Lemon Grove and Spring Valley Rent by ZIP: 91945, 91977 and 91978 (October 2026)

Updated October 2026 | Authored by Scott Engle, Broker DRE #01332676 | Realty Management Group | Serving San Diego County Since 2005

Last verified against primary sources: October 27, 2026.

Average asking rent was $2,731 in Lemon Grove, ZIP 91945, and $2,645 in Spring Valley's main ZIP, 91977, in RentCast data retrieved October 27, 2026, on 89 and 141 active listings. Lemon Grove is up +1.0% since November 2025 and 91977 is down -2.6%; both are within the range a ZIP of that size moves on ordinary listing turnover. Spring Valley's second ZIP, 91978, had 8 listings; this page does not use its average as a market benchmark.

That last point corrects the July 2026 edition of this guide, which reported 91978 at $3,550, up 18.7%, and built a story around an $880 split inside Spring Valley. RentCast's monthly series since November shows 91978 moving between $2,190 and $3,531 on 5 to 13 listings. That is a sample, not a market. This edition uses only 91945 and 91977 for market-level figures and comparisons; 91978's monthly averages appear in one table solely to show how a small sample moves. The rules and the cost comparison are kept, recomputed at October rents.

Source: RentCast market statistics per ZIP, retrieved October 27, 2026 through Realty Management Group's API account; advertised asking rents on active listings, all property types unless stated, not signed leases. Days on market is RentCast's average days on the market of listed properties, a listing-age measure. RMG figures: internal Rentvine management data, 2026, for RMG's Lemon Grove and Spring Valley units.

Lemon Grove Rent by Bedroom and Property Type, ZIP 91945, October 2026

Lemon Grove is a single ZIP code, 91945, an incorporated city with trolley access to downtown. Its 89 listings split 55% apartments and 30% houses, and the two price $1,005 apart. The all-unit average, $2,731, sits between them and describes neither.

Source: RentCast, retrieved October 27, 2026. Bedroom categories cover all rental property types in the ZIP. A row under 5 listings shows the count only; rows with 5 to 9 listings are a dollar level to read as directional. No bedroom-level percentage change is published.

Bottom line: a Lemon Grove house benchmarks against $3,461 or the 3-bedroom row at $3,402, not against $2,731. The gap is $730 a month.

Spring Valley Rent by Bedroom and Property Type, ZIP 91977, October 2026

91977 is the northern, denser part of Spring Valley and carries almost all of its listings: 141 in October, 55% apartments and 31% houses. Spring Valley is unincorporated; it has no city government or city municipal code, and local regulation there would come from San Diego County rather than a municipality.

Source: RentCast, retrieved October 27, 2026. Bedroom categories cover all rental property types in the ZIP. A row under 5 listings shows the count only; rows with 5 to 9 listings are a dollar level to read as directional. No bedroom-level percentage change is published.

The 91977 three-bedroom row, $3,564 on 31 listings, runs above Lemon Grove's $3,402, while its one- and two-bedroom rows run below Lemon Grove's. Houses in the two ZIPs are nearly level, $3,487 against $3,461; apartments are $310 apart in Lemon Grove's favor.

Bottom line: Spring Valley's published market is 91977. Price a house there off the single-family or 3-bedroom row; the all-unit figure is an apartment number.

Why ZIP 91978 Is Not Published, and What Its Series Shows

91978 covers the Jamacha and Sweetwater Springs side of Spring Valley, larger lots and fewer rentals. In October it had 8 active listings, below the ten this page requires before it treats an average as a market benchmark. The July 2026 edition used it as one anyway, at $3,550, up 18.7%, and drew a conclusion about a split market from it. The monthly series shows why that was a mistake.

Source: RentCast monthly history, retrieved October 27, 2026.

A ZIP whose average moves from $2,190 to $3,531 inside a year on 5 to 13 listings is reporting which houses happened to be listed, not what the area rents for. An owner in 91978 should price off live comparable properties in and around 91978, with the 91977 bedroom rows as context, and should expect a broker to say so.

Bottom line: a figure built on eight listings is a promise nobody can keep. We stopped treating it as one.

Lemon Grove and Spring Valley Rent Month by Month, November 2025 to October 2026

Source: RentCast monthly history, 12 months, retrieved October 27, 2026.

