Every bill that affects California landlords — security deposits, eviction, rent control, screening, and more. Automatically scanned and updated so you never miss a legal change.
The bills below have been introduced or are moving through the California Legislature but have not been signed into law. They are included so you can see what may be coming. Nothing in this section is a current legal requirement. Always confirm current status before relying on any of it.
This bill sought to impose strict requirements on landlords to fully disclose all fees associated with rental properties in advertising and lease agreements.
What it means for landlords: No action required as the bill failed to pass the legislature.
AB 2062 (Patterson, 2025-2026) is in Senate committee and appears stalled (a final hearing was canceled at the author's request). It would require security surveillance companies to obtain consent, including from adult residents of a rental, before sharing footage. Limited direct duty on landlords.
What it means for landlords: No current action required. If enacted, landlords using smart security devices (Ring, Nest) would need to ensure tenants have consented to data sharing terms. Watch item only.
AB 2350 (2025-2026) is a pending bill that passed the Assembly and is moving through the Senate. It regulates "rent now, pay later" finance providers — third-party services that advance a tenant's rent and collect repayment over time. It is not a landlord duty bill, but it affects disclosures about how a tenant's cure rights with the provider interact with your lease grace period and late fees. Watch item, not a current landlord duty.
What it means for landlords: No current action required. If you accept rent through third-party "rent now, pay later" services, watch for new disclosure requirements if this bill is enacted. It regulates the finance providers, not ordinary landlords.
AB 2689 (Avila Farias, 2025-2026) is not enacted. It is narrow — it applies to fully affordable low-income housing tax credit projects and would treat it as good cause not to renew a lease when a household exceeds 140 percent of area median income for two consecutive years and meets a rent-to-income test. This is not general eviction law and does not apply to market-rate rentals.
What it means for landlords: No current action required. This bill applies only to deed-restricted affordable housing (LIHTC) projects, not market-rate rentals. Watch item for owners of affordable housing only.
18 enacted bills
This law prohibits landlords from demanding or receiving a security deposit in excess of one month's rent, regardless of whether the unit is furnished or unfurnished. It includes limited exceptions for certain small landlords who own no more than two residential rental properties with no more than four total units.
What it means for landlords: Landlords must cap security deposits at one month's rent for most tenancies. If you qualify for the small landlord exemption, you may charge up to two months' rent, but you must verify your eligibility under the specific ownership criteria defined in the statute.
Focusing on new multi-unit developments of 16 or more units in specific counties, this law requires property owners to charge for parking separately from the base rent. It establishes a pilot program to reduce car dependency by making parking an optional expense for tenants.
What it means for landlords: Landlords in qualifying properties must manage separate parking lease addendums and cannot evict a tenant for non-payment of parking fees alone. It complicates the leasing process but allows owners to lease unused spaces to off-site users. Applies only to newly constructed residential properties issued a certificate of occupancy on or after January 1, 2025, with 16 or more units, and only in ten specified counties: Alameda, Fresno, Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Shasta, and Ventura. San Diego County is not on that list, so this law has little or no application to San Diego landlords.
This law prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to pay for 'bulk' internet, wireless, or satellite services as a mandatory condition of the lease. Tenants must be given the option to opt-out of these bundled third-party services.
What it means for landlords: Property owners who receive revenue-sharing from service providers for building-wide internet must now allow for individual tenant opt-outs. Charging for these services despite an opt-out allows tenants to legally deduct the fees from their rent.
This legislation prohibits local governments from enacting 'crime-free' housing ordinances that require or encourage landlords to evict tenants based on contact with law enforcement or criminal history. It also bans local rules that mandate criminal background checks for all applicants.
What it means for landlords: While landlords can still choose to conduct their own background checks or evict for nuisance, they are no longer legally coerced by cities to terminate tenancies simply because the police were called to the property. This reduces the risk of discriminatory eviction claims.
This bill allows local jurisdictions with rent control to require landlords to permit tenants with permanent physical disabilities to move to a comparable or smaller unit on an accessible floor of the same building. The tenant is entitled to keep their current rental rate and lease terms.
What it means for landlords: For property owners in rent-controlled areas, this essentially bypasses the vacancy decontrol rules of the Costa-Hawkins Act for disabled tenants. Owners must accommodate these transfer requests if an appropriate unit becomes available. This law operates in rent-controlled jurisdictions and lets local governments require owners to allow mobility-disabled tenants to move to an accessible comparable or smaller unit at the same rent, under specific conditions. San Diego does not have traditional residential rent control, so local reach is limited. Note this for the San Diego audience.
This legislation doubles the amount of time a tenant has to file a responsive pleading to an unlawful detainer summons from five court days to ten court days. It also streamlines the timeline for hearings on demurrers and motions to strike to prevent excessive procedural delays.
What it means for landlords: The overall eviction timeline is extended by at least one business week in every case, increasing the amount of lost rent during the process. Landlords must wait longer before they can request a default judgment if a tenant fails to respond.
This law establishes an affirmative defense in unlawful detainer cases for tenants who receive Social Security or SSI benefits if their nonpayment of rent was caused by a federal government delay or interruption in benefit payments.
What it means for landlords: Landlords may face significant delays in evicting senior or disabled tenants who experience administrative benefit issues through no fault of their own. Landlords are entitled to repayment once benefits are restored, but initial eviction filings may be blocked or stayed.
