California Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in California
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
Tenant Protection Act: max 5% + regional CPI or 10% (lower) per 12 months, max 2 increases/yr; exempts housing <15 yrs old, most single-family homes not owned by corporations/REITs, and rent-controlled units. Sunsets 2030-01-01.
Deposit cap · Detail
Max 1 month's rent (since 2024-07-01, AB 12). Natural-person/LLC owners with ≤2 rental properties totalling ≤4 units may take 2 months, except from service members.
Rent increase notice · Detail
Month-to-month: 30 days' written notice if the increase (with all increases in prior 12 months) is ≤10%; 90 days if >10%. Fixed-term rent can only change per the lease.
City rules · Detail
Costa-Hawkins allows local rent control but exempts units with certificate of occupancy after 1995-02-01 and single-family homes/condos, and requires vacancy decontrol. Ordinances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley.
Just cause · Detail
After 12 months' continuous lawful occupancy (24 if adults added), landlord may terminate only for stated at-fault or no-fault just cause; no-fault requires relocation assistance. Same exemptions as §1947.12 (new construction, some single-family).
Return deadline · Detail
Refund and itemized statement no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates; landlord must photograph unit before/after (2025 amendments).
Nonpayment notice · Detail
3-day written notice to pay or quit, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays, before an unlawful detainer may be filed.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in California.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesCalifornia Rental Screening Fee Rules 2025: No Screening Fee When No Unit Is Available
An applicant who pays a screening fee for a unit that was never really available, or who never hears back about whether they got the place, has been a recurring complaint in California rental markets. AB 2493, in force since January 1, 2025, targets exactly that gap by tying screening fees to actual unit availability and adding a hard deadline for refunds and credit report disclosure.
Guide
California Bundled Internet Law 2026: Tenants Can Opt Out of Landlord-Arranged Internet and Cellular Services
A tenant signing a new lease in California can no longer be required to pay for whatever internet, cellular, or satellite service the landlord has arranged for the building. Starting January 1, 2026, AB 1414 gives tenants in covered tenancies the right to decline that bundled subscription.
Guide
California Eviction Defense Law 2026: New "Social Security Hardship" Defense in Nonpayment Cases
A tenant who lives on Social Security and misses rent because a federal payment got delayed, not because they chose not to pay, now has a specific legal defense to raise in court. AB 246, the Social Security Tenant Protection Act of 2025, took effect January 1, 2026 and gives that tenant a way to pause an eviction rather than lose the case outright.
Guide
California Security Deposit Refunds 2026: Electronic Refund Required if Rent or Deposit Was Paid Electronically
A tenant who's paid rent through a bank app for two years and then gets their security deposit back as a mailed paper check has run into exactly the gap AB 414 was written to close. As of January 1, 2026, California landlords who received a deposit or rent electronically generally have to return what's left of that deposit the same way.
Guide
California Eviction Summons Service Law 2027: What AB 747 (the SPARE Act) Requires Starting January 1, 2027
A landlord who wins an eviction by default, because the tenant never showed up, is about to face a higher documentation bar for proving that tenant was actually served. AB 747, known as the Service of Process Accountability, Reform and Equity Act, is already signed into law in California. It just isn't operative yet.
Guide
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
1 Jan 2026
Appliances become part of habitability for new and renewed leases
For covered leases entered into, renewed or modified from January 1, 2026, a dwelling generally must include a functioning refrigerator and stove.
1 Jul 2025
Security-deposit photo documentation phases in
Landlords must take specified photographs around the tenancy and deposit-deduction process under the phased AB 2801 rules.
1 Jan 2025
Tenant-screening fee rules tighten
AB 2493 adds screening-fee disclosure, ordering and refund requirements and restricts fees where no unit is available.
1 Jul 2024
Security deposits generally capped at one month
AB 12 generally limits residential security deposits to one month’s rent, subject to a narrow small-landlord exception.
1 Apr 2024
Just-cause and owner-move-in rules strengthen
SB 567 revised owner and family occupancy requirements, notice content and remedies under the Tenant Protection Act.
Full California collection
Filter by what you're doing or by the kind of resource you need.
| Resource | Type | Task | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
California Bundled Internet Law 2026: Tenants Can Opt Out of Landlord-Arranged Internet and Cellular Services A tenant signing a new lease in California can no longer be required to pay for whatever internet, cellular, or satellite service the landlord has arranged for the building. Starting January 1, 2026, AB 1414 gives tenants in covered tenancies the right to decline that bundled subscription. | Guides | Keep the right records | Sep 29, 2026 |
Tenant Information in San Francisco: Collection, Sharing and Retention A landlord assumes San Francisco's Fair Chance Ordinance governs every rental screening decision citywide, then builds a policy around that. The actual scope runs the other way: those protections apply specifically to covered affordable housing, while a statewide law most landlords have never heard of, AB-1418, is the one that reaches every California rental. This guide untangles which system actually governs a given unit, walks through the disparate-impact fair housing framework replacing blanket criminal-history bans, and covers the statewide $30 application fee cap and 7-day credit-report delivery rule that apply regardless of which local ordinance is in play. | Guides | Keep the right records | Sep 26, 2026 |
California: Photos required to support deposit deductions California landlords now need photographic proof at three specific points in a tenancy before they can safely deduct from a security deposit. The requirement didn't arrive all at once, and the two phase dates trip people up because they cover different things. | Guides | Keep the right records | Sep 17, 2026 |
California HOA Rules Every Homeowner Should Know Know your rights! Master California’s HOA laws, from the $100 fine cap under AB 130 to mandatory rules on parking, pets, and solar panels. | Guides | Keep the right records | Jun 17, 2026 |
What Rights Do Tenants Have in California? Explained If you’ve been searching for a simple explanation of what rights do tenants have in California, you’re in the right place... | Guides | Keep the right records | Mar 2, 2026 |
Landlord Responsibilities in California: Legal Overview This guide breaks down landlord responsibilities in California in clear, practical terms. Each section explains legal duties... | Guides | Keep the right records | Feb 25, 2026 |
What a Landlord Cannot Do in California: Legal Limits Herein, we breaks down what a landlord cannot do in California in clear, simple language backed by real legal standards. | Guides | Keep the right records | Feb 25, 2026 |
How Much Is Landlord Insurance in California? Have you ever wondered how much is landlord insurance in California? If you need answers to these, then check here... | Guides | Keep the right records | Jan 12, 2026 |
Page 1 of 1 · 8 resources
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What you read about
Rent increase dates and notice
In Platuni
Obligation tracking with reminders
What you read about
Move-in and move-out photos
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Records kept per unit, per tenancy
What you read about
Repair requests and responses
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Maintenance log with timestamps
What you read about
Everything a hearing could ask for
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