Mountain View Landlord-Tenant Rules

Rent stabilization: Under the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), a voter-approved City Charter amendment, rent increases on fully covered units are limited to the Annual General Adjustment (AGA). The AGA equals 100% of the February-to-February change in the San Francisco-area CPI and is never less than 2% or more than 5%. On April 23, 2026 the Rental Housing Committee adopted an AGA of 2.5% for September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Fully covered units are generally multi-unit rentals with a certificate of occupancy before February 1, 1995. Units first occupied between February 1, 1995 and December 23, 2016 are 'partially covered': they have eviction protections but no rent limits. A single-family home that is the only structure on its lot is fully exempt. Under the separate Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance (MHRSO), the AGA for mobile home spaces is 60% of CPI, capped at 3%. For September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027 it is 1.5%.; Just-cause eviction: The CSFRA requires just cause to evict tenants in both fully and partially covered units. Owner move-in is a permitted ground but requires relocation assistance (see below). Violating the CSFRA, including its anti-harassment and anti-retaliation regulations, is a complete defense to an eviction of a covered unit.; Relocation assistance: Under the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance (TRAO), landlords must pay permanent relocation assistance to an eligible household displaced by: an Ellis Act withdrawal; demolition; a government order to vacate (unless the tenant caused the condition); conversion to condos or co-ops; a change to non-residential use; conversion from rental to ownership units; or owner move-in. Eligible households have income at or below 120% of the Santa Clara County median plus $5,000. They receive a full security deposit refund, rental agency subscription and relocation support services, and a cash payment equal to three months' rent based on the City's median rent for a comparable unit. Special-circumstances households receive an additional $8,000 per unit, adjusted for CPI each January since 2020. These are households with a member 62 or older, a disabled member, or a dependent child 19 or younger. All displaced households, whatever their income, get moving help: the landlord either hires licensed movers or reimburses moving costs within 14 days. No payment is owed after a natural disaster the landlord did not cause, during temporary displacement for permitted rehabilitation (which has its own temporary relocation rules), or after a court judgment for nonpayment or other tenant fault.; Lockouts/harassment: Rental Housing Committee regulations adopted November 20, 2025 prohibit landlords and their agents from retaliating against or harassing CSFRA and MHRSO tenants. Harassment means bad-faith (willful, reckless or grossly negligent) conduct aimed at a tenant. Examples: entry notices with no time window or an unreasonably long one; repeated offensive or threatening communications, including on social media; and refusing to accept at least one form of rent payment other than cash or electronic transfer, where state law requires it. Tenants, or a representative, can file a harassment, retaliation or wrongful-eviction complaint with the Rent Stabilization Division. The claim itself must be pursued in court or with a civil rights agency, not through the CSFRA petition process. A violation is a complete defense to an eviction, landlords may be liable for damages, and a unit vacated because of a violation may face rent-adjustment penalties.