California · State home

California tenancy rules, across the life of a tenancy

One set of State guides, tools and checklists that every California city reuses. Pick a city to see which local layers sit on top. The California trap is visible everywhere: the state Tenant Protection Act is the floor, but a local rent ordinance can replace its rent cap, and Costa-Hawkins pulls single-family homes, condos and newer buildings out of local rent limits.

Show local layer for:San Francisco Oakland Los Angeles San José Daly City / Peninsula

San Francisco:Rent Ordinance, Rent Board Housing Inventory and licence, deposit interest, Housing Code. Local rent limit replaces the TPA cap for covered units.

Open the San Francisco hub →

Starting a tenancy

screening, lease and disclosures, deposits, condition records

Confirm which rules apply

Special housing in San Francisco: when the ordinary route is not enoughreference Which tenancy protections cover a San Francisco rental?article

Screen applicants

Build a fair screening process in San Franciscoguide San Francisco screening-process checklistchecklist

Start a tenancy

Start or amend a tenancy in San Franciscoguide Agreement preparation checklistchecklist

Collect or return a deposit

Collect and return a deposit in San Franciscoguide Deposit return evidence checklistchecklist

Inspect at move-in or move-out

Prepare move-in and move-out condition records in San Franciscoguide San Francisco condition-record checklist and form routeschecklist

San FranciscoSROs, affordable housing, condos and newer buildingsreference

During the tenancy

rent, entry, repairs, records

Deal with unpaid rent

Respond to unpaid rent in San Francisco without skipping stepsguide Rent payment reconciliation worksheettemplate Late or unpaid rent in San Francisco: what should landlords do first?article

Enter the unit

San Francisco document delivery date explorertool What must I check before entering a San Francisco rental?tool Enter a rental unit lawfullyguide Entry and access record checklistchecklist

Handle repairs and emergencies

Repairs, damage and ordinary wear in San Franciscoguide

Keep the right records

San Francisco tenancy evidence-pack organizertool Tenancy records inventory templatetemplate Tenant information in San Francisco: collection, sharing and retentionarticle

San FranciscoPrepare a rent increase in San Franciscochecklist

Floor and overlays

The State Act is the floor; local ordinances sit on top or replace its cap

Deposits, entry, §827 notice periods, FEHA and unlawful detainer form the State framework. The Tenant Protection Act caps increases at 5% + CPI (max 10%) for covered units; its just-cause coverage and occupancy requirements must be checked separately. Where a city has a stricter rent ordinance, the local rule governs covered units; Costa-Hawkins exempts single-family homes, condos and post-1995 (locally, post-1979) construction from local rent limits but not necessarily from local just cause.

City layer

San Francisco

Rent Ordinance Ch. 37: annual allowable increase, banking, petitions, sixteen just causes, relocation
Rent Board Housing Inventory and rent increase licence (Ch. 37A); Rent Board fee
Deposit interest (Ch. 49); Housing Code (DBI); buyout rules (§37.9E)

Additional requirements. They never lower a State one.

State

California

Civil Code §§1946.2, 1947.12 (Tenant Protection Act); §827 notices; §1950.5 deposits; §1954 entry
FEHA (Gov. Code §12955) incl. source of income; FEHA criminal-history regulations
Code of Civil Procedure §1161 et seq.: notices and unlawful detainer

Applies to ordinary long-term rentals everywhere in California.

State sources

Not sure which coverage you're under?

Pre-1979 apartment, single-family home, condo, post-1979 building, subsidised unit, SRO: each follows a different path.

Check which rules apply Special housing reference