What does a California landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the California checklist has eleven items: name, address and phone number of the person authorized to manage the Premises and receive legal notices; statement of whether the Premises is subject to the Tenant Protection Act rent limits and just-cause eviction rules, or exempt; and bed bug information. The other eight are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which California statutes does this lease cite?

Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, Cal. Civ. Code 1946.1, Cal. Civ. Code 1954 and Cal. Civ. Code 1962, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this California lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the California statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with California landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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California Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in California. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow California statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the California Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

California rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than one month's rent, or two months' rent when the Landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties with four or fewer units in total
Deposit return: Within 21 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent, cleaning and damage beyond ordinary wear. A deposit paid electronically is returned electronically unless both parties agree otherwise in writing.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. The Landlord gives at least 30 days, or 60 days once the Tenant has lived in the Premises a year or more.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' written notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters during normal business hours, and needs no notice in an emergency.
Disclosures: 12 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other cities add their own notices and rent rules. Check the city before signing.
Statutes: Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, Cal. Civ. Code 1946.1, Cal. Civ. Code 1954, Cal. Civ. Code 1962. Read the California statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in California

Pick California and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the California statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. California caps it at one month's rent, or two months' rent when the Landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties with four or fewer units in total. The statute does not say where the money is kept, so the lease leaves that to the landlord, but its return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is not symmetrical in California; the two sides give different notice. The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. The Landlord gives at least 30 days, or 60 days once the Tenant has lived in the Premises a year or more.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and California puts a number on it. The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' written notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters during normal business hours, and needs no notice in an emergency.

The disclosures checklist carries eleven California items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them bed bug information, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

City rules are the other thing to watch. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other cities add their own notices and rent rules. Check the city before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of California law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the California clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for California, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 21 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent, cleaning and damage beyond ordinary wear. A deposit paid electronically is returned electronically unless both parties agree otherwise in writing. The deposit may not exceed one month's rent, or two months' rent when the Landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties with four or fewer units in total.

Entry

The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' written notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters during normal business hours, and needs no notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. The Landlord gives at least 30 days, or 60 days once the Tenant has lived in the Premises a year or more. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice California law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Name, address and phone number of the person authorized to manage the Premises and receive legal notices (Civ. Code 1962)
Statement of whether the Premises is subject to the Tenant Protection Act rent limits and just-cause eviction rules, or exempt (Civ. Code 1946.2)
Bed bug information (Civ. Code 1954.603)
Smoking policy for the Premises and any common areas (Civ. Code 1947.5)
Megan's Law registry statement (Civ. Code 2079.10a)
Flood hazard zone status, if the Premises is in one (Gov. Code 8589.45)
Known mold above exposure limits (H&S Code 26147)
Shared utility metering and how the bill is split, if any utility is shared (Civ. Code 1940.9)
Pest control notice when a pest control company services the Premises (Civ. Code 1940.8)
A death in the unit within the past three years, if asked or known (Civ. Code 1710.2)
All fees stated up front in the lease (SB 478)

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other cities add their own notices and rent rules. Check the city before signing.

Footer of the PDF: California clauses follow Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, Cal. Civ. Code 1946.1, Cal. Civ. Code 1954, Cal. Civ. Code 1962 as read on 2026-10-23.

California lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?: No more than one month's rent, or two months' rent when the Landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties with four or fewer units in total. The cap comes from Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in California?: Within 21 days after the Tenant moves out, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions for unpaid rent, cleaning and damage beyond ordinary wear. A deposit paid electronically is returned electronically unless both parties agree otherwise in writing.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in California?: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. The Landlord gives at least 30 days, or 60 days once the Tenant has lived in the Premises a year or more.
How much notice does a California landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' written notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters during normal business hours, and needs no notice in an emergency.
What does a California landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the California checklist has eleven items: name, address and phone number of the person authorized to manage the Premises and receive legal notices; statement of whether the Premises is subject to the Tenant Protection Act rent limits and just-cause eviction rules, or exempt; and bed bug information. The other eight are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Do any California cities or counties add rules of their own?: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other cities add their own notices and rent rules. Check the city before signing.
Which California statutes does this lease cite?: Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, Cal. Civ. Code 1946.1, Cal. Civ. Code 1954 and Cal. Civ. Code 1962, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this California lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the California statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with California landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A California lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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