Several bills Governor Newsom signed in September 2026 change everyday tasks for small California landlords: how you write a listing, what you hand an applicant, which photos you can post and how much you can raise rent after a disaster. A 2025 bill also changes the form used to start an eviction case.
This guide covers the California changes that start on or around January 1, 2027, organized by what you need to update: listings, applications and pet rules, rent increases, and notices and eviction filings. It ends with a short checklist. For other state rules, browse our compliance and legal guides, and for a quick look at other states, see our roundup of new landlord laws taking effect in 2027.
Note: This article is general education, not legal advice. It reflects bills signed as of November 2026, final bill text can differ from earlier versions, and many California cities and counties add their own rules, so consult a local attorney before you change a lease, policy or notice.
Which California landlord laws change in 2027?
Three bills signed in 2026 and one signed in 2025 change what California landlords do starting in 2027. The Governor's office lists SB 1296 (pet policy disclosure) and SB 1365 (price gouging) as signed on September 30, 2026, and AB 2025 (digitally altered images in rental ads) as signed on September 27, 2026. AB 863 from 2025 requires a new statewide eviction summons form by January 1, 2027.
Under California law, according to the Secretary of State, a bill passed in a regular session takes effect on January 1 of the following year unless the bill sets a later date. That makes January 1, 2027 the default start date for the 2026 bills below. One of them, SB 1296, is reported to have a later start date in 2027, so check the chaptered text before you rely on any date other than January 1.
| Bill | What it changes | Who it affects | Start date (as of November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 1296 (Durazo), signed September 30, 2026 | Written pet policy shared in listings and with every application; application fee refund if you skip it | Landlords who advertise or take applications | 2027; January 1 unless the chaptered text sets a later date |
| SB 1365 (Allen), signed September 30, 2026 | Emergency 10 percent rent increase limit under Penal Code 396 extends to leases of any length | Every landlord in an area under a declared emergency | January 1, 2027 (standard start date) |
| AB 2025 (Pellerin), signed September 27, 2026 | Disclosure for edited or AI-altered photos in rental ads | Anyone who markets a rental with altered images | January 1, 2027 (standard start date) |
| AB 863 (Kalra), Chapter 344, Statutes of 2025 | Judicial Council must create a single mandatory eviction summons form in six languages | Landlords who file an unlawful detainer | Form due by January 1, 2027 |
Listings: disclose your pet policy and any altered photos
Starting in 2027, a California listing needs two things it may not have today: a way for renters to see your pet policy, and a clear label on any photo that has been edited to change what the unit looks like.
Pet policy in listings (SB 1296)
As described in the Senate Judiciary Committee's analysis of SB 1296, a landlord who allows pets must have a written pet policy or pet addendum and make it reachable from the property's website or any digital ad the landlord controls, through a link or similar electronic means, and in any rental search listing information the landlord supplies. A landlord who does not allow pets must say so, and that statement must make clear it does not apply to service animals or support animals.
The bill does not require you to allow pets, build a website or advertise online. It also says a landlord is not responsible when a third-party site scrapes or republishes a listing without permission. Our guide to writing a rental pet policy covers the business decisions behind the rules you disclose.
Edited or AI-altered listing photos (AB 2025)
AB 2025 brings the rule California adopted for home sales in 2025 to rental ads. According to the California Department of Real Estate, the 2025 sales law (AB 723, Chapter 497) requires a real estate licensee who uses a digitally altered image in an ad to say the image was altered and to point viewers to the original through a link or QR code. The Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee's analysis describes AB 2025 as applying nearly identical rules to people who use altered images to advertise rentals, with a violation by a licensee also counting as a violation of the Real Estate Law.
In that analysis, an altered image means one changed with photo editing software or artificial intelligence to add, remove or change elements. Routine adjustments such as lighting, color correction, cropping, straightening or exposure are not covered as long as they do not change how the property is represented.
A brightened kitchen photo is fine. Virtual furniture, a removed power line or a swapped-in view needs a visible note and a link to the original. For more on honest listing photos, see our property photography guide.
Applications and screening: give the pet policy before you charge a fee
SB 1296 ties the pet policy to your rental application. You hand over the policy with the application, the application asks the applicant to acknowledge receiving it, and if you charge an application fee without disclosing the policy, the applicant can ask for that fee back.
