Just Cause Eviction Rules in California (AB 1482)
When a California landlord needs a legal reason to end a tenancy, which reasons count, and when the tenant gets relocation money.
Under the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, Civil Code 1946.2), once a tenant has lived in a unit for 12 months, the landlord can end the tenancy only for a just cause stated in the notice. At-fault causes include nonpayment and lease violations. No-fault causes, such as owner move-in or substantial remodel, require relocation assistance of 1 month's rent. Some properties are exempt, and many cities have stricter rules.
When protection starts
Just cause applies once the tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied the unit for 12 months. If another adult tenant was added to the lease before an existing tenant reached 24 months, protection applies only when all tenants have 12 months, or at least one has 24. Tenants can't waive these rights; a lease clause that tries is void.
At-fault just causes
- Not paying rent.
- Breaking a material term of the lease, including after a written notice to correct it.
- Nuisance or waste.
- Refusing to sign a renewal of similar length and terms after the lease ends.
- Criminal activity on the property, or criminal threats against the owner or agent.
- Subletting or assigning in violation of the lease.
- Refusing lawful entry by the owner.
- Using the unit for an unlawful purpose.
- An employee, agent or licensee not leaving after their job ends.
- Not moving out after the tenant gave notice or the owner accepted the tenant's offer to leave.
For a violation the tenant can fix, the landlord must first give a notice with a chance to cure it. Only if it isn't cured can a three-day notice to quit follow.
No-fault just causes
- Owner or family move-in: the owner, or the owner's spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents or grandparents, intends to live there for at least 12 months. For leases since July 1, 2020, the tenant must agree in writing or the lease must allow it. The notice must name the person and their relationship, the person must move in within 90 days and stay 12 months, and it doesn't apply if a similar unit on the property is already vacant.
- Withdrawing the property from the rental market (the Ellis Act).
- A government or court order to vacate, or a local ordinance that requires vacating.
- Demolition or substantial remodel: replacing or substantially changing structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems with a permit, or abating hazardous materials such as lead, mold or asbestos, where the tenant must be out for at least 30 days. Cosmetic work doesn't count. The notice must describe the work and include the permit.
If the owner's family member doesn't move in within 90 days or stay 12 months, or the remodel doesn't happen, the tenant must be offered the unit back at the same rent and terms, plus moving costs in the owner move-in case.
Relocation assistance for no-fault evictions
For any no-fault termination, regardless of the tenant's income, the owner must either:
- Pay 1 month's rent directly to the tenant within 15 calendar days of serving the notice, or
- Waive the final month's rent in writing before it's due.
The notice has to tell the tenant about this right. Getting it wrong voids the notice. Many cities require much more; see tenant relocation assistance or the relocation calculator.
Exempt properties
- Newer housing: a certificate of occupancy issued within the last 15 years.
- Single-family homes and condos sold separately, if the owner isn't a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member and the tenant received the statutory exemption notice.
- A duplex where the owner lived in one unit at the start of the tenancy and still does (unless either unit is an ADU or JADU).
- Owner-occupied homes renting out no more than two units or bedrooms, including an ADU or JADU, and rooms where the tenant shares a kitchen or bathroom with an owner who lives there.
- Hotels, dormitories, nonprofit hospitals, religious and care facilities, and deed-restricted affordable housing.
Local just cause ordinances
A city or county ordinance adopted or amended after September 1, 2019 applies instead of AB 1482 if it's more protective, for example with fewer allowed reasons or higher relocation payments. Ordinances adopted on or before September 1, 2019 also continue to apply. Cities with rent control, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley, Santa Monica, generally have their own just cause rules; see rent control by city.
How long the law lasts
Civil Code 1946.2 is set to expire on January 1, 2030, along with AB 1482's rent cap, unless the Legislature extends it.
Check your situation
The Just Cause Eviction Checker checks the tenancy length, property type and reason. For rent increases, see the AB 1482 rent cap guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does just cause protection start in California?
After a tenant has continuously and lawfully lived in the unit for 12 months. If a new adult tenant joined before an existing tenant reached 24 months, protection applies once all tenants have 12 months or any one has 24.
Can a landlord evict without cause in California?
Only in the first 12 months of a tenancy, or if the property is exempt from AB 1482. After that, the landlord needs one of the at-fault or no-fault reasons in Civil Code 1946.2, stated in the written notice.
How much relocation assistance is required for a no-fault eviction?
One month's rent, paid within 15 calendar days of the notice, or the landlord can instead waive the final month's rent in writing. Some cities require more.
Is a single-family home exempt from just cause?
It can be, if the owner is not a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant was given the exact exemption notice the statute requires (in the lease for tenancies since July 1, 2020). Without that notice, the home is covered.
Does just cause apply to new buildings?
No. Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the last 15 years is exempt (mobilehomes excepted). The exemption rolls forward each year.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Cities with their own just cause ordinances may give tenants more protection. Sources: Civil Code 1946.2 (Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482, as amended through AB 1529, 2025); Code of Civil Procedure 1161.