Rent regulation & tenants
Just-cause eviction
The rule that a covered tenancy may be terminated only for an enumerated at-fault or no-fault reason — Civ. Code § 1946.2 statewide, plus stricter local laws.
Definition
Just cause is the requirement that a landlord terminate a covered tenancy only for a reason on a statutory list, stated in the notice. Statewide, Civil Code § 1946.2 — the just-cause half of AB 1482 — attaches after all tenants have 12 months' continuous occupancy (24 where a new adult joined mid-tenancy) and sorts causes into at-fault (nonpayment, breach after a chance to cure, nuisance, criminal activity, refusal to renew on like terms) and no-fault (owner or family move-in, withdrawal from the rental market, government order, substantial remodel or demolition).
The statute is a floor: local just-cause ordinances with longer notice, fewer causes, or broader coverage control where they apply — including unit types AB 1482 exempts.
Why it matters in an underwrite
Unit recovery is a cost center, not a right: at-fault causes are the only cost-free path, and the owner does not choose their timing. Every no-fault termination owes one month's rent in relocation within 15 days of notice, and SB 567 (2023) backs the statute with actual and up-to-treble damages plus attorney's fees. A pro forma that depends on systematic no-fault turnover is pricing litigation as revenue — model recovery on attrition plus at-fault turnover, and check the local overlay before relying on any state-law cause.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.