Editor’s Pick
In California, a landlord cannot:
- change your locks or shut off utilities to force you out
- evict you without a court order, or without just cause once you have lived there 12 months
- collect a security deposit larger than one month’s rent
- raise rent on most homes older than 15 years by more than 5 percent plus inflation, capped at 10 percent
- enter your home without 24 hours’ written notice, outside a true emergency
- discriminate based on protected traits, including source of income and immigration status
- retaliate for 180 days after you request repairs or report a violation
Every rule in this guide is checked against the current statute text on the California Legislative Information site and the state agencies that enforce it. That check matters more here than in most states. California rewrote its deposit cap in 2024, added photo-evidence rules in 2025, and expanded habitability in 2026, so plenty of older articles quote limits that no longer exist. To see how California compares with lighter-touch states, start with our guide to landlord-tenant laws by state.
Can a Landlord Evict You Without a Court Order in California?
No. Lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing doors or windows, and carting off a resident’s belongings are all illegal self-help evictions under Civil Code § 789.3. Each violation costs the landlord actual damages plus $100 per day, with a $250 minimum, and the court must award attorney’s fees to the winning side.
The legal route runs through notice and a courtroom. Unpaid rent gets a 3-day notice to pay or quit, a fixable lease violation gets a 3-day notice to cure, and no-fault terminations need 30 or 60 days depending on how long you have lived there, with weekends and court holidays excluded from both 3-day counts (California Courts Self-Help Guide). If the notice runs out, the landlord files an unlawful detainer lawsuit, the formal name for an eviction case. Residents now have 10 court days to respond instead of 5, a change that took effect January 1, 2025, and only a judgment followed by a sheriff’s lockout actually ends the tenancy.
Just cause is the extra California layer. Once you have lived in most rentals for 12 months, the Tenant Protection Act (Civil Code § 1946.2) requires a stated legal reason to end the tenancy: nonpayment, a lease breach, nuisance, or a no-fault ground such as the owner moving in, a substantial remodel, or taking the home off the rental market. Every no-fault termination comes with one month’s rent in relocation assistance, paid directly or credited against the final month. Faking a no-fault reason is expensive, since a willful violation can cost up to three times actual damages.
Most rent problems raised early never reach a filing.
How Much Can a Landlord Charge for a Security Deposit in California?
One month’s rent. That is the entire cap, furnished or unfurnished, under AB 12, which rewrote Civil Code § 1950.5 effective July 1, 2024. The old limits of two months for unfurnished homes and three for furnished ones are gone, and any article still quoting them is two years out of date. One narrow exception survives: a landlord who is a natural person (or an LLC made up only of natural persons) and owns no more than two rental properties with four total units may collect up to two months’ rent, though never from an active-duty service member.
Getting it back runs on a short clock. The landlord must return the deposit within 21 days of move-out, with an itemized statement for every deduction (the California Attorney General’s deposit guide is the plain-language version). Photo evidence became mandatory under AB 2801: pictures at move-in for tenancies starting on or after July 1, 2025, pictures at move-out before any cleaning or repairs begin, and pictures after the work is done, all delivered alongside the itemized statement.
Lawful deductions cover unpaid rent, cleaning back to move-in condition, and damage beyond ordinary use. Ordinary aging of the home stays on the landlord’s side of the ledger. Our California security deposit law guide covers the deadlines and disputes in full, and normal wear and tear in a rental draws the damage line item by item.
Can a Landlord Raise the Rent as Much as They Want in California?
Usually not. The Tenant Protection Act’s rent cap (Civil Code § 1947.12) limits increases on covered homes to 5 percent plus local inflation, with a hard ceiling of 10 percent, over any 12-month period. Coverage turns on age. Homes with a certificate of occupancy issued within the past 15 years are exempt, and that line rolls forward every year, so older articles claiming the cap applies to buildings “built before 2005” froze the calendar at the year the law passed. Also exempt: owner-occupied duplexes, and single-family homes or condos owned by individuals rather than corporations or REITs, provided the lease contains the required exemption notice. The state cap is scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2030.
Notice rules bind everyone, capped or not. Civil Code § 827 requires 30 days’ written notice for an increase of 10 percent or less and 90 days for anything larger, plus 5 extra days when the notice arrives by mail.
Cities go further. In the City of Los Angeles, homes built on or before October 1, 1978 fall under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which caps the July 2026 through June 2027 increase at 3 percent. San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and a long list of other cities run their own rent boards with their own formulas. Check the city rule before the state rule, because the stricter one wins.
Can a Landlord Enter Your Home Without Notice in California?
Only in an emergency. For everything else, Civil Code § 1954 requires written notice stating the date, approximate time, and purpose, and 24 hours is presumed reasonable. Entry must happen during normal business hours and for a legitimate purpose: agreed repairs, inspections tied to the tenancy, showings to prospective buyers or renters, or a court order. Mailed notice needs 6 days. If the home is listed for sale, 24 hours’ oral notice works, but only after the landlord has given written notice of the listing within the previous 120 days.
A gas leak or a burst pipe justifies walking in immediately. Repeated unannounced drop-ins are a different matter, and the statute itself bans abusing entry rights to harass a resident.
What Counts as Illegal Housing Discrimination in California?
California reaches further than federal law. The federal Fair Housing Act sets the baseline: no discrimination by race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, enforced by the Civil Rights Department, adds sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, primary language, military or veteran status, and source of income. That last one has teeth: a landlord cannot turn you away for paying part of the rent with a Section 8 voucher. Blanket bans on anyone with a criminal record are unlawful too.
