Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

California Just Passed the First Self Storage Rent Control Law in the US

18 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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California's new law caps annual rent increases at self-storage facilities to 5% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower, starting January 2026. It's the first U.S. regulation of its kind. New leases must disclose if advertised rates are promotional.

True or false, California just became the first state in the country to legally cap how much a self-storage operator can raise an existing tenant's rent each year.
I think, I think that's false.
Uh, it is actually unfortunately true. California SB 709, effective January 1st, 2026, caps the annual self-storage rate increases at the lower of 5% plus CPI or 10% and requires New leases to disclose whether rates are promotional. It's the first law of its kind aimed specifically at self-storage per the 2026 State of Self-Storage Market Report. Uh, that's not good news, Terry. That is not good news. It's not. That is rent control. It is. Uh, by another name.