AB 2493 (Pellerin, Chapter 966, Statutes of 2024) is a substantive change to how screening fees work. It keeps the existing fee cap tied to actual out-of-pocket cost, and requires that if you charge a fee you give the applicant a copy of their screening or credit report within seven days. The larger change is that landlords must use one of two processes: a first-qualified-applicant method, where you publish written criteria in advance and approve the first applicant who meets them, or a full-refund method, where you refund the fee to every applicant you do not select.
What it means for landlords: Choose one of the two processes up front and document it. If you use the refund route, refund unselected applicants within the required window (generally within seven days of notifying your selected tenant, or within thirty days of the application, whichever is first) and keep receipts. Provide written screening criteria with the application. Errors here invite complaints and attorney fee exposure.
Landlords with 15 or more residential units must offer tenants the option to have their positive rent payments reported to a national credit bureau. Tenants can opt in or out at any time.
What it means for landlords: Large-scale landlords must establish systems for credit reporting and provide annual notifications to tenants. While landlords can charge a small administrative fee (capped at $10), the primary impact is the increased management of tenant data and reporting systems.
This bill requires landlords to provide photographic evidence of the unit's condition at the start and end of a tenancy to justify any security deposit deductions. It also restricts deductions for professional cleaning services unless necessary to return the unit to its original inception-level cleanliness.
What it means for landlords: Landlords face a higher administrative burden to perform and document thorough inspections with timestamped photos. Failure to provide this evidence within the 21-day return window can result in the forfeiture of the right to retain any portion of the deposit.
This law modernizes security deposit return procedures by allowing landlords to provide itemized statements and security deposit refunds electronically, provided the tenant has agreed to electronic communication in writing. It clarifies the timeline and methods for returning deposits to tenants after the conclusion of a tenancy.
What it means for landlords: Landlords may now deliver security deposit itemizations and refunds via email or other electronic means if they have obtained prior written consent from the tenant. Landlords should update their lease agreements to include a section for tenants to opt-in to electronic delivery of these documents.
This law amends the implied warranty of habitability to require that residential rental units be equipped with a functioning stove and refrigerator. Landlords must ensure these appliances are in good working order at the commencement of the tenancy and maintain them throughout the duration of the lease.
What it means for landlords: Landlords must inspect and ensure that every rental unit is provided with a working stove and refrigerator. If these appliances are not present or functional, landlords must install or repair them to remain in compliance with state habitability standards.
This law strengthens the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 by closing loopholes for no-fault evictions. It imposes stricter requirements for 'owner move-in' evictions and requires landlords to have all necessary permits before evicting for 'substantial remodeling.'
What it means for landlords: Landlords now face significant penalties (up to 3 times actual damages plus attorney fees) for bad-faith evictions. They must provide more documentation and actually occupy units for at least 12 months when performing an owner move-in eviction.
This law amends the Penal Code to extend the validity of 'no trespass' letters (also known as 602 letters) filed with local law enforcement from 30 days to 12 months. It also allows these letters to be submitted electronically to the police or sheriff departments.
What it means for landlords: Landlords managing vacant properties or buildings undergoing long-term renovation can more easily secure their premises from squatters without the need for monthly renewals. It streamlines the process for law enforcement to remove unauthorized persons without the owner being present.
This law establishes specific obligations for landlords when a rental property is impacted by a declared state of emergency. It mandates the suspension of rent and fees during mandatory government evacuation orders and provides tenants with rights to terminate leases without penalty if the unit is rendered permanently uninhabitable.
What it means for landlords: Landlords must cease rent collection during mandatory evacuation periods and provide clear notice to tenants regarding their rights to terminate the lease if the property is destroyed. Landlords should review their emergency response protocols to ensure compliance with these notice and rent-suspension requirements.
This law regulates fees and security deposits for residential rentals, specifically addressing requirements for service members and transparency in security deposit charges. It mandates that if a higher-than-advertised security deposit is charged due to credit or housing history, the landlord must provide a written explanation.
What it means for landlords: If you charge a service member a higher security deposit than standard, you must provide a written statement at the time of signing explaining the reason. You must also return the additional security amount after six months of residency if the tenant is not in arrears on rent.
SB 655 (Stern, Chapter 522, Statutes of 2025) sets a statewide policy that homes should be able to maintain a safe maximum indoor temperature and directs state agencies to build that into future standards. It does not set an enforceable maximum temperature for existing rentals and does not require landlords to install air conditioning. The Building Standards Commission is directed to develop strategies aimed at an 82 degree maximum for newly constructed units, and state agencies are to factor the policy into programs and building codes going forward, largely across 2026 and 2027.
What it means for landlords: For now there is no new operational requirement for existing units. Treat this as a watch item. Expect maximum-temperature and cooling standards to appear in future building code cycles, affecting new construction first. Be cautious with online summaries that describe SB 655 as an immediate 82 degree habitability rule with hard thresholds, because that overstates what the law currently does.
This law prevents landlords from prohibiting tenants from owning or storing personal micromobility devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, inside their units. Landlords can only restrict in-unit storage if they provide secure, long-term on-site storage for the devices outside of the dwelling.
What it means for landlords: Landlords can no longer enforce blanket bans on e-bikes due to fire concerns unless they invest in exterior storage solutions. They can, however, require that devices meet specific UL safety standards or that tenants carry liability insurance.
California's landlord-tenant laws change every legislative session. If you're unsure how a recent bill impacts your properties, our team can help you stay compliant.
This tracker is automatically generated using AI-powered web search and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Always verify bill details and effective dates against official California legislative sources before acting.