Lemon Grove ran from $2,690 (Jan 2026) to $2,921 (Aug 2026) and ended at $2,731; 91977 from $2,645 (Oct 2026) to $2,866 (Apr 2026) and ended at $2,645, its low. Both spent the spring above where they started and the autumn below it. The Lemon Grove two-bedroom series peaked at $3,080 in Jun 2026, which is the figure the July edition caught, and sits at $2,604 now.

What Changed Since the July 2026 Edition of This Guide

The July 2026 edition published RentCast dashboard figures for July. This edition uses RentCast's API on October 27. Both are RentCast asking-rent averages for the same ZIP codes, three months apart, and should be read as directionally comparable snapshots rather than one continuous series.

Source: RentCast, July 2026 (as published in the prior edition) and October 27, 2026. Change shown only where the October category has 10 or more listings. 91978 is omitted; see above. The July column is the dashboard figure as published; RentCast's API history gives $2,857 for Lemon Grove and $2,677 for 91977 in July (Table 7), a few dollars apart from the dashboard snapshot, which is why the two are read as directionally comparable.

Lemon Grove is -4.5% against July, almost all of it in the two-bedroom row, -14.6%, which had spiked in June and July. One- and three-bedrooms barely moved. The July edition's 'broad-based growth, up 9.6%' was a reading at the top of the two-bedroom series; the eleven-month view is +1.0%. Spring Valley 91977 is -0.9% against July, with one-bedrooms up and three-bedrooms down.

Bottom line: both markets are flat on a year's view. The July edition's two headlines, Lemon Grove surging and Spring Valley splitting, were snapshots of thin rows at their highs. This page says so rather than carrying them.

Lemon Grove and Spring Valley Against Their Neighbors, October 2026

Source: RentCast, retrieved October 27, 2026, same pull as the rest of this page. 91978 omitted (under 10 listings). The full county table is in average rent in San Diego by ZIP code.

On the all-unit average, Lemon Grove and 91977 sit between El Cajon and National City below them and La Mesa, Encanto and Paradise Hills above. Below 91977 sit Logan Heights 92113, National City 91950, El Cajon north 92021 and El Cajon central 92020. On the three-bedroom row 91977, at $3,564, is the highest of the group apart from La Mesa 91942; Lemon Grove's $3,402 is mid-table.

Days on Market in Lemon Grove and Spring Valley

RentCast reports the average days on the market of listed properties in the period. It is a listing-age measure: it starts when a listing goes live, includes listings still active, and does not confirm a signed lease. Lemon Grove averaged 37 days across all types, houses 18 and apartments 52. 91977 averaged 48, houses 44 and apartments 58. Lemon Grove houses are the fastest segment on this page; 91977 houses sit more than twice as long.

RMG's local figures are measured differently and are not directly comparable: across leases signed on the 16 Lemon Grove units it manages, a vacant unit leased in 9 days on average from vacancy date to signed lease; across its 26 Spring Valley units, both ZIPs, 14 days. Per Rentvine records as of 2026. At $2,731 a month a vacant day costs about $90; the vacancy calculator runs it for your rent.

What a Lemon Grove or Spring Valley Owner Can Charge: AB 1482, Notice Periods and the Emergency Limit

As of our August 2026 review of the Lemon Grove Municipal Code, we found no separate local residential rent-control or just-cause ordinance in Lemon Grove that replaces or supplements the state rules discussed here. Spring Valley has no city government or city municipal code; local regulation there would come from San Diego County rather than a municipality.

For the rent-cap and just-cause rules discussed here, California state law governs in both. The City of San Diego and Chula Vista have local ordinances, listed in which San Diego cities have rent control; ordinance status changes, so the date of the check matters.

For a new tenancy, Civil Code §1947.12(b) lets the owner set the initial rent. For a continuing tenant in a covered unit, the maximum increase in San Diego County is 8.2% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027: 5% plus 3.2% CPI, the BLS San Diego-Carlsbad twelve-month change ending March 2026, the index §1947.12(g)(1)(A)(iii) names for the county. Up to two increments in a twelve-month period, provided the total stays within the cap measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior twelve months.

Notice under §827 is 30 days for an increase of 10% or less, 90 days above it, plus five days if mailed; text and email are not written notice. The rent cap guide has the arithmetic. A single-family house or condo is outside the cap and just cause under §1946.2(e)(8) only where the owner is not a corporation, REIT or corporate-member LLC and the lease carries the statutory exemption notice; without the notice the unit is treated as covered for that tenancy.

