California Lease Agreement

1. Who to pay and who gets notices. The name, phone and street address of the person who takes the rent, the usual days and hours if rent is paid in person, the accepted forms of payment, and the name, phone and address of the owner or manager for notices (Civ. Code § 1962).
2. Money and deposit rules. Rent, due date, a late fee, and a deposit within the legal cap, with the 21-day return rule.
3. State disclosures. The AB 1482 rent cap notice or exemption, Megan's Law, the bed bug notice, the flood hazard disclosure, the smoking areas if smoking is restricted, and the stove and refrigerator rule for leases signed from 2026.

This form prints all of these. The statutory notices go into an "Addendum: California disclosures" page at the end, signed together with the lease. Choose "Yes, built before 1978" for older homes and attach the federal lead paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet.

Since July 1, 2024 (AB 12), no more than one month's rent on top of the first month's rent, counting every deposit, move-in fee or charge together, pet deposits included (Civ. Code § 1950.5(b), (c)(1)). A small landlord may take up to two months' rent: a natural person, a family trust or an LLC whose members are all natural persons, owning no more than two rental properties with no more than four units in total - but not when the tenant is a service member (§ 1950.5(c)(5)).

The form caps the deposit for you. If you type more than the cap allows, the lease prints the cap instead (one or two months of the rent you entered), and a pet deposit only takes what is left under it. The lease never calls any part of the deposit "nonrefundable" - that word is banned in a California lease (§ 1950.5(n)).

Within 21 calendar days after the tenant moves out, with an itemized statement of deductions (Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)). Attach receipts or invoices, unless repairs and cleaning together come to $125 or less (the tenant can still ask for them within 14 days). If the tenant paid electronically, refund electronically unless you agree otherwise in writing.

Take photos of the unit at move-in (required for tenancies starting on or after July 1, 2025) and at move-out before and after repairs or cleaning (§ 1950.5(g)). Before the tenant leaves, tell them in writing they can ask for a pre-move-out inspection (§ 1950.5(f)). Keeping a deposit in bad faith can cost up to twice the deposit on top of damages (§ 1950.5(m)). Our free move-in checklist helps with the condition record.

Most apartments are covered: rent increases are limited to 5% plus inflation, never more than 10% a year (Civ. Code § 1947.12), and after 12 months the landlord needs a stated just cause to end the tenancy (Civ. Code § 1946.2). For a covered unit the lease must carry the state notice in at least 12-point type - choose "Covered unit" and the addendum prints it.

A single-family home or condo is exempt only if the owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, and the lease includes the exemption notice (§ 1946.2(e)(8), § 1947.12(d)(5)). Choose that option and the exact notice is printed. If your unit is exempt for another reason listed in those sections, choose "Exempt for another reason". Local rent control in cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco can add more rules.

Entry: reasonable written notice with the date, approximate time and purpose, during normal business hours. 24 hours is presumed reasonable; a mailed notice must go out 6 days ahead. No notice is needed in an emergency (Civ. Code § 1954). The tenant cannot waive this in the lease.

Late fee: California sets no fixed cap, but the fee must be a reasonable estimate of what late payment actually costs you (Civ. Code § 1671(d)). Courts strike fees that look like a penalty, so keep it modest. You must accept at least one form of payment other than cash or electronic transfer and cannot charge a fee for paying by check (Civ. Code § 1947.3).

If the tenant stays and you accept rent, the lease turns into a month-to-month tenancy. To end it you give 60 days' written notice, or 30 days if the tenant has lived there less than a year; the tenant gives 30 days (Civ. Code § 1946.1). A rent increase needs 30 days' notice, or 90 days if it is more than 10% in 12 months (Civ. Code § 827(b)). For unpaid rent or other breaches, use a California eviction notice.

If you negotiated the lease mainly in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean, give the tenant a translation in that language before signing (Civ. Code § 1632). Renting outside California? Use our general residential lease agreement.

Yes, for leases signed, amended or extended on or after January 1, 2026 (AB 628): a working stove and a working refrigerator are now part of a habitable unit (Civ. Code § 1941.1(a)(10), (11)). A tenant may ask to bring their own refrigerator: choose that option and the lease prints the required checkbox statement and the tenant's right to switch back with 30 days' written notice. You cannot make the tenant's own fridge a condition of renting.

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