The rules cover the entire rental process, from the wording of the ad to the questions on the application to who gets offered which lease terms. Reasonable accommodations for disability are mandatory, including accepting an assistance animal with no pet deposit and no pet rent. Our guide to rental applications in California walks through what a landlord can and cannot ask. If you believe you were turned away for who you are, file with the CRD within one year of the incident.
What Repairs Does a California Landlord Have to Make?
Everything that keeps the home livable, and California writes the list into statute. Civil Code § 1941.1 requires effective waterproofing, working plumbing and gas, hot and cold running water, heat, safe wiring, sound floors and railings, garbage receptacles, and grounds free of pests and debris. New for 2026: leases signed, renewed, or amended on or after January 1, 2026 must also come with a working stove and refrigerator under AB 628, with narrow exceptions, and a resident can agree in writing to supply their own refrigerator instead. No lease clause can waive any of this. Civil Code § 1942.1 voids the attempt as contrary to public policy.
If repairs stall, put the request in writing and give a reasonable window, which the law presumes to be 30 days but can be far shorter for urgent problems. After that, Civil Code § 1942 offers two remedies: repair the problem yourself and deduct up to one month’s rent, twice in any 12-month period, or move out and owe nothing from that date forward. Use them carefully. The prerequisites are strict, and a botched deduction hands the landlord a nonpayment case. For the wider picture of your rights as a renter, see our renter’s guide.
Can a Landlord Retaliate Against You in California?
No, and the protection has a defined clock. Under Civil Code § 1942.5, a landlord cannot raise the rent, cut services, or move to evict within 180 days of a resident requesting repairs, complaining to a housing agency, or asserting habitability rights in court. Organizing or joining a tenant association is protected as well, and threatening to report anyone to immigration authorities is banned outright. When retaliation involves fraud, oppression, or malice, courts add punitive damages of $100 to $2,000 per retaliatory act on top of actual damages and attorney’s fees.
What Fees Can a California Landlord Not Charge?
The banned list keeps growing. A landlord cannot charge you a fee for paying rent or your deposit by paper check, and cannot bill you for the cost of serving or delivering eviction notices (SB 611, 2024). Application screening fees are capped at an inflation-adjusted statutory amount, and since January 1, 2025, AB 2493 requires landlords to either consider applications in the order received against written criteria or refund the fee to every applicant who is not selected. If no screening happens at all, the full fee comes back.
Late fees have limits too. A late fee is a liquidated damages clause, and in residential leases those are void under Civil Code § 1671 unless actual damages would be impracticable to calculate and the fee is a reasonable estimate of them. A padded late fee is unenforceable no matter what the lease says.
How Do California Landlords Stay on the Right Side of These Rules?
Start with the city, because in California the state code is only the floor. Nearly everything above can be tightened by a local ordinance, and the past three years of new laws have raised the documentation bar for everyone. Across the 40,000+ homes we manage, the operators who stay out of trouble share the same habits:
- Check the local ordinance before setting rent or serving notice. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and dozens of smaller cities run their own caps, just-cause rules, and relocation formulas.
- Photograph every move-in and move-out. AB 2801 turned photo documentation into a legal requirement, so build it into the turnover checklist and calendar the 21-day deposit deadline.
- Screen applicants in order, against written criteria. AB 2493 pushes you there anyway, and consistent criteria are the practical defense to fair housing complaints.
- Never touch locks or utilities. At $100 a day plus attorney’s fees, self-help is the most expensive shortcut in the Civil Code.
Our guide to managing a rental property covers the operational side. If you would rather hand compliance off, here is what property managers charge in California and how property management in Los Angeles handles rent stabilization day to day.
FAQ
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?
One month’s rent, furnished or unfurnished, for deposits collected on or after July 1, 2024. Small landlords who are natural persons with no more than two rental properties and four total units may charge up to two months, but never to a service member. The deposit must come back within 21 days of move-out with an itemized statement and the required photos.
Can a landlord enter without notice in California?
No, except in a genuine emergency like a fire, flood, or gas leak. Otherwise the landlord needs written notice, 24 hours is presumed reasonable, and entry must happen during normal business hours for a legitimate purpose such as repairs, inspections, or showings.
How much can my landlord raise the rent in California?
On covered homes, no more than 5 percent plus local inflation in any 12 months, with an absolute ceiling of 10 percent. Newer buildings and many individually owned single-family homes are exempt from the cap, but every increase still requires 30 days’ written notice, or 90 days if it exceeds 10 percent. Cities like Los Angeles set lower caps for rent-stabilized homes.
Can a landlord charge for normal wear and tear in California?
No. Faded paint, light carpet wear, and small nail holes are the cost of doing business as a landlord. Deposit deductions are limited to unpaid rent, cleaning back to the move-in standard, and damage beyond ordinary use, all documented in the itemized statement and move-out photos.
Can a landlord evict you without notice in California?
No. Every eviction starts with a written notice: 3 days for unpaid rent (weekends and court holidays excluded) or 30 to 60 days for no-fault terminations, followed by a court case if you do not move or fix the problem. After 12 months in the home, most residents can only be evicted for just cause, and no-fault evictions require a month’s rent in relocation assistance.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and every situation is different. For guidance on a specific situation, talk to a California-licensed attorney.
