In the last week of September 2026, Governor Newsom signed three rental-housing bills that take effect on January 1 and April 1, 2027. None of them imposes an obligation today — which is precisely why now is the time to prepare. For Chinese landlords, who tend to favor long leases and list their units online, all three land uncomfortably close to home.
During a declared state of emergency, Penal Code § 396 caps residential rent increases at 10%. Until now, leases with terms longer than one year were exempt — and many landlords who prefer signing two- or three-year leases assumed emergency caps simply did not apply to them.
SB 1365 (Chapter 1028, Statutes of 2026), signed September 30, 2026, removes that exemption. Starting January 1, 2027, the 10% emergency cap applies to residential leases of any length. If your strategy was "sign a long lease and stop thinking about emergency declarations," that shelter ends in about ten weeks. Before any rent increase in 2027, check whether an emergency declaration is currently in effect — Los Angeles County has been extending its wildfire-related protections on a rolling basis, and the status changes.
New Civil Code § 1942.7.5 (SB 1296, Chapter 1025, Statutes of 2026, signed September 30, 2026) requires every landlord to adopt a written pet policy and disclose it before collecting any application fee — posted on listing websites, in landlord-controlled digital advertising, and shared with rental listing search engines. A copy must be attached to each rental application, with a signature line for the applicant's acknowledgment.
Note the part that surprises most landlords: you must put the policy in writing even if you allow no pets, or have no restrictions at all. "No pets" is a policy. "No restrictions" is a policy. Silence is not. If you list units on Zillow, Apartments.com, or any Chinese-language rental platform and collect application fees, your listing workflow needs a pet-policy step by April 1, 2027.
New Civil Code § 1940.11 (signed September 27, 2026) requires rental advertisements to disclose AI-generated or digitally altered listing photos — altered furniture, finishes, views, or street scenes. This is a disclosure obligation, not a ban: routine edits like brightness, white balance, and cropping are excluded. But if your listing photos were "enhanced" with AI staging or a nicer view than the unit actually has, the ad must say so starting January 1.
For landlords who have their listings professionally photographed and polished, the fix is simple: add the disclosure. The risk is for those who do not realize the rule exists.
While you update your 2027 playbook, fix the 2026 numbers too. The three rent-cap systems in the Los Angeles area are different, and mixing them up is the most common mistake I see:
"State law allows 8.7%" does not mean your LA City RSO unit can go up 8.7%. Apply the system that actually covers your property.
One more deadline that just passed: LA County's annual rent registry inspection was due September 30 ($90 for fully covered units, $30 for partially covered) — verify the current deadline and fees against the latest LA County DCBA notice, as these can change. Unpaid registration fees bar you from increasing rent. If you missed it, pay now — every month of delay is a month you cannot lawfully raise rent.