As described in the Senate Judiciary Committee's analysis, the requirements work like this:
- Provide a written copy or summary of the pet policy or pet addendum with every rental application, including electronic applications.
- Include a space on the application for the applicant to acknowledge receiving the pet policy.
- If you collect an application fee and did not disclose the policy, refund the fee after the applicant asks in writing. The version the committee analyzed set a short refund deadline counted in business days, and the refund was the only remedy, with no separate right to sue under these provisions.
- Small mistakes that you correct once you are told about them are not violations, and giving the applicant the material terms of the policy counts as substantial compliance.
Keep a record of what each applicant received and when. Our guide to rental application forms covers what else belongs on the form.
Pets: what your written pet policy should say
A compliant pet policy states your rules in writing, including any fees in dollars. The Senate Judiciary Committee's analysis lists the items a policy must cover to the extent they apply:
- Breed or weight restrictions
- Required fees with their dollar amounts, including upfront pet fees, refundable pet deposits and monthly pet rent
- Limits on the number of pets
- Vaccination requirements
- Liability insurance requirements
- Any other material rule or restriction on keeping a pet at the property
The analysis says you can change the policy going forward. The version the committee reviewed also addressed how upfront pet fees may be described, so check the final text before you label any pet charge nonrefundable.
Service animals and support animals are not pets under the bill, and nothing in it changes your duties to people with disabilities under state and federal law. Our guide to service and support animal rules explains those separate obligations.
Rent increases: the emergency cap now covers longer leases
The statewide annual rent cap did not change in 2026, but SB 1365 widens the separate 10 percent limit that applies after a declared emergency. Starting January 1, 2027, that emergency limit covers rental housing regardless of how long the lease is.
What changes under SB 1365
According to the Senate Judiciary and Senate Public Safety Committee analyses, Penal Code section 396 makes it unlawful to raise the price advertised, offered or charged for housing by more than 10 percent after a state or local emergency is proclaimed, for 30 days unless the period is extended. Before SB 1365, housing meant rental housing with an initial lease term of no longer than one year. SB 1365 removes that one-year limit, so a two-year lease, or a unit listed with a longer term, is covered too.
The analyses also describe a tighter exception for repair costs: as amended in spring 2026, repair or improvement costs justify a larger increase only if they were incurred within the year before the emergency and meet added conditions. Under existing law, as the Public Safety analysis describes it, a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
A worked example
Here is an illustrative example. Your unit rents for $3,000 a month on a lease that ends in March 2027. A wildfire emergency is declared in your county in February 2027. During the emergency period, you cannot list or renew that unit at more than $3,300 a month (10 percent over $3,000), even if you offer an 18-month lease, unless one of the exceptions in Penal Code 396 applies.
The statewide cap for the current year
The everyday limit under the Tenant Protection Act is unchanged: 5 percent plus the change in the cost of living, up to 10 percent, for most covered units. According to the California Attorney General, maximum increases for the period August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027 are:
| Area | Maximum increase |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles and Orange Counties | 8.7 percent |
| Riverside and San Bernardino Counties | 8.1 percent |
| San Diego County | 8.2 percent |
| Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties | 8.8 percent |
| All other counties | 8.6 percent |
Local rent control can be stricter. For more on working within these limits, see our guide to raising rents in a rent-controlled market.
Notices and evictions: a new summons form and tighter service rules
If you ever file an eviction in California, expect a new mandatory summons form and stricter rules on how papers are served. AB 863 sets the form deadline for January 1, 2027, and the service changes from AB 747 are already in effect.
The new unlawful detainer summons (AB 863)
According to the Judicial Council's summary of 2025 legislation, AB 863 (Chapter 344) requires the Judicial Council to create, by January 1, 2027, a single summons form for mandatory use in residential unlawful detainer cases, with key information in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean, and to post it on its website. Ask your attorney or check the court's forms page before filing in 2027 so an outdated summons does not delay your case.
Service of process changes already in effect (AB 747)
The Judicial Council lists AB 747, the SPARE Act (Chapter 563), as effective January 1, 2026. It defines reasonable diligence as good-faith attempts at personal delivery on at least three occasions on three different days at three different times, with at least one attempt at the person's home when it can be found. Proof of service must include at least one photo with a readable time stamp and GPS coordinates when that can be done safely. An unlawful detainer complaint must also state the date, time and location the termination notice was served.
