California Rental Law Changes 2026: AB 414, AB 628, SB 610 and the AB 1482 Sunset

California Rental Law Changes 2026: AB 414, AB 628, SB 610 and the AB 1482 Sunset

California's 2026 legislative cycle touches nearly every part of the tenancy lifecycle: how you return a deposit, what appliances you have to maintain, what you owe after a disaster, whether the statewide rent cap even survives the year, and how you bill for internet. This guide gives California landlords and property managers the operator's framework for each change — anchored to what the new statutes actually require, with a reminder to confirm any figure that resets year to year.

The 2026 changes to build around

Treat these as five separate compliance events, each with its own workflow. Copying last year's lease clause or move-out procedure forward without checking is how a team ends up on the wrong side of a rule that changed under it.

AB 414 — electronic security-deposit returns

AB 414 streamlines how security deposits come back to the tenant. Under the new rule, deposit returns can be delivered electronically, and the landlord and tenant may agree — at any time — on how refunds and itemized statements are delivered, including electronically. The statute also clarifies procedures for shared leases, where multiple tenants share responsibility for a single deposit.

For operators, the practical change is that you no longer have to default to a paper check by mail if you have a documented agreement on electronic delivery. But the agreement is the load-bearing part: capture it, date it, and store it against the tenancy so both the refund and the itemized statement have a paper trail.

AB 628 — working stove and refrigerator

AB 628 adds appliances to the habitability baseline: landlords must maintain a working stove and refrigerator. This moves two items that some leases treated as amenities into the category of things you are responsible for keeping in working order. Build stove and refrigerator checks into your move-in inspection and your maintenance SLAs, and treat a failure the way you would any other habitability issue — as a compliance obligation, not a courtesy.

SB 610 — halting rent and clearing debris after disasters

SB 610 addresses tenancies disrupted by natural disasters. It requires landlords to halt rent and remove debris after a natural disaster. In practice this means your post-disaster playbook needs two triggers wired in: a rent-stop on affected units and a debris-removal obligation, both keyed to the disaster event. This is the kind of rule that is easy to overlook precisely because it only fires in an emergency — put it in the runbook now, not during the emergency.

The AB 1482 cap sunset — the year's biggest question mark

AB 1482, the statewide rent cap passed in 2019 (a limit of 5% + CPI), is scheduled to expire mid-2026. That is the single most consequential item on this list, and the most uncertain. After the sunset, one of two things happens: the cap lapses, or new — possibly stricter — rules replace it. Do not assume either outcome. The operator move is to watch the legislature through mid-2026 and be ready to re-verify your allowable increase the moment the successor rule (or the absence of one) is clear. Because the CPI component resets, confirm the current-year figure for any increase you send while AB 1482 is still in force.

Bulk-internet opt-out

A new rule lets tenants opt out of bulk-billed internet subscriptions. It applies to tenancies starting or renewing on or after January 1, 2026. If your building bundles internet into the rent or as a mandatory fee, new and renewing tenants can now decline it. Make sure your leasing and renewal flows expose the opt-out for covered tenancies rather than defaulting everyone into the bundle.

Managing this in software

Your system should: capture and date the tenant's electronic-delivery agreement before any deposit return; treat stove and refrigerator status as habitability items in inspections and work orders; carry a disaster playbook that can stop rent and flag debris removal on affected units; flag the AB 1482 sunset as a review event so allowable increases are re-verified mid-year; and surface the bulk-internet opt-out on leases starting or renewing on/after January 1, 2026. Treat each of these as a compliance event with a second review, not just a settings toggle.

How Proprietio helps

Proprietio's compliance engine tracks these state rules and flags what changed, so your leases, notices, and rent increases stay current as the law moves — without you watching every bill. See how on your portfolio — free rental audit.

Sources

• California Apartment Association — caanet.org. Confirm the status of the AB 1482 sunset and any current-year CPI figure on the official California legislative and CAA pages before acting.

⚠️ This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord-tenant law is state-specific and changes often — verify the current rule with your state agency or a local attorney before acting.