The new rent after a percentage rise
A landlord proposes a percentage; you need the dollar figure, and then you need to know whether the percentage is one the law allows. This calculator does the first. The sections below cover the second, because in a growing number of places the answer is written into statute.
The formula
Worked example: $1,500 raised by 5%
- Increase: $75 a month, $900 a year
- New rent: $1,575
What increases compound to
| Annual increase | Rent after 5 years | Total rise |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | $1,738 | 15.9% |
| 5% | $1,914 | 27.6% |
| 8% | $2,203 | 46.9% |
| 10% | $2,415 | 61.1% |
Five years of 5% is not 25% but 27.6%, because each rise applies to the already-raised rent. Over a decade at 5% the rent has grown 63%; wages rarely have.
Where the law caps it
Rent stabilisation now covers whole states, not just cities. California's Tenant Protection Act caps most increases at 5% plus local inflation, to a maximum of 10% a year. Oregon uses 7% plus inflation, capped at 10%. Washington, since May 2025, limits increases to 7% plus inflation, capped at 10% — 9.683% for 2026 — with no increase at all in a tenancy's first year and 90 days' notice. New York's Good Cause Eviction law sets a presumptive limit of 5% plus inflation, up to 10%, statewide; New York City's stabilised units get a board-set figure each year, typically 2–3%. Most other states have no cap and some prohibit cities from adding one.
Caps usually apply to buildings over a certain age and exempt single-family homes owned by individuals. The 5% in the example is within every cap in force; a 12% increase would be unlawful in California, Oregon or Washington regardless of the lease.
Notice periods
An increase needs written notice: 30 days is common, 60 or 90 days for larger increases in California and for all increases in some states. An increase announced with less notice than the law requires can be refused for that period.
Negotiating
A vacancy costs a landlord a month or two of rent plus turnover — often $2,000 to $4,000 on a $1,500 unit. A tenant offering to renew at 3% instead of 5% is offering the landlord $36 a year less against that risk. It is a strong position, and the calculator gives the exact figures for the conversation.
What this calculator leaves out
Local caps and notice rules, which change yearly; fees and utilities that may rise separately; and inflation, against which a 3% rise in a 6% year is a real cut.
Related calculators
- 3x rent rule — whether the rising rent still beats owning
- Inflation calculator — the increase in real terms