Security deposits: one month, with one exception
Since July 1, 2024, California landlords can collect at most one month's rent as a security deposit — furnished or unfurnished. The exception: small landlords who own no more than two rental properties totaling four units may collect up to two months. When you move out, the landlord has 21 days to return the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions — and deductions must be for actual damage or unpaid rent, not ordinary wear and tear.
Application and screening fees
The screening fee cap adjusts with inflation — for 2026 it's $65.86 — and landlords may only charge what screening actually costs them, with a receipt on request. If they never run your screening, the fee must be refunded.
Rent increases: the statewide cap
- Who's covered: most apartments and multi-family housing built before January 1, 2005. Newer buildings and most single-family homes owned by individuals (with required notice) are exempt — and stricter local rent-control ordinances override the state cap where they exist.
- The cap: 5% plus the regional CPI per 12 months, with an absolute maximum of 10% — whichever is lower.
- Just cause: after 12 months of tenancy, covered tenants can only be evicted for enumerated reasons — nonpayment or lease violations (“at fault”), or owner move-in and substantial remodel (“no fault,” which triggers relocation assistance).
Notice rules worth memorizing
- Rent increases: 30 days' written notice for increases of 10% or less (measured against the lowest rent in the past 12 months); 90 days' notice for anything above 10% — and the 12-month lookback means two smaller increases can add up to cross the threshold.
- Entry: landlords need reasonable written notice — 24 hours is presumed reasonable — and entry must be during normal business hours except in emergencies.
Quick reference: what landlords cannot do
- Collect more deposit than the cap, or keep it without an itemized statement within 21 days of move-out
- Raise rent above the AB 1482 cap on covered units, or more than twice in 12 months, or without proper written notice
- Charge screening fees above the current cap or beyond actual costs
- Enter without proper notice, retaliate against tenants for exercising legal rights, or lock out / shut off utilities to force a move-out — ever
Rules have real nuance (exemptions, local ordinances, notice requirements) — for a dispute, document everything in writing and consider local tenant resources or an attorney.