Rent Increase Notice Letter Generator

The short answer. California requires 30 days' written notice for increases of 10% or less and 90 days for increases over 10% (Civil Code §827 — there is no 60-day rule). Oregon requires 90 days with four statute-mandated contents (ORS 90.323). Washington requires 90 days on the statutory form in RCW 59.18.720, and Seattle requires 180 days for any housing cost increase. This generator builds the notice from those rules and tells you plainly where a local rule could not be verified.

This tool is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current law with the official sources cited before acting.

Fill in the details below. The generator computes the notice period for your jurisdiction, checks your effective date against the service date, and produces a letter you can copy or print. Washington notices follow the layout of the statutory form in RCW 59.18.720 — they are not free-form letters. For Los Angeles and San Jose, where local notice rules could not be verified from official sources, the generator gives you a fallback instruction instead of asserting a rule that was not confirmed.

First check that the increase itself is within the cap: use the rent increase checker. A correctly worded notice does not make an over-cap increase lawful.

Notice periods used by this generator

Jurisdiction / case	Notice period	Basis
California, increase 10% or less	30 days	Civil Code §827
California, increase more than 10%	90 days	Civil Code §827; AB 1110 (no 60-day rule)
California, increase from recertified income / family-composition change	30 days even if more than 10%	Civil Code §827 exception
California, mailed notice (mailing place and tenant address both in California)	30 or 90 days, plus 5 calendar days	Code Civ. Proc. §1013(a); Civ. Code §827(b) (mailed notices subject to §1013). 10 days if either place is outside California but within the U.S.; 20 days if either is outside the U.S.
San Francisco (mailed notice)	30 or 90 days, plus 5 days if mailed	Official sf.gov page; CCP §1013(a)
Oregon	90 days	ORS 90.323
Oregon, week-to-week tenancy	7 days	ORS 90.323
Washington	90 days	RCW 59.18.140
Washington, subsidized income-based rent	30 days	RCW 59.18.140
Seattle, any housing cost increase	180 days	SMC 7.24.030 / 22.206.180
Portland, increase 5% or more (rolling 12 months)	90 days	PCC 30.01.085

Day-counting: for Oregon, ORS 90.160 (verified November 12, 2026) requires consecutive calendar days, not including the initial day of service but including the last day until 11:59 p.m. — the generator's calendar-day addition from the service date follows that counting. For California and Washington, day-counting conventions (whether the service day counts, and weekend or holiday rules) were not verified. The generator adds the notice period in calendar days from the service date you enter and flags the result as a computed estimate — confirm the counting method before serving. For Oregon mailed notices, see the ORS 90.155 note in the Oregon section below: the generator does not automatically add the 3-day extension in ORS 90.155(2).

Build the notice

Landlord name

Tenant name(s)

Property address (including unit number)

State

City / jurisdiction

Current monthly rent ($)

New monthly rent ($)

Date the notice will be served

Effective date of the increase

How will the notice be served?

Portland: unit size (for relocation assistance, if triggered)

California options

The increase results from a recertified income or family-composition change (30 days even if more than 10%)

San Francisco: the increase includes a banked portion

Oregon options

Week-to-week tenancy (7 days' notice)

Washington options

Rent is based in whole or in part on a percentage of income or household circumstances (subsidized tenancy; statutory-form requirement does not apply — except that portable voucher tenancies and AMI-limited affordable housing where base rent does not change with income are NOT excepted, RCW 59.18.720(2))

Exemption claim (Oregon and Washington only)

The landlord claims the increase is authorized by an exemption

Facts supporting the exemption (required in the notice where an exemption is claimed)

Oregon: ORS 90.323 requires the notice to state the facts supporting the exemption if the increase is above the allowed amount. Washington: RCW 59.18.700(2) requires exemption facts in the notice, and the RCW 59.18.720 form requires the exemptions section to be filled out with facts or attached supporting documents, with certification. If you claim an exemption, fill in the facts box — the generator will flag it if left blank.

This tool is for information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Verify current law with the official sources cited before acting.

Frequently asked questions

How much notice must a California landlord give for a rent increase?

California requires 30 days' written notice if the increase is 10% or less, and 90 days' written notice if it is more than 10%, under Civil Code section 827. There is no 60-day rule: AB 1110 replaced the old 60-day standard with 90 days effective January 1, 2020.

What must an Oregon rent increase notice include?

Under ORS 90.323, an Oregon rent increase notice must specify the amount of the rent increase, the amount of the new rent, the facts supporting the exemption if the increase is above the allowed amount, and the date the increase becomes effective. Oregon requires 90 days' written notice, or 7 days for week-to-week tenancies.

Does Washington require a specific form for a rent increase notice?

Yes. Under RCW 59.18.720, a Washington rent increase notice must be in a form substantially the same as the statutory form in subsection (3), titled Rent and Fee Increase Notice to Tenants, with the percentage increase, additional dollars per month, new total monthly amount, and an exemption section where an exemption is claimed. This generator follows that statutory form layout. The form requirement does not apply to subsidized tenancies where rent is based on income or household circumstances.

