What is my California landlord required to fix? See state rules for rentals
When it comes to renting in California, there are several rules that landlords — and tenants — must follow.
From eviction rules to honoring the terms of a lease, California law sets standards for how rental properties must be managed.
After reading about new renter laws taking effect in 2026, a reader reached out to How to California, a community-driven series to help readers navigate life in the Golden State: What are landlords legally required to fix or provide to make sure a rental property is habitable?
Here’s what we found:
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What makes a California rental property habitable?
According to California Civil Code, a rental unit can be considered uninhabitable if it lacks any of the following standards:
- Effective waterproofing for the exterior of the unit, including windows and doors.
- Working plumbing system, including running hot and cold water, furnished with fixtures and connected to a sewage disposal system.
- Working gas system.
- Working heating system.
- An electric system with operable lighting and wiring.
- Clean and sanitary grounds.
- Working trash containers.
- Repaired floors, stairways and railing.
- A locking mail system for each unit.
Are rentals required to have working bathrooms? Kitchens?
Rental units must provide each of the following to be considered habitable, according to the California Civil Code and Health and Safety Code:
- A working bathroom with a toilet, sink and bathtub/shower in a ventilated, private room.
- A kitchen with a sink that is made of a non-absorbent material.
- Windows in each room that provide natural lighting and must at least open halfway for ventilation, unless there is a mechanical fan.
- Safe and clean fire or emergency exits that lead outside the unit.
- Working deadbolt locks or security devices on main entry doors and windows.
- Working smoke alarms.
- Apartment complexes must have smoke detectors in shared stairwells.
- Working carbon monoxide devices in each unit that includes a burning heater appliance, fireplace or attached garage.
- Functioning ventilating equipment.
Do California landlords have to provide a stove and refrigerator?
As of Jan. 1, California landlords must also provide and keep a working stove and refrigerator in rental units to be deemed habitable.
Assembly Bill 628 requires landlords to make sure these appliances are in good working order.
If a stove or refrigerator is recalled by the manufacturer or a government agency, the landlord has 30 days to repair or replace it after being notified, according to California Civil Code.
However, there are some exceptions.
When a lease is signed, a tenant and landlord can agree that the tenant will supply and take care of their own refrigerator, as long as certain conditions are met.
The law also does not apply to some types of housing, such as permanent supportive housing.
These new rules apply to leases that are signed, changed or renewed on or after Jan. 1.
What can you do if your landlord needs to fix something?
Under California law, tenants have rights when a rental property needs repairs.
If something is making the unit “uninhabitable,” the tenant must first inform the landlord and give them “reasonable time” — 30 days — to address the issue, according to California Civil Code.
If the landlord has yet to make the repair after that time has passed, the tenant can pay for the repair themselves and deduct the cost from their rent, as long as the repair is necessary and reasonable, the law says.
Can I make changes to my apartment if something is outdated?
Debra Carlton, an executive vice president at the California Apartment Association, previously told The Sacramento Bee that there is no specific law that addresses how a tenant should address improvements to outdated features of a rental unit.
“The tenant’s ability to buy something new or alter the premises is going to be limited by the rental agreement with the exception of repairs,” Carlton told The Bee in 2024.
When a tenant wants to make changes to a rental unit, Carlton said, the first step is to contact the landlord or property manager.
Any alteration must be approved by the landlord, and both sides should agree on who will pay for it.
“A lot of tenants commonly ask if they can paint, and that is something that has to be agreed upon with the landlord,” Carlton said.
Under California law, landlords can keep part or all of a tenant’s security deposit if changes were made without permission or if the unit isn’t returned to its original condition, according to the California Tenants Guide.