As of October 27, 2026, two emergency declarations covering San Diego County limit rent increases, including new asking rents at turnover, to 10% over the pre-declaration price under Penal Code §396: the County's September 30, 2026 local emergency proclamation, which runs 30 days unless the Board of Supervisors extends it, and the Governor's October 15, 2026 Tropical Storm Rachel proclamation, which the Governor's Office of Emergency Services lists as applying §396(b), (d), (e) and (f) in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties through November 14, 2026, checked October 27, 2026.

The statute, the base-price rule and the exceptions are in the pricing guide.

Bottom line: no city layer in Lemon Grove, no city at all in Spring Valley. For the rent-cap and just-cause rules on this page, the state documentation is the obligation, and it applies in full; permits, HOA rules and County requirements outside those rules are not covered here.

What Management Costs at Lemon Grove and Spring Valley Rents

A Realty Management Group review of publicly advertised San Diego County property-management pricing pages found monthly rates of 7% to 10% of collected rent, a tenant-placement fee at turnover and, at many companies, a renewal fee of $300 to $500; the company-by-company figures are in the San Diego property management fees guide.

Realty Management Group charges a flat $199 a month for one to three units at rents up to $5,000 and $179 per unit per month for four to sixteen, with no leasing fee, no renewal fee and no maintenance markup on those plans; rents above $5,000 are managed at 6% under a separate plan on the pricing page. At the $2,731 Lemon Grove average, 8% is $2,622 a year against the flat $2,388; the placement fee at turnover is where the models separate.

Illustrative comparison: 8% monthly management plus a leasing fee of one month's rent at one turnover, against RMG's flat monthly rate. Rent held flat; no renewal fees and no maintenance markup counted on the percentage side; RMG's three-months-free offer excluded. Rates and placement fees vary by company; check the management agreement.

Bottom line: compare the three-year total including turnover, not the headline percentage.

RMG in Lemon Grove and Spring Valley: 16 and 26 Units

Realty Management Group manages 16 Lemon Grove units and 26 Spring Valley units across 91977 and 91978, as of 2026. Across leases signed on those units in RMG's Rentvine records, a vacant Lemon Grove unit leased in 9 days on average from vacancy date to signed lease and a Spring Valley unit in 14;

Completed tenancies averaged 41 months in Lemon Grove and 38 in Spring Valley; on-time rent ran 98.9% and 99.3%; occupancy was 100% in both at the 2026 Rentvine snapshot; and company records show zero eviction actions filed on RMG-managed units in either city across the full period since 2005. These describe RMG's local portfolios, not the markets, and the lease counts behind the local averages are smaller than the countywide set below.

Countywide, as of August 2026, RMG manages 400+ units with a 13-day average time to lease, 39-month average tenancy, 98.9% occupancy and 99.4% on-time rent.

Occupancy reflects occupied managed units as a percentage of rentable managed units as of August 2026. On-time rent reflects payments received by the contractual due date across the trailing 24 months ending August 2026. Days to lease is the mean across more than 40 RMG-managed San Diego County leases signed in the trailing 24 months ending August 2026, measured from vacancy date to signed lease date. Average tenancy is the mean across tenancies completed in the trailing 24 months ending August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lemon Grove and Spring Valley Rent

What is the average rent in Lemon Grove in 2026?

$2,731 a month across all unit types in ZIP 91945, in RentCast data retrieved October 27, 2026, an average of advertised asking rents on 89 active listings; the median was $2,450. By bedroom: one-bedroom $2,100 on 33 listings, two-bedroom $2,604 on 31, three-bedroom $3,402 on 19. Houses averaged $3,461 and apartments $2,456.

What is the average rent in Spring Valley in 2026?

$2,645 in ZIP 91977 as of October 27, 2026, on 141 active listings, median $2,295. By bedroom: one-bedroom $1,847, two-bedroom $2,247, three-bedroom $3,564, four-bedroom $3,888 on 17 listings. Houses averaged $3,487. ZIP 91978 had 8 listings and is not used as a benchmark; its monthly series moved between $2,190 and $3,531 over the year.

Are Lemon Grove and Spring Valley rents rising?

On the eleven-month view, Lemon Grove is +1.0% and 91977 is -2.6%, both within normal listing turnover for ZIPs that size. Against the July 2026 edition of this guide, Lemon Grove is -4.5% and 91977 -0.9%. The July edition's 9.6% increase for Lemon Grove was a reading at the top of the two-bedroom series, which has since come back.

Do Lemon Grove or Spring Valley have rent control?

