Passed in 2019, Assembly Bill (AB) 1482, the Tenant Protection Act, imposed statewide rent control and limited evictions to specific categories of “just cause” for most residential rental units. It also requires landlords to offer relocation assistance, either in the form of a check to the tenant or a waiver of one month’s rent, in cases where the “just cause” for eviction involves no fault on the part of the tenant, such as the landlord or a specified family member of the landlord moving into the unit, removing the unit from the rental market, or ”substantially remodel[ing]” the unit.

Given that the most significant change to Landlord Tenant law in California in decades went into effect just months before Covid-19 upended business as usual, it is perhaps not surprising that landlords are being caught unaware by the provisions of this law. Failing to adhere to the law can result in eviction efforts being unsuccessful or in liability to tenants. An added complicating factor are the various emergency stopgap measures passed by the legislature during the pandemic to attempt to prevent mass evictions during the worst months of the public health crisis.

If you are a residential rental property owner in Humboldt County and would like to have leases drafted or reviewed, or if you need specific advice regarding how to navigate the new landscape of laws pertaining to residential landlords in California, Janssen Malloy LLP is here to help.