California Code Library · Topic
Renting & eviction: tenancy and fair housing
Rent caps, just cause, deposits, repairs and entry, the eviction lawsuit itself, and the fair-housing rules every rental decision is read against.
158 documents of verbatim text. Where a code is listed section by section, the library holds those sections, not the whole code.
What this topic covers
Browse collected material or search within this topic. Subjects without a dedicated listing include a coverage note.
Lease & tenancy rights
Rent, entry, retaliation, utilities and basic landlord-tenant duties.
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Deposits, repairs & habitability
Security deposits, repair remedies and housing conditions.
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Rent limits & just cause
AB 1482, Costa-Hawkins, the Ellis Act and local rent regulation.
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Local rent programs & guidance
Local rent guidance is collected, but does not yet have a dedicated list on this page. Start with the city rent guides and their source links.
Browse related material →Eviction lawsuits
Notices and unlawful-detainer court procedure.
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Fair housing
Discrimination, reasonable accommodation and source-of-income rules.
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Federal housing programs
Section 8, HUD occupancy and federal tenant protections.
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Plain-English guides
Each guide explains a rule and links the enacted text below. For how the rules apply to a specific property, ask GoCodebook.
Rent caps & eviction
- California Rent Control
How rent control works in California — statewide caps, local ordinances, and what's exempt.
- AB 1482 — Tenant Protection Act of 2019
Statewide rent caps and just-cause eviction protections for most California rentals.
- Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act
The state law that limits local rent control on newer units and vacant apartments.
- Ellis Act
The law letting landlords exit the rental business and withdraw units from the market.
- SB 567 — Homelessness Prevention Act
The 2024 amendments that tightened AB 1482's just-cause and rent-cap rules.
- Just Cause Eviction (Civil Code § 1946.2)
When a landlord must have a valid reason to end a tenancy in California.
- Statewide Rent Cap (Civil Code § 1947.12)
How much rent can legally increase each year under California's statewide cap.
Deposits, repairs, entry & the lease
- Security Deposits (Civil Code § 1950.5)
How much a landlord may collect, what it may be used for, and the deadline and itemization for returning it.
- Habitability & Repair-and-Deduct (§§ 1941–1942)
What makes a rental untenantable, the locks a landlord must provide, and when a tenant may repair and deduct.
- Retaliatory Eviction (Civil Code § 1942.5)
The protection against being evicted or penalized for complaining about conditions or exercising a tenant right.
- Landlord Entry & Notice (Civil Code § 1954)
When a landlord may enter a rental, the notice it takes, and the exceptions.
- Breaking a Lease — Damages (§§ 1951.2, 1951.4)
What a landlord may recover when a tenant leaves early, and the duty to mitigate that limits it.
- Tenant Harassment, Lockouts & Owner Disclosure
The conduct a landlord may never use to push a tenant out, and the owner information every tenant is owed.
Fair housing & discrimination
- California Fair Housing Law (FEHA & 2 CCR)
Who and what the Fair Employment and Housing Act reaches, and how intentional discrimination and discriminatory effect are proved.
- Source of Income Discrimination (Section 8)
Why a voucher is income, what a landlord may verify, and how income screens must treat the tenant's share of rent.
- Assistance Animals in Rental Housing
Service and support animals — what a housing provider may ask, may not charge, and when it may say no.
- Reasonable Accommodations & Modifications
The interactive process, the documentation a provider may request, the grounds for denial, and who pays for a physical change.
- Criminal History in Tenant Screening
What criminal history a housing provider may consider, the individualized assessment it owes, and what it may never use.
City rent ordinances
How to read these sources
Start with a research question, then follow the collected sources. These notes explain the organization; the linked provisions supply their conditions and exceptions.
How is a tenancy question different from an eviction court case?
The landlord–tenant sources address the tenancy, including rent, deposits, habitability and entry. An unlawful-detainer case has a separate procedural chapter in the Code of Civil Procedure. Within that chapter, begin with the relevant ground and notice provision before moving to pleadings, trial and judgment. The reading groups below are navigation aids, not additional official Articles.
Which additional sources may apply to the household or property?
Check the separate state and federal fair-housing sources and any applicable local rent rules. The federal materials also include lead-disclosure and servicemember protections. A dated SCRA rent-threshold notice is listed as a notice alongside the statute it implements; it is not labeled as another statute or a complete statement of tenant rights.
The law, verbatim
Collected provisions are indexed by their official chapter or Article. Eviction reading groups are labeled separately. This is a selection of source snapshots; consult each document’s edition and the linked official source for applicable text.
Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability
AB 1482 and the statewide rent cap, just cause, Costa-Hawkins and the Ellis Act, with the Civil Code sections on deposits, habitability, repair-and-deduct, entry, retaliation, lockouts and utility shutoffs, and the Health & Safety Code housing standards. Selected sections, not the whole Civil Code.
