Tenant Harassment, Lockouts & Owner Disclosure — §§ 1940.2, 1962

California law does not leave a landlord free to pressure a tenant out through anything short of a lawful eviction. Civil Code § 1940.2 lists specific things a landlord may not do for the purpose of influencing a tenant to vacate — menacing conduct, threats, and significant violations of the tenant's right to privacy. Civil Code § 1962 covers a different, everyday obligation: telling the tenant, in writing, who owns the unit, who manages it, and how and where to pay rent.

The two statutes sit side by side in this guide because both concern the basic honesty a landlord owes a tenant — not showing up to threaten them, and not hiding behind an undisclosed address. GoCodebook can quote either section's exact text and check whether a specific situation triggers the penalty.

Under § 1940.2(a), it is unlawful for a landlord — for the purpose of influencing a tenant to vacate — to use or threaten to use force, willful threats, or menacing conduct that interferes with the tenant's quiet enjoyment of the premises and would create apprehension of harm in a reasonable person; to commit a significant and intentional violation of the tenant's privacy rights under § 1954; to threaten to disclose a tenant's (or an associated person's) immigration or citizenship status; or to engage in conduct that violates specific Penal Code sections addressing extortion-type and intimidating behavior.

The statute is explicit that a tenant does not need to have actually been evicted, constructively or otherwise, to bring a claim under the harm-and-threats or immigration-status provisions — the conduct itself is enough.

A tenant who prevails in a civil action — including in small claims court — to enforce their rights under § 1940.2 is entitled to a civil penalty of up to $2,000 for each violation.

The statute also draws a clear line around ordinary landlord conduct: an oral or written warning notice, given in good faith, about conduct by a tenant, occupant, or guest that violates or may violate the lease, rules, or law is not a violation of § 1940.2 — nor is an oral or written explanation of the rental agreement, rules, or law given in the normal course of business. The section also does not enlarge or diminish a landlord's existing right to terminate a tenancy under other state or local law (such as the just-cause eviction rules), and it does not limit a local government's ability to separately regulate or enforce against landlord harassment.

Separately, Civil Code § 1962 requires the owner of a covered dwelling (or whoever signs the lease on the owner's behalf) to disclose, in the rental agreement or lease: the name, phone number, and street address where each person authorized to manage the premises or act for the owner can be personally served; the name, phone number, and address of who rent should be paid to; and, if payment may be made in person, the days and hours available to receive it. Instead of a personal-payment address, the owner may disclose a financial-institution account within five miles of the property, or the information needed to set up electronic funds transfer.

The owner must also disclose the accepted form(s) of rent payment, and must provide a copy of the signed rental agreement or lease to the tenant within 15 days of execution — and again, within 15 days of a tenant's request, once each calendar year after that. For an oral rental agreement, the owner must furnish the same disclosures in a written statement within 15 days of the agreement.

The disclosure obligation follows the property: a successor owner or manager must comply within 15 days of taking over, and may not serve a nonpayment notice or otherwise evict a tenant for rent that accrued while the successor was out of compliance — though this does not relieve the tenant of the underlying liability for unpaid rent. A party who signs the lease for the owner but fails to make the required disclosures is deemed the owner's agent for service of process, for performing the owner's obligations, and for receiving rent payments (in cash, check, money order, or any previously accepted form, unless a specific form has been ruled out in writing).