Rules, guides, and articles for landlords

Security deposits, late fees, and notice requirements, state by state.

1. 01

   California rent control in 2026: every city with a rent stabilization ordinance

   California layers local rent control on top of the statewide AB 1482 cap. Here is every city LeaseRooster tracks with its own rent stabilization ordinance, the annual increase cap, and whether it requires just cause to evict. Civil Code § 1947.12 Reviewed Aug 2026
2. 02

   California stove and refrigerator habitability law: AB 628

   AB 628 makes a working stove and refrigerator part of California's habitability standard, effective January 1, 2026. Here is what the law requires, the narrow refrigerator opt out, and what to check across your units before it becomes a compliance problem. Civil Code § 1941.1 3 min read Reviewed Jul 2026
3. 03

   California landlord obligations after a wildfire: SB 610

   SB 610 sets out what California landlords owe tenants after a mandatory evacuation order or wildfire disaster, effective January 1, 2026: rent discharge, a 10-day prepaid rent refund, a habitability presumption for debris, and the right to return at pre-disaster rent. Civil Code § 1941.9 3 min read Reviewed Jul 2026
4. 04

   California internet and cable bulk-billing opt-out: AB 1414

   AB 1414 gives California tenants the right to opt out of a bundled internet, cable, or satellite charge, effective January 1, 2026. Here is what the law requires if you bulk bill a service to tenants, and what happens if you charge a tenant who opted out. Civil Code § 1942.8 3 min read Reviewed Jul 2026
5. 05

   California electronic security deposit return: AB 414 (2026)

   AB 414 requires California landlords to refund a security deposit electronically when the tenant paid electronically, effective January 1, 2026. Here is the rule, the multiple-tenant payout requirement, and what to change in your move-out process. Civil Code § 1950.5 3 min read Reviewed Oct 2026
6. 06

   California security deposit rules: what AB 12 changed

   AB 12 cut California's security deposit cap to one month's rent for most landlords, furnished or not, effective July 1, 2024. Landlords must return the deposit within 21 days with an itemized statement. Here is what changed, what counts toward the cap, and how to stay on the right side of the law. Civil Code § 1950.5(c) 8 min read Reviewed Oct 2026
7. 07

   San Francisco rent control: landlord's guide

   San Francisco's Rent Ordinance covers most residential units first occupied before June 13, 1979. It caps annual rent increases and restricts evictions to 16 just-cause grounds. Landlords must register with the SF Rent Board and pay an annual fee. SF Admin. Code § 37.2(r) 5 min read Reviewed Jun 2026
8. 08

   Maximum rent increase in California 2026: AB 1482 explained

   AB 1482 caps annual rent increases at 5% plus local CPI (maximum 10%). Single-family homes, condos, and new construction are often exempt, but only with the right written notice. How the formula works, the current 2026 cap by region, and the sunset status. Civil Code § 1947.12 6 min read Reviewed Jul 2026

All jurisdiction pages

1. 01

   TurboTenant vs Avail vs Innago: what each one costs you and your tenants

   All three are free for the landlord to start. The differences are in what your tenants pay to pay rent and apply, and what you unlock by upgrading. Here is one table with every published number, checked on each vendor's own pages in October 2026. Guide 5 min read Oct 16, 2026
2. 02

   When to move your rentals off a spreadsheet, and how to do it in 30 minutes

   A spreadsheet runs a few rentals fine until one of five things happens. If one of them just did, here is how to clean the file and move a small portfolio into software in about half an hour. Guide 6 min read Oct 13, 2026
3. 03

   How to switch property management software without losing data

   Most data lost in a software switch is lost on the way out, not on the way in. Here is the order that keeps it: export everything, tie it to the bank, map the columns, import in sequence, count, and only then cancel the old account. Guide 6 min read Oct 13, 2026
4. 04

   How long landlords should keep rental records

   Tax records, screening files, leases, and deposit paperwork each run on a different clock. Here are the federal rules behind each one, a table you can keep by the filing cabinet, and what to do with a file once its time is up. Guide 6 min read Oct 13, 2026

All guides

1. 01

   Rental property spreadsheet: the columns worth tracking

   Which tabs a rental property spreadsheet needs, the columns on each one, the formatting habits that keep it usable for years, and the signs that it is time to move the whole thing into software. Money 5 min read Oct 27, 2026
2. 02

   How to keep a tenant ledger, with a filled-in sample

   A tenant ledger is the running record of one tenancy: every charge, every payment, and the balance after each. How to set one up, a three-month sample with a prorated first month and a bounced check, and the habits that keep it trustworthy. Money 6 min read Oct 27, 2026
3. 03

   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 6 min read Oct 27, 2026
4. 04

   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 5 min read Oct 26, 2026

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