New California Rent Laws Going Into Effect in 2026

Rent laws in California are set to change dramatically in 2026. Multiple pieces of legislation that were approved in 2025 will go into effect the following year, including changes to security deposit policies, requirements for mandatory appliances, and updates to landlord duties when natural disasters occur. Whether you’re a renter or a landlord in California, learn what’s coming to make the most of these sweeping changes to California rental property regulations.

California 2026 Rent Law Changes Overview

Already known as the state with the most comprehensive renter protections, California’s legislature worked with Governor Gavin Newsom throughout 2025 to impose even stricter requirements on property owners and landlords. In one of the most significant series of California landlord legal updates in the state’s history, 2025 saw the introduction of laws in California that:

• Require landlords to provide working stoves and refrigerators
• Increase flexibility in security deposit arrangements
• Require landlords to remove debris and halt rent in the event of natural disasters

To thrive in this new environment, landlords must adapt quickly. Tenants may find that understaffing at state agencies and ongoing housing supply shortages undercut the real-world impact of these renter protection measures.

Mandatory Appliances Requirements (AB 628)

Starting January 1st, 2026, landlords in California will be required to provide and maintain working stoves and refrigerators in most types of residential rental properties. California law now considers these appliances essential to the habitability of rental units, but exceptions exist for properties with communal kitchens and certain forms of subsidized housing.

• Landlords are now required to replace or repair recalled stoves or refrigerators within 30 days
• Tenants can opt out and provide their own refrigerator and stove with the option of requesting these appliances from their landlord at a later date

This law will likely improve living conditions in older and multi-family units to a considerable degree. It places a burden just as considerable on landlords, however, who must now audit the operability of refrigerators and stoves in all of their units and budget for replacement or repair costs.

Security Deposit Reforms (AB 414)

This new California law provides additional flexibility in how landlords and tenants can decide to handle security deposits. For the most part, AB 414 requires landlords to return security deposits to their renters electronically if requested.

It also allows both parties to mutually agree on non-standard deposit return methods, such as applying the deposit to the last month’s rent. Furthermore, AB 414 requires that separate security deposit returns be sent out to reach renter in multi-renter arrangements.

Landlord Disaster Duties (SB 610)

In an effort to protect renters whose units have been affected by natural disasters, SB 610 places requirements on landlords to:

• Remove debris from rental properties when natural disasters occur
• Halt rent and all other fees during mandatory evacuations
• Return prepaid rent and security deposits if units become uninhabitable
• Provide renters the right to return to their units after repairs are complete
• Allow renters to terminate leases of uninhabitable units without penalties
• Notify tenants once affected units are habitable again

The law operates under the presumption that a rental unit is not habitable when affected by disaster debris.

Changes to rent cap and eviction rules

California’s existing rent cap legislation, AB 1482 (passed in 2019), expires in mid-2026. At that point, new rent cap rules could be put into place that are even more restrictive to landlords. For now, however, the same rules still apply — no more than 5% increases to rent per year, plus inflation.

While SB 567 dramatically expanded eviction protections in 2024, no similar legislation is set to go into effect in 2026. AB 628’s changes to habitability claims could potentially affect eviction proceedings, though, that hinge on the presence of operable stoves and refrigerators.

Failed California rental property legislation in 2025

A variety of attempts to impose stricter rent control measures, enhance eviction protections, and reduce renter fees failed to materialize throughout 2025. Perhaps most notable was AB 1248, which sought to place requirements on landlords to fully disclose all fees associated with rental properties. This bill stalled midway through the year and never made it to approval.