Buy property in Bay Area with negative cash flow for first 2 year

[Nuo Shi]

I'm a first time investor. 

Currently, looking into a fourplex in Bay Area, the rent is 2100, due to the landlord didn't increase rent for past 6 years. If the rent increase to 2400, I can break even, while the pre-covid market rent is 2450-2500 around. Can I use the strategy to increase rent by (5%+inflation) for continuous two years? I think this is allowed by rent control. The current lease is month to month, so if tenant doesn't want to renew, I can have a small remodel and put that into market. At least, I think for the first year, a 2250 rent is still competitive. Does that sound reasonable? 

I read a lot of articles which mentioned cash flow is the king in real estate investing, however, almost impossible in Bay area. Does that make sense to tolerate a negative cash flow for first two years?

Yeah, I don't know whether in the next few years there will be a deflation, but with consideration of fed simulation and QE, there is also a good chance for inflation.