Annually, the Town of Fairfax adjusts the maximum rent increase percentage. Starting September 1, the maximum percentage for increasing rent to applicable residences (see this applicability chart) will change to 2.85% from 2.52%.
The maximum annual rent increase is called the Annual General Adjustment (AGA). Under the Town’s Rent Stabilization ordinance, the AGA is set at 75% of the annual percentage increase to the March, 2024 Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward region for the period from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025. The AGA can never go above 5%.
The March, 2024 CPI increase is 3.8%. If you would like to review how the CPI is determined, see here. Seventy-five percent of 3.8% is 2.85%. Therefore the AGA for the time period from September 1, 2024 to and through August 31, 2025 is 2.85%.
Landlords
- Landlords are required by the Fairfax Municipal Code to send a copy of all rental increase notices to the Town Manager before serving the tenant the notice.
- Landlords are required by the Fairfax Municipal Code to rollback the base rent to the March 2, 2022 rate if they have not raised rent since the adoption of the Rent Stabilization ordinance (October 6, 2023). If there was no rent in effect on March 2, 2022 the base rent is what was first charged following March 2, 2022 up until October 6, 2023. For tenancies starting after October 6, 2023, the base rent is the initial rental rate in effect on the date the tenancy commenced.
Tenants
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If your landlord raises rent higher than 2.85% after September 1, send your landlord a letter or email explaining that Fairfax passed a Rent Stabilization ordinance. If your landlord continues to refuse to recalculate your rent, contact Legal Aid of Marin at (415) 492-0230.