Log exactly when and where every notice was delivered. Our eviction process roadmap walks through the full sequence.
What we left out, and why
Some 2027 changes reported online are either not landlord duties or could not be confirmed against official sources as of November 2026. A bill to lower the statewide rent cap and bills to limit pet rent or no-pet policies did not appear in the Governor's September 2026 signing announcements we reviewed. SB 1160, signed in 2026, deals with court reporting of eviction data rather than landlord duties. If you see a claim about a 2027 California pet rent cap or a lower statewide rent cap, check the bill's status on the Legislature's site before acting on it.
California 2027 landlord checklist
Work through these steps in November and December 2026 so your listings and paperwork are ready on January 1.
- Write or update a pet policy that covers breed and weight limits, every pet fee in dollars, the number of pets, vaccinations and insurance. If you do not allow pets, write a no-pet statement that excludes service and support animals.
- Add a link to the pet policy on your property website and in every digital ad and rental search listing you control.
- Attach the pet policy or a summary to every rental application, paper or online, and add an acknowledgment line for the applicant.
- Decide how you will handle a written request for an application fee refund, and keep a record of when each applicant received the policy.
- Review listing photos. Label any image where furniture, finishes, views or features were added, removed or changed, and keep the original available through a link or QR code.
- Flag every unit with a lease longer than one year. If an emergency is declared where you own property, those units now fall under the 10 percent limit too.
- Check this year's Tenant Protection Act maximum for your county before sending any increase, and check local rent rules.
- Before filing any eviction in 2027, confirm you are using the Judicial Council's new summons form and that your process server follows the AB 747 rules.
Frequently asked questions
What California landlord laws change in 2027?
The main changes are SB 1296 (written pet policy disclosure in listings and applications), SB 1365 (the emergency 10 percent rent limit now covers leases of any length), AB 2025 (disclosure of edited or AI-altered photos in rental ads) and AB 863 (a new mandatory eviction summons form due by January 1, 2027).
Do California landlords have to allow pets in 2027?
No. SB 1296 requires landlords to disclose a written pet policy, or a no-pet statement, in listings and with applications, but it does not require anyone to allow pets. Service and support animals are not pets under the bill and remain covered by separate disability laws.
Does California's 10 percent price gouging cap apply to leases longer than one year?
Starting January 1, 2027, yes. SB 1365 removes the old limit that applied Penal Code 396 only to rental housing with an initial lease term of one year or less, so the emergency cap covers rental housing regardless of lease length.
Did California lower the statewide rent cap for 2027?
We found no 2026 bill lowering the statewide cap among the bills the Governor announced as signed. The Tenant Protection Act cap stays at 5 percent plus the cost of living change, up to 10 percent, and the Attorney General lists maximums of 8.1 to 8.8 percent for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027, depending on the county.
Do I have to disclose edited photos in a California rental listing?
Starting in 2027, yes, if the edit changes what the property looks like, such as adding virtual furniture or removing features. AB 2025 requires a disclosure near the image and access to the original, while routine edits like cropping, lighting and color correction are not covered.
What to do next
California's 2027 changes are mostly about proof. You need to show that each applicant received your pet policy before you charged a fee, that your listing photos are labeled, that a rent increase after an emergency stayed inside the limit and that every notice was served when and where you say it was. Landlords who keep that paper trail in email threads and folders find it hard to produce when a renter or court asks.
Shuk keeps the pieces in one place. The add property flow asks directly whether pets are allowed and which pets, and Rental Screening lets you set pass criteria, including whether to allow pets, and request documents from applicants. The Document Center stores your written pet policy and other files at the portfolio level and lets you share individual files with renters on a current lease. E-Lease and Document Signing sends a pet addendum for unlimited e-signatures and shows exactly when each document was signed and by whom, and Messaging keeps a written thread with each renter.
At as low as $2 per unit per month, with no setup fees and no contract, and with White Glove Onboarding included at no additional cost, Shuk makes organized, well-documented California compliance feasible for landlords and property managers up to 300 units.
Book a demo at shukrentals.com/book-a-demo to see how Rental Screening, the Document Center and E-Lease and Document Signing work together so your pet policy, applications and signed addenda are on record before January.
