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-
Rent increase notice periods in California: 30 days or 90
Civil Code § 827 sets two notice periods for a rent increase on a month-to-month tenancy. Which one applies depends on the size of the increase over twelve months, and the delivery method adds days of its own. A date-by-date example and the local rules that sit on top. Laws and rules -
How to calculate a legal rent increase in California
A five-step walkthrough: decide which cap governs the unit, find the right base rent, pull the right CPI figure for the right date, apply the formula, and check the notice period. With the 2026-27 figures and a worked example that catches the most common mistake. Laws and rules -
Is my property exempt from AB 1482?
The six exemptions in the rent cap statute, the two that small landlords actually use, the sentence that has to be in the lease for the single-family exemption to count, and the traps that quietly put an "exempt" house back under the cap. Laws and rules -
San Jose rent control for small landlords: what the ARO covers
San Jose's Apartment Rent Ordinance reaches about 38,000 older apartments and caps them at one 5% increase a year. Duplexes, houses, condos, and newer buildings fall outside it, and most of those land under the state cap instead. Who is covered, what the city expects every year, and what to check first. Laws and rules -
Does a landlord have to give rent receipts?
In some states, yes, with the contents spelled out in the statute. In others there is no rent receipt rule at all, only a general right to demand a receipt for any payment. Either way, the reason to issue them is the same. Laws and rules -
Criminal background checks on rental applications: what the law allows
The federal guidance landlords relied on for nine years was rescinded in November 2025. The statute it interpreted was not. Where that leaves a small landlord, what the FCRA lets a report contain, and why state and city rules are now the sharper constraint. Laws and rules -
Lease renewal letter template
A renewal letter is a short offer with a deadline, not a reminder. The template below covers the four terms that have to be in it, and the timing rules that decide when it goes out. Laws and rules -
Writing a pet policy into your lease
A pet clause has to do three things: say what is allowed, price it in a way your state permits, and stay out of the way of the accommodation rules that apply to assistance animals. Laws and rules -
Month-to-month vs fixed-term lease
The choice is not really about flexibility. It is about who carries the vacancy risk, what the notice periods do to your timeline, and whether your local rules treat the two the same way. Laws and rules -
Subletting: what landlords need to know
A sublet request is a decision about who lives in your unit and who you can collect from. In some states you cannot unreasonably refuse it, and in one of them silence counts as consent. Laws and rules -
How to write a lease termination letter
Four different letters go by this name and they are not interchangeable. Which one you need depends on who is ending the tenancy, why, and whether a term is still running. Laws and rules -
When a tenant breaks a lease early: a landlord's options
The lease says twelve months and the tenant is leaving in four. What you can recover is smaller than the remaining rent, it shrinks further if you sit on the unit, and one category of early departure is protected by statute. Laws and rules