As of our August 2026 review of the Lemon Grove Municipal Code, we found no separate local residential rent-control or just-cause ordinance in Lemon Grove. Spring Valley has no city government or city municipal code; local regulation there would come from San Diego County rather than a municipality. For the rent-cap and just-cause rules on this page, California law governs in both: 8.2% for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 on covered units under Civil Code §1947.12, in up to two increments, and just cause after twelve months under §1946.2.

How much can I raise rent here in 2026?

On a covered unit with a continuing tenant, up to 8.2% in total for August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, in one or two increments, measured against the lowest rent charged in the prior twelve months, with 30 days' written notice. On a new tenancy the owner sets the rent, subject as of October 27, 2026 to the emergency 10% limit under Penal Code §396 while the declarations covering San Diego County remain in force. A properly noticed exempt single-family house or condo is outside the cap.

Why do the two Spring Valley ZIP codes look so different?

Mostly because 91978 has almost no rentals. 91977 listed 141 in October; 91978 listed 8, and its average has moved between $2,190 and $3,531 inside a year on 5 to 13 listings. The July 2026 edition's $880 split between the two was a snapshot of that sample at a high. An owner in 91978 should price off live comparable properties in and around 91978, with the 91977 bedroom rows as context, not off a 91978 average.

How long does it take to rent a house in Lemon Grove or Spring Valley?

On the listing clock, single-family listings averaged 18 days on market in Lemon Grove and 44 in 91977 as of October 27, 2026; apartments 52 and 58. Those are listing-age figures that include listings still active. RMG's units leased in 9 days in Lemon Grove and 14 in Spring Valley on average, measured from vacancy to signed lease, a different clock that starts earlier.

How much does property management cost in Lemon Grove or Spring Valley?

At the $2,731 Lemon Grove average, an 8% manager charges $2,622 a year on the monthly line and RMG's flat $199 charges $2,388. One placement fee at one month's rent, $2,731, is more than a year of RMG by itself. Over three years with one turnover, on the assumptions stated under Table 10, the totals are $10,596 against $7,164.

Sources

1. Market statistics, ZIP 91945, 91977 and 91978. RentCast. Rental data type, 12-month history, bedroom and property-type breakdowns. Supports every October 2026 rent, listing-count and days-on-market figure, and Table 9. Retrieved October 27, 2026 through RMG's API account; no public per-ZIP URL.
2. Market Statistics reference. RentCast developer documentation. Field definitions. Supports the column definitions. Read October 27, 2026.
3. Civil Code §1947.12. State of California. (a)(1), (a)(2), (b), (d), (g). Supports initial rent, 8.2% cap, two increments, exemptions, CPI index. RMG record, verified Aug 20, 2026.
4. Civil Code §1946.2. State of California. (e)(8). Supports single-family and condo exemption conditions; just cause after 12 months. RMG record, verified Aug 20, 2026.
5. Civil Code §827. State of California. Notice of increase. Supports 30 and 90 day notice periods. RMG record, Aug 2026.
6. Civil Code §1950.5. State of California. AB 12 and AB 2801. Supports one-month deposit, exception, 21-day return, photo dates. RMG record, Aug 2026.
7. Civil Code §1950.6. State of California. AB 2493. Supports screening criteria and fee refund rules. RMG record, Aug 2026.
8. Civil Code §1941.1. State of California. AB 628. Supports stove and refrigerator requirement. RMG record, Aug 2026.
9. AB 2747, Civil Code §1954.07. State of California. Bill text. Supports the 16-unit rent-reporting threshold. RMG record, verified Aug 25, 2026.
10. Consumer Price Index, San Diego-Carlsbad. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. March 2026 release. Supports the 3.2% CPI component. RMG record, Aug 2026.
11. Penal Code §396. State of California. (e), (j)(11). Supports the emergency 10% limit. Text read October 19, 2026.
12. Price gouging: active proclamations. Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Tropical Storm Rachel entry. Supports the state emergency period through November 14, 2026. Read October 27, 2026; re-check before relying on a date.
13. RentCast, July 2026. As published in the prior edition of this page. Supports the July column of Table 8 and the 91978 figure discussed above.
14. RMG review of San Diego County management pricing pages. Compiled in the fees guide linked above. Supports the 7% to 10% range and the placement and renewal fee practice.
15. RMG internal management data. Rentvine, Lemon Grove and Spring Valley portfolios, 2026, and countywide trailing 24 months ending August 2026. Supports the portfolio figures. Not independently verifiable.

Realty Management Group · 4025 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92108 · (619) 456-0000