California landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

The rules Occupella applies to properties in California, from our jurisdiction data. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the statute, or a local attorney, before you act.

Data version: 2026-08All 50 states and DC
Local rules apply here. Never answer from state law alone - check the city ordinance
  • Los Angeles: RSO rent control + just-cause + relocation fees on covered units
  • San Francisco: Rent Ordinance: rent control, just-cause, buyout regulation
  • Oakland: Rent Adjustment Program + just-cause

Security deposit

Maximum deposit
1 month's rent
Return deadline
21 days after the tenancy ends
Penalty for late return
2x deposit for bad-faith retention
Interest owed
No
Note
small landlords (≤2 properties, ≤4 units, natural person) may take 2 months; some local ordinances require interest

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: Civ. Code §1950.5 (AB 12, 2024)

Late fees

Rule
enforceable only as a valid liquidated-damages provision
Grace period
Not in our data

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit
3 court days
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
30 (<1 yr) / 60 (≥1 yr); just cause required after 12 months (AB 1482)
Notice before entering a unit
24 hours
Note
entry notice must be written

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection
Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others
A real-estate broker license, to manage property for others.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Slow: about 2 to 4 months. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

  • AB 1482 statewide rent cap: 5% + CPI, max 10%, for covered buildings 15+ years old
  • Dense local overlays (LA, SF, Oakland, San José, etc.) with stricter rent control and just-cause rules than state law

AB 1482 maximum rent increase

Formula
5% + regional CPI, capped at 10%; applies to the Aug 1 - Jul 31 window
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
CA DOJ / CAA tables, annually (April CPI)
Applies to
state (covered buildings 15+ years old)

Source: Civ. Code §1947.12 (AB 1482)

Local rent board increases

Formula
board-specific: SF 60% of CPI, Berkeley 65% of CPI; Oakland, Santa Monica, and LA RSO each set annually
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
each rent board, annually
Applies to
local rent-control boards - always check the board, never AB 1482 alone

Source: local rent ordinances

Application screening fee cap

Formula
statutory base adjusted annually by CPI
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
annual CPI adjustment
Applies to
state

Source: Civ. Code §1950.6

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties
30 days
Note
Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024

Data version 2026-08. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and the version is when our data was last reviewed, not a promise that every rule is still current.

Landlord rules for every state

Rules applied per property

Occupella looks up these rules for each property's own state and does the date arithmetic, like the day a deposit is due back. 14 days free, no card.

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