Modern mandatory appliances for tenants
New legislation mandates a working stove and refrigerator for residential units available for rent or lease.
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Category: New Laws
More lenient owner-occupancy requirements for JADUs
Legislatures hope relaxed junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) regulations will translate to more developer interest.
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Mortgage forbearance for homeowners affected by 2025 wildfires
Homeowners affected by the LA wildfires are now assured access to mortgage forbearance programs under a new law.
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New legal bar to foreclosing on long-time nonperforming second mortgages
A new law provides property owners additional defenses against servicers of old, “zombie mortgages.”
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Increased renter’s tax credit
The renter’s tax credit will increase significantly beginning for tax year 2026.
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Landlords allow tenant options for internet providers or pay up
Landlords may not mandate the use of a specific internet service provider without allowing tenants to opt out.
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Density bonus zoning loopholes are for housing
Density bonus laws enable developers to increase density beyond what local zoning regulations allow, while increasing the number of subsidy-free housing for low- and moderate-income households.
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New law protects tenants receiving Social Security income
A new law establishes Social Security hardship as a defense for tenants facing an unlawful detainer (UD) action when rent payments are interrupted.
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To evolve, reuse buildings as housing, now
A new law approaches the housing shortage from the intuitive angle of reducing local agency discretion — the red tape leash — for adapting vacant commercial structures for reuse as housing projects.
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Residential property remediation requirements after a disaster
Tenant-occupied residential properties adversely affected by disaster are subject to new legislation placing controls on landlord operations.
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The state steps up so locals get into the spirit of ADUs
Another new law is on the books to encourage ADU growth.
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One-to-ten unit housing permit times reduced
A new law cuts down permit times for small housing developments.
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Newly passed law a boost for transit-oriented development
California’s legislature continues to tackle the state’s decade long housing shortage.
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New law clarifies homeowner foreclosure protections provided by mortgage servicers
SB 1146 clarifies some foreclosure protections while letting mortgage servicers off the hook for others.
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Annual assessment increase for DFPI mortgage licensees
Declining DFPI licensee numbers, and the fees they charge, means the remaining individuals need to pick up the slack — with their wallets.
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Increased protections for small commercial tenants
A qualified commercial tenant receives tenant protections, including a longer period of time for notice of an increase in rent and termination of tenancy, more documentation in a change of building operating costs charged the tenant and translation requirements when negotiating a lease agreement.
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Mobilehome park owners must be in good legal standing to evict tenants or raise rents
Mobilehome parks are required to be registered and titled
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Changes to application screening fees charged by residential landlords
Landlords now need to actually have a unit readily available for a prospective tenant to occupy when they demand a screening fee for reviewing an application for approval or denial.
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Mandated landlord credit-reporting offer to improve tenant credit scores
Residential landlords are now obligated to offer to report a tenant’s positive rental payment information to at least one nationwide consumer reporting agency.
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Updates to the permitting and approval of new housing developments
The streamlined approval process developers use when certain parameters are met just got additional incentives.
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