Navigating New Laws in 2026

The statewide rent-cap and “just-cause” eviction protections under the California Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) remain firmly in effect. The law continues to cap annual rent increases at 5% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is lower. California DOJ+1 It also requires that after a tenant has resided in a unit for 12 months, a landlord must show a valid reason (“at-fault” or “no-fault” cause) to end tenancy. California DOJ For property managers in Northern California, this means ensuring that leases and rent-increase notices align to these limits, and that any termination complies with the just-cause framework.

Second, one of the major incoming changes for 2026 is the proposed Assembly Bill 1248 (AB 1248), which, although not yet entirely finalized, is gaining traction as a key compliance driver. Under AB 1248, leases and rental adverts must disclose all required fees and optional service costs clearly, and certain utility-billing practices (e.g., ratio-utility billing systems) may be banned or heavily restricted. For property managers, this underscores the need to audit advertising language, revise fee schedules and utility-billing practices, and train leasing staff on full transparency before January 1, 2026.

Third, habitability and unit-features standards are also changing. A forthcoming statute mandates that, effective January 1, 2026, all rental units must include a functioning stove and refrigerator as part of the statutory “habitability” criteria. California Association of Realtors Additionally, under Senate Bill 610/AB 1414 effective the same date, tenants must be permitted to opt-out of bundled internet services if the landlord requires use of a specific provider. California Association of Realtors For Northern-California property managers—where multi-unit conversions, shared-internet plans and older unit upgrades are common—this means budgeting for appliance upgrades, revising amenity-lists in leases, and adjusting bundled-service practices.