New California Rental Laws in 2026: What Owners and Tenants Need to Know

Quick summary: Four things changed for California rentals in 2026. Landlords must now provide a working stove and refrigerator (AB 628). Security deposits paid electronically must be returned electronically on request (AB 414). Renters gained defined protections after natural disasters (SB 610). And in Los Angeles, the RSO rent formula was rewritten on July 1 while the statewide AB 1482 cap rose to 8.7% on August 1. Here’s what each one means in practice.

Every year brings a stack of new California housing law, most of it written for lawyers. This is the plain-English version for the people who actually live with it — owners who have to comply, and tenants who should know what they’re owed.

1. Your rental must now include a stove and refrigerator (AB 628)

Effective January 1, 2026. California now treats a working stove and refrigerator as part of basic habitability in most residential rentals. Landlords are required to provide them and keep them in working order.

For owners: if your units have historically been rented without appliances, that era is over for most properties. Budget both for the appliances themselves and for their repair and replacement as an ongoing maintenance line. Limited exceptions exist, including certain properties with communal kitchens and some forms of subsidized housing.

For tenants: a broken refrigerator is no longer a “nice if they fix it” request. It falls under habitability, which means the standard repair-request process applies, in writing.

Practical note: appliance failures now sit alongside plumbing and heat in terms of urgency. If you own units with 15-year-old refrigerators, replacing them on your schedule is cheaper than replacing them on an emergency call.

2. Electronic deposits must be returned electronically (AB 414)

If a tenant paid their security deposit electronically, they can now require that it be returned electronically rather than by paper check.

Small change, real friction removed. Deposit disputes often start with a check that took three weeks to arrive at a forwarding address. Owners should confirm their accounting workflow can actually issue an electronic refund inside California’s 21-day deadline — and that the tenant’s payment method is on file at move-out, not just move-in.

This sits on top of two rules already in force:

• AB 12 (since July 2024) caps most residential security deposits at one month’s rent, furnished or unfurnished.
• AB 2801 requires photo documentation around move-in and move-out conditions before deductions.

Together these mean deposits are now the most procedurally regulated money in the tenancy. Most deposit disputes we see aren’t about fairness — they’re about documentation that wasn’t taken at the right moment.

3. New tenant protections after natural disasters (SB 610)

After the January 2025 Palisades fire, this one lands close to home on the Westside. SB 610 sets out landlord obligations when disaster strikes:

• Remove debris from the rental property
• Halt rent and other fees during mandatory evacuation orders
• Return prepaid rent and security deposits if the unit becomes uninhabitable
• Allow tenants to terminate the lease without penalty when a unit is uninhabitable
• Preserve the tenant’s right to return once repairs are complete

For owners: the rent-halt provision is the one to internalize now, not during an emergency. If an evacuation order covers your building, rent stops — and your lender and insurer conversations should already account for that scenario. Loss-of-rents coverage is worth reviewing before fire season, not after.

For tenants: you are not obligated to keep paying rent on a unit you have been legally ordered to evacuate, and you keep your right to come back after repairs.

4. Los Angeles rewrote its RSO rent formula (July 1, 2026)

The biggest local change in years, and one that got remarkably little coverage.

For rent-stabilized units in the City of Los Angeles — generally buildings of two or more units with a certificate of occupancy before October 1, 1978 — the annual allowable increase under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) is now calculated as:

• 90% of CPI
• with a 4% ceiling and a 1% floor
• producing a 3% allowable increase for the current year

Separately, as of February 2, 2026, the additional utility surcharges owners could previously pass through were eliminated.

For owners: if your 2026 budget was built on the old formula plus surcharges, it’s wrong. For a 20-unit RSO building, the difference runs into thousands of dollars a year. Not sure which of your buildings are covered? Our Los Angeles rent control zip codes guide shows where RSO housing is concentrated.

