SAN DIEGO - Thousands of San Diego County residents could see their rent increase by as much as 10 percent and others could see even bigger increases.
California's Tenant Protection Act of 2019 limits the amount of annual rent increases some landlords can impose on tenants but the law doesn't protect all renters. Rosieangela Escamilla is a professor and mother of two and she tells reporting partner 10 News she recently received a notice saying her rent was going up 600 dollars a month.
"I was completely astonished to see my rent going up from $2,895 to $3,500," said Escamilla. "Obviously it seemed just exorbitant to me."
Escamilla lives in a newer building and under the new law properties built in the last 15 years are exempt from the rent increase cap. Single-family homes not owned by a corporation are also exempt.
Under the law, rent increases on protected properties cannot exceed more than five percent per year plus the difference in inflation over the previous year, which is usually about two percent. But with high inflation, those rent increases will hit the maximum increase under the law, which is 10 percent.
Property owners say the rising cost of insurance is one reason behind rent increases.
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