New 2024 housing laws impacting California tenants and landlords

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Moving into a new apartment in California may now be more affordable for many renters.

Assembly Bill 12 limits the amount landlords can charge for a security deposit to just one month's rent instead of two.

Action News spoke with tenants at one Visalia apartment complex a few weeks ago who shared their frustration from paying thousands up front for a deposit.

"They did charge us $7,000 down to move into the apartment. It's wild to me, it's insane that they can ask that much legally," said Taylor Smith, an apartment tenant.

Another tenant who does not want to be identified said scrambling to come up with the deposit money during the holidays left her stressed and depressed.

"It was kind of devastating because it left us hard to come up with next month's rent. I was getting ready to start a new job getting here. So, it was kind of rough, which left no food on the table for a while," they say.

Other new laws also aim to make housing more accessible in California.

Senate Bill 4 removes certain barriers to allow churches, religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their land.

Starting April 1, Senate Bill 567 will impact landlords who make tenants move out so they can move into a home.

It will require the property owners or their family members to move into the property within 90 days and live there for at least 12 months.

Critics of housing laws like these often argue they put an unfair burden on landlords and make it impossible to evict people for a variety of reasons.

Supporters say they help reduce homelessness and ensure renters are treated fairly.

A list of new laws can be found here.

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