How much notice is required for a rent increase in Seattle?

Seattle requires 180 days' written notice for any housing cost increase. For increases of 10% or more in 12 months, an Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) notice must also be attached. The state RCW 59.18.720 notice form is still required on top of the city rules.

What if my property is in Los Angeles or San Jose?

For Los Angeles, no city-specific notice content list was verified from official sources, and for San Jose no official city notice-content or notice-period requirements were verified at all, on re-checks of the official LAHD and City of San Jose pages on November 12, 2026. This generator therefore does not assert any Los Angeles notice contents or any San Jose city notice rule. For either city, verify notice contents and requirements with the local rent board or housing department before serving the notice.

Does mailing a rent increase notice add extra days?

In California, yes when both the mailing place and the address are within California: Code of Civil Procedure §1013(a) extends the notice period by 5 calendar days for service by mail, 10 days if either place is outside California but within the United States, and 20 days if either is outside the United States. Civil Code §827 makes mailed rent increase notices subject to §1013. In San Francisco the official city page also states 5 more days if mailed. For Oregon, ORS 90.155(2) contains a 3-day extension in the current statute text, but its wording speaks to minimum periods for compliance or termination of tenancy, so this generator does not add it automatically for rent increase notices. For Washington, the current RCW 59.18.140 contains no mail-cushion subsection, and RCW 59.12.040 allows 5 additional days only before the commencement of an action based on a mailed notice. Verify the current service statute before relying on any mail cushion.

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Sources

California Civil Code §827 (notice periods and delivery) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
California Code of Civil Procedure §1013 (mail service extensions) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
California Attorney General, statewide and local rent charts — oag.ca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
LA Housing Department, Renter protections — housing.lacity.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
LA Housing Department, RSO overview — housing.lacity.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City and County of San Francisco, Learn about rent increases — sf.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City and County of San Francisco, Banked rent increases — sf.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
SF Rent Board Rules and Regulations, §4.12 Banking — media.api.sf.gov (PDF, compilation effective August 13, 2024) — accessed November 12, 2026.
City of Oakland, Allowable rent increases — oaklandca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City of San Jose, Rent stabilization — sanjoseca.gov — accessed November 12, 2026. (No official city notice-content or notice-period requirements for apartment increases were found on re-check, November 12, 2026; city notice rules are unverified.)
Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90 (ORS 90.155, 90.160, 90.323, 90.324, full current text) — oregonlegislature.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Oregon Legislature, HB 3113 enrolled text (ORS 90.323 contents) — olis.oregonlegislature.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Oregon Legislature, 2001 Chapter 596 (ORS 90.155 service methods) — oregonlegislature.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
RCW 59.18.140, notice of rent increase (current text; no subsection (4)) — apps.leg.wa.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
RCW 59.18.710, exemptions — app.leg.wa.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
RCW 59.18.720, statutory rent increase notice form — app.leg.wa.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Substitute House Bill 2452, passed Legislature (amends RCW 59.20.390 and 59.20.370 only) — lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov (PDF) — accessed November 12, 2026.
RCW 59.12.040, service of notices — app.leg.wa.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Washington Department of Commerce, HB 1217 Landlord Resource Center (official form) — commerce.wa.gov — accessed November 12, 2026. (Box form file linked from this page; its contents were not fetched — the Box preview did not load on November 12, 2026.)
City of Seattle, Housing cost increases — seattle.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City of Seattle, Renting in Seattle — seattle.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City of Seattle, Issuing Notices (required language on housing cost increases) — seattle.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
City of Portland, PCC 30.01.085 — portland.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Portland Housing Bureau, Tenant Notice of Rights and Responsibilities, Form 30.01.085-2019 — sandbox.portland.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.
Portland Housing Bureau, Renter relocation assistance — portland.gov — accessed November 12, 2026.

Rates and rules verified November 12, 2026 from official sources.

Unverified items deliberately not asserted in generated letters (as of November 12, 2026): Los Angeles notice contents; all San Jose city notice rules for apartment increases; whether the 3-day extension in ORS 90.155(2) — whose wording speaks to compliance/termination periods — applies to rent increase notices (the text itself is verified; the generator does not add it automatically); and the contents of the official Commerce Box form file (preview did not load; the statutory form text in RCW 59.18.720(3) is verified and the rights statement is left as a marked placeholder). Items verified on November 12, 2026 and now asserted: CCP §1013 mail extensions; the full ORS 90.155/90.160/90.323/90.324 texts; RCW 59.18.140 (no subsection (4)), 59.18.710, 59.18.720, and current 59.12.040; SF Rent Board Rule 4.12; Seattle's required notice language; and Portland's PCC 30.01.085(D) enclosure requirement. Verify each remaining item with the official source before serving.