California Tenants A guide to Residential Tenants' and ...

CALIFORNIA TENANTS

A GUIDE TO RESIDENTIAL TENANTS¡¯ AND LANDLORDS¡¯ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

GAVIN NEWSOM

Governor

LOURDES M. CASTRO RAM?REZ

Secretary

Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency

DOUGLAS R. McCAULEY

Commissioner

Department of Real Estate

¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

Official Publication of the California Department of Real Estate

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE

1651 EXPOSITION BOULEVARD, SACRAMENTO, CA 95815

WWW.DRE.

(877) 373-4542

RE 26 (Rev. 02/01/22)

DISCLAIMER

California Tenants ¨C A Guide to Residential Tenants¡¯ and Landlords¡¯ Rights and

Responsibilities was written initially by the Department of Consumer Affairs¡¯

Legal Affairs Division and substantially revised by the Department of Real

Estate¡¯s Legal Section in 2020 and updated in late 2021 to reflect recent

legislative activity during the past year. The Department of Real Estate¡¯s

Communications and Publications Section was responsible for publishing the

booklet. The opinions expressed in this booklet are those of the authors and

should not be construed as representing the opinions or policy of any official or

agency of the State of California. To ensure the document is useful for the vast

majority of readers, the authors have endeavored to balance the competing

objectives of providing accurate, current, and complete information of the law

without overwhelming readers with nuanced detail and legalese. As a result, not

every subject is addressed with the same level of detail. This booklet is intended

for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. To the extent that readers

have questions or need further guidance, readers should consult an attorney,

legal aid society, landlord association, or tenant advocacy group for advice in

particular cases, and should also read the relevant statutes and court decisions

when relying on cited material.

Department of Real Estate

Updated, 2022

Updated and reprinted, 2020

Department of Consumer Affairs

Updated and reprinted, 2012

Updated and reprinted, 2010

Reprinted, 2008

Updated and reprinted, 2007

Updated and reprinted, 2006

Updated, 2004

Updated and reprinted, 2003

Reprinted, 2002

Updated and reprinted, 2001

Reprinted, 2000

First published, 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1

HOW TO USE THIS BOOKLET ................. 2

Table of Contents .................................... 2

Glossary .................................................. 2

WHO IS A LANDLORD AND WHO IS A

TENANT? .................................................... 2

General Information About Landlords and

Tenants ................................................... 2

Special Situations .................................... 3

Hotels and motels ............................... 4

Residential hotels ................................ 4

Single lodger in a private residence .... 5

Transitional housing ............................ 5

Mobilehome parks and recreational

vehicle parks ....................................... 5

LOOKING FOR A RENTAL UNIT .............. 6

Looking for and Inspecting Rental Units .6

Looking for a rental unit....................... 6

Inspecting before you rent .................. 7

The Rental Application .......................... 9

Criminal History ................................. 9

Prepaid Rental Listing Services ........ 11

Other Rental Application

Considerations .................................. 13

Credit Checks ........................................ 13

Application Screening Fee .................... 15

Holding Deposit ..................................... 15

Unlawful Discrimination ......................... 16

What is unlawful discrimination? ....... 16

Limited exceptions for single rooms

and roommates ................................. 18

Resolving housing discrimination

problems ........................................... 19

BEFORE YOU AGREE TO RENT ............21

Rental Agreements and Leases ............ 21

General information........................... 21

Oral and Written Agreements............ 21

Fixed Term and Periodic Tenancies .22

Shared Utility Meters ............................. 23

Translation of Proposed Rental

Agreement ........................................ 23

WHEN YOU HAVE DECIDED TO RENT 24

What the Rental Agreement Should

Include .................................................. 24

Key terms ......................................... 25

Alterations to Accommodate a Tenant

with a Disability................................. 27

Tenant¡¯s basic legal rights ................ 28

The duty of good faith and fair dealing

.......................................................... 28

Landlord¡¯s Disclosures ......................... 29

Lead-based paint.............................. 29

Periodic pest control treatments ....... 29

Bed Bugs .......................................... 29

Asbestos ........................................... 29

Carcinogenic material....................... 30

Methamphetamine contamination .... 30

Demolition permit ............................. 30

Military base or explosives ............... 30

Death in the rental unit ..................... 30

Condominium conversion project ..... 31

Flood Hazard .................................... 31

Megan¡¯s Law .................................... 31

Basic Rules Governing Security Deposits

.............................................................. 31

The Inventory Checklist ........................ 34

Renter¡¯s Insurance ............................... 34

Limits to Rent Increases and Local Rent

Stabilization Programs ......................... 35

LIVING IN THE RENTAL UNIT ................ 37

Paying the Rent .................................... 37

When is rent due? ............................ 37

Check, money order, electronic funds

transfer, or cash? ............................. 38

Obtaining receipts for rent payments 39

Late fees and dishonored check fees

.......................................................... 39

Partial rent payments ....................... 40

Security Deposit Increases ................... 40

Rent Increases ..................................... 41

How much can rent be raised?......... 41

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