Blog Laws and rules
Laws and rules
The rules landlords have to follow. Plain explanations of fair housing, notices, and the laws that trip people up.
Posts
46 posts-
Quarterly rental inspection checklist (printable)
A printable walk-through for the inspection you do every three months while a tenant lives in the unit: the notice to send first, a room-by-room list built for 30 minutes, and what to do with what you find. Laws and rules -
Returning a deposit to a California tenant you can't reach
The tenant moved out and stopped answering. What California's deposit statute says about where the statement goes, how the refund goes back when rent was paid electronically, what to do with roommates you cannot find, and what happens to a check nobody cashes. Laws and rules -
Move-out photos that show wear vs damage, room by room
A shot list for move-out photos that let a stranger tell ordinary wear from damage: what to capture in the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living areas, and outside, and how California's before-and-after photo rule shapes the order you work in. Laws and rules -
California rental application: what you can and can't ask
The questions a California rental application can ask, the ones it can't, and the rules that catch landlords who copied a form from another state: immigration status, Section 8 and other sources of income, co-applicant income, and the screening fee cap. Laws and rules -
The pre-move-out inspection in California, step by step
California requires landlords to offer an initial inspection before a tenant moves out. The written notice and what it must say, the two-week window, the 48-hour notice, the itemized list you leave behind, and what you can still deduct afterward. Laws and rules -
Belongings a tenant left behind in California: what to do
California's abandoned property procedure, Civil Code 1980 to 1991: the written notice and its 15 and 18 day deadlines, storage and what you can charge for it, the $700 line between keeping and selling, and how a public sale works. Laws and rules -
California move-out statement: template and worked example
What a California itemized deposit statement has to contain, the documents that go with it, and a filled-in example for a two-bedroom unit, line by line, from the deposit received to the refund. Laws and rules -
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?
The California answer in dollars: one month's rent for most landlords, two for some small owners, with first month's rent and a capped screening fee on top. Worked examples at real rents, the charges that eat into the cap, and what the big cities add. Laws and rules -
California Civil Code 1950.5 in plain English
The California security deposit statute, read one subdivision at a time: what counts as security, what a landlord can deduct, the photo rules added in 2025, the 21-day deadline, the receipts that go with the itemized statement, and what bad faith costs. Laws and rules -
California's AB 12 security deposit cap, explained
Since July 1, 2024, most California landlords can hold one month's rent as a deposit, furnished or not. Here is how the cap is worded, who qualifies for the two-month small-landlord exception, the service member carve-out, and the charges that quietly count toward the limit. Laws and rules -
LA RSO vs AB 1482: which one applies to my unit?
In the City of Los Angeles a rental falls into one of three buckets: the Rent Stabilization Ordinance at 3%, the statewide AB 1482 cap at 8.7%, or no cap at all. The building date and the property type decide which, and the city's Just Cause Ordinance reaches nearly everything the RSO does not. Laws and rules -
Oakland rent control for small landlords: the 2026-27 rules
Oakland's Rent Adjustment Program allows a 2.3% increase on covered units from August 1, 2026, and attaches paperwork to every notice: the RAP Notice, a business tax certificate, and a current rent registration. Which buildings are covered, how banking changed in 2026, and what happens to the units outside the program. Laws and rules