amount for any reason other than banking, they have to include the paperwork from Oakland’s rent board showing the board has allowed the increase.

Jackie Zaneri, tenant attorney and manager of California Center of Movement Legal Services, said that if a tenant got a rent increase that they aren’t sure is valid, they should check with an attorney and the rent board.

The city’s website lists out legal nonprofits that tenants can check in with for free about the validity of a rent increase. The list includes Bay Area Legal Aid, Central Legal de la Raza, and East Bay Community Law Center. Oakland’s rent board is available by phone Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and by email at RAP@oaklandca.gov.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.