For tenants: your building’s allowable increase this year is 3%, and the extra utility line items that used to appear alongside it are gone.

5. The statewide cap rose to 8.7% on August 1, 2026

California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) caps increases at 5% plus regional CPI, up to 10% maximum. For the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim region:

Period	Maximum increase
Through July 31, 2026	8.0%
August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027	8.7%

The applicable cap is set by the date the increase takes effect, not the date the notice is written. Rent can be raised at most twice in 12 months, and the combined total must stay within the cap.

AB 1482 is currently scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2030 unless extended.

Which cap applies to you? If the building is in the City of L.A. and pre-1978, the RSO’s 3% governs. If it’s 15 years old or more and not under a local ordinance, AB 1482 applies. Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Culver City set their own numbers.

6. Coming in 2027: eviction filing changes (AB 747)

Not yet in effect, but worth knowing now. AB 747 adds requirements to how unlawful detainer lawsuits are served and demands more detail about how termination notices were served in the filing itself. Owners who handle their own filings should plan on tightening service documentation before it takes effect.

Notice requirements — unchanged, still where people slip

California Civil Code §827:

• 10% or less: 30 days’ written notice
• More than 10%: 90 days’ written notice
• Add 5 days when served by mail

An improperly served notice can invalidate the increase entirely. Serve early, document how you served it, keep the copy. For the full mechanics of timing and frequency, see how often landlords can raise rent in California.

What owners should do this quarter

1. Confirm every unit has a working stove and refrigerator, and add both to your replacement schedule
2. Recalculate 2026 rent increases against the new RSO formula or the 8.7% AB 1482 cap — whichever applies to each building
3. Verify your deposit process handles electronic refunds within 21 days
4. Review loss-of-rents coverage against SB 610’s rent-halt provision before fire season
5. Re-check which law governs each property; buildings crossing the 15-year mark move into AB 1482

What tenants should know

1. A working stove and refrigerator are now part of habitability
2. If you paid your deposit electronically, you can require it back electronically
3. Rent stops during a mandatory evacuation order
4. RSO units: 3% this year, no utility surcharges
5. AB 1482 units: 8.7% from August 1, and no more than twice in 12 months

Frequently asked questions

Do landlords have to provide a refrigerator in California in 2026?

Yes. Under AB 628, effective January 1, 2026, landlords must provide and maintain a working stove and refrigerator in most residential rentals, with limited exceptions including certain communal-kitchen and subsidized housing situations.

What is the maximum rent increase in California in 2026?

Under AB 1482, 5% plus regional CPI up to 10%. For the Los Angeles area that is 8.0% through July 31, 2026 and 8.7% from August 1, 2026. Local ordinances override it — Los Angeles RSO units are limited to 3% this year.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?

Most residential landlords are capped at one month’s rent under AB 12, whether the unit is furnished or unfurnished.

Do I have to pay rent during an evacuation order?

Under SB 610, landlords must halt rent and other fees during a mandatory evacuation. Tenants may also terminate without penalty if the unit is uninhabitable, and keep the right to return after repairs.

Did Los Angeles rent control change in 2026?

Yes. As of July 1, 2026, the RSO annual increase is 90% of CPI with a 4% ceiling and 1% floor — 3% this year — and the previous utility surcharges were eliminated as of February 2, 2026.

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Managing through the changes

Los Angeles owners now navigate the RSO, AB 1482, four separate city ordinances, and a stack of new statewide requirements — often across a single portfolio. Lotus West Properties manages 1,100+ units across nearly 100 Westside buildings, and compliance across that patchwork is our daily work. If you own income property in Los Angeles, request a free rental analysis or call (323) 487-2650.

Related reading: Can my landlord raise my rent $300? · RSO Los Angeles guide · LA rent control zip codes · How often can landlords raise rent in California

General information for California property owners and residents, not legal advice. Laws change and individual situations vary — consult a qualified attorney about your property. Figures verified as of August 2026.