- AB 1482 — Tenant Protection Act of 2019
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 789.3
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1940
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1940.2
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1941.1
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1941.3
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1942
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1942.4
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1942.5
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1946
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1946.1
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1950.5
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1950.6
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1951.2
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1951.4
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1954
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1954.05
- Landlord–tenant, rent & habitability — Civil Code § 1962
- California Health and Safety Code § 17920.3
- California Health and Safety Code § 17980
- Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act
- Ellis Act (Gov. Code §§ 7060–7060.7)
- SB 567 — Homelessness Prevention Act (2023)
Eviction lawsuits (unlawful detainer)
Code of Civil Procedure §§ 1159–1179a — the notices that start an eviction, the summary court case, the judgment, and the relief a tenant may ask for.
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Entry, possession & grounds for a case
Forcible entry and detainer, unlawful detainer grounds and specified protections. Sections 1161a and 1161b address possession and tenants after certain property sales.
9 collected provisions
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1159
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1160
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.1
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.3
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.4
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.5
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161a
- Entry, possession & grounds for a case — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161b
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Service of notices
Service rules for the notices and deeds described in the chapter. Read these with the provision that requires the notice.
2 collected provisions
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Court records, parties, complaints & responses
Access to case records, parties to the action, pleadings, responses and default procedures. These collected sections are part of the same official Chapter 4.
View 13 collected provisions
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.2
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1161.2.5
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1164
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1165
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1166
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1166a
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1167
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1167.1
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1167.3
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1167.4
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1167.5
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1169
- Court records, parties, complaints & responses — Code of Civil Procedure § 1170
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Trial, motions & proof
Trial scheduling, motions, discovery and proof in the court proceeding.
7 collected provisions
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1170.5
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1170.7
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1170.8
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1170.9
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1171
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1172
- Trial, motions & proof — Code of Civil Procedure § 1173
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Judgment, habitability & possession claims
Judgment and possession procedures, including habitability issues and claims by occupants.
7 collected provisions
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.2
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.3
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.5
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.21
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.25
- Judgment, habitability & possession claims — Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.27
Code of Civil Procedure · Part 3 · Title 3 · Chapter 4 · §§ 1159–1179a
Reading group within the official chapter
Appeal, relief & priority
Appeals, general procedural rules, relief from forfeiture and priority of proceedings. Inclusion does not determine which procedure or deadline applies to a particular case.
5 collected provisions
Fair housing (FEHA & 2 CCR)
Government Code § 12955 and the Civil Rights Department's housing regulations — discrimination, source of income, reasonable accommodation, assistance animals, criminal history.
- California 2 CCR § 12005. Definitions.
- California 2 CCR § 12010. Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices.
- California 2 CCR § 12040. Definitions.
- California 2 CCR § 12041. Intentional Discrimination Practices.
- California 2 CCR § 12042. Burdens of Proof and Types of Evidence in Intentional Discrimination Cases.
- California 2 CCR § 12050. Discriminatory Practices Regarding Notices, Statements, and Advertisements.
- California 2 CCR § 12051. Exceptions.
- California 2 CCR § 12052. Qualifying for Exemption.
- California 2 CCR § 12060. Practices with a Discriminatory Effect.
- California 2 CCR § 12061. Burdens of Proof in Discriminatory Effect Cases.
- California 2 CCR § 12062. Legally Sufficient Justification.
- California 2 CCR § 12063. NO Legally Sufficient Justification for Intentional Discrimination.
- California 2 CCR § 12100. Financial Assistance Practices with Discriminatory Effect.
- California 2 CCR § 12120. Harassment.
- California 2 CCR § 12130. Retaliation.
- California 2 CCR § 12140. Definitions.
- California 2 CCR § 12140.1. Source of Income Discrimination in Housing Other than Rental Housing Covered by Section § 12141.
- California 2 CCR § 12141. Source of Income Discrimination in Rental Housing.
- California 2 CCR § 12142. Aggregate Income.
- California 2 CCR § 12143. Financial and Income Standards Where There is a Government Rent Subsidy.
- California 2 CCR § 12155. Residential Real Estate—Related Practices with Discriminatory Effect.
- California 2 CCR § 12161. Discrimination in Land Use Practices and Housing Programs Prohibited.
- California 2 CCR § 12162. Specific Practices Related to Land Use Practices.
- California 2 CCR § 12176: Reasonable Accommodations and Reasonable Modifications.
- California 2 CCR § 12177. The Interactive Process.
- California 2 CCR § 12178. Establishing that a Requested Accommodation or Modification is Necessary.
- California 2 CCR § 12179. Denial of Reasonable Accommodation or Reasonable Modification.
- California 2 CCR § 12180. Other Requirements or Limitations in the Provision of Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications; and Examples.
- California 2 CCR § 12181. Other Requirements or Limitations in the Provision of Reasonable Modifications; and Examples.
- California 2 CCR § 12185: Assistance Animals.
- California 2 CCR § 12264. Definitions.
- California 2 CCR § 12265. Prohibited Uses of Criminal History Information.
- California 2 CCR § 12266. Establishing a Legally Sufficient Justification Relating to Criminal History Information.
- California 2 CCR § 12267. Intentional Discrimination and the Use of Criminal History Information.
- California 2 CCR § 12268. Discriminatory Statements Regarding Criminal History Information.
- California 2 CCR § 12269. Specific Practices Related to Criminal History Information.
- California 2 CCR § 12270. Compliance with Federal OR State Laws, Regulations, or Licensing Requirements Permitting or Requiring Consideration of Criminal History.
- California 2 CCR § 12271. Local Laws or Ordinances.
- California Government Code § 12955
Federal law
U.S. statutes, regulations and agency guidance on the same subject.
Statutes
The U.S. Code as enacted — the tax credit, voucher, fair-housing and relocation authorities.
- 42 U.S.C. §§ 1437a, 1437f — U.S. Housing Act definitions and Section 8 assistance (incl. project-based provisions)
- 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3631 — Fair Housing Act (Title VIII)
- Disclosure of information concerning lead upon transfer of residential property — 42 USC § 4852d
- Waiver of rights pursuant to written agreement — 50 USC § 3918
- Protection of servicemembers against default judgments — 50 USC § 3931
- Stay of proceedings when servicemember has notice — 50 USC § 3932
- Evictions and distress — 50 USC § 3951
- Protection under installment contracts for purchase or lease — 50 USC § 3952
- Termination of residential or motor vehicle leases — 50 USC § 3955
Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations — HUD, Treasury, FTC and government-wide implementing rules, as whole parts and as selected sections.
View 41 collected documents
- Definitions — 16 CFR § 682.1
- Purpose and scope — 16 CFR § 682.2
- Proper disposal of consumer information — 16 CFR § 682.3
- Relation to other laws — 16 CFR § 682.4
- Effective date — 16 CFR § 682.5
- 24 C.F.R. Part 5 — General HUD Program Requirements (definitions of income, annual/adjusted income, rent; HOTMA-era text)
- 24 C.F.R. Part 100 — Discriminatory Conduct Under the Fair Housing Act
- 24 C.F.R. Part 246 — Local Rent Control (HUD preemption for insured and HUD-owned projects)
- 24 C.F.R. Part 982 — Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance (Housing Choice Voucher Program)
- Purpose — 24 CFR § 8.1
- Applicability — 24 CFR § 8.2
- Non-housing facilities — 24 CFR § 8.21
- Existing housing programs — 24 CFR § 8.24
- Housing voucher programs — 24 CFR § 8.28
- Applicability — 24 CFR § 247.1
- Definitions — 24 CFR § 247.2
- Entitlement of tenants to occupancy — 24 CFR § 247.3
- Termination notice — 24 CFR § 247.4
- Inapplicability to substantial rehabilitation or demolition — 24 CFR § 247.5
- Eviction — 24 CFR § 247.6
- Implementation — 24 CFR § 247.7
- Incorporation by reference — 24 CFR § 247.8
- Applicability of procedures — 24 CFR § 247.9
- Inapplicability to substantial rehabilitation or demolition; right of disposition unimpaired — 24 CFR § 247.10
- Tenant rent — 24 CFR § 880.604
- Eligibility — 24 CFR § 960.201
- Tenant selection policies — 24 CFR § 960.202
- Families exceeding the income limit — 24 CFR § 960.507
- Lease requirements for non-public housing over-income families — 24 CFR § 960.509
- Implementation — 24 CFR § 960.600
- Purpose and applicability — 24 CFR § 966.1
- Definitions — 24 CFR § 966.2
- Tenants' opportunity for comment — 24 CFR § 966.3
- Accommodation of persons with disabilities — 24 CFR § 966.7
- Purpose and scope — 24 CFR § 966.50
- Applicability — 24 CFR § 966.51
- Requirements — 24 CFR § 966.52
- Definitions — 24 CFR § 966.53
- Informal settlement of grievance — 24 CFR § 966.54
- Procedures governing the hearing — 24 CFR § 966.56
- Decision of the hearing officer — 24 CFR § 966.57
Agency guidance & handbooks
HUD and IRS handbooks, guidebooks and audit technique guides.
Federal notices
Dated agency notices, including published adjustments. These are separate from statutes and codified regulations.
More on renting in California: California landlord–tenant and housing laws, explained.
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