Effective January 1, 2026, California’s Assembly Bill 628 requires all landlords to provide both a working refrigerator and a cooking stove or range as part of the rental unit for any tenancy that is:

1. Newly created on or after January 1, 2026, or

2. Renewed or extended on or after January 1, 2026.

This requirement applies statewide to residential rentals. It does not retroactively apply to fixed-term leases that are neither renewed nor extended on or after January 1, 2026.

Included appliances: A refrigerator and a cooking stove or range. Microwaves or hot plates do not satisfy the stove/range requirement.

Habitability and maintenance: Once provided , these appliances become part of the rental and must be maintained in good working order, with repairs handled like other landlord-provided fixtures, unless damage is caused by tenant misuse.

Per the California legislature, landlords are expected to absorb all costs.

Failure to comply with this law will result in a landlord losing its eviction action.

Pacific-Realtors.net always uses independent escrow companies which protect all parties to a real estate transaction . Captive escrow companies or escrow divisions of brokerage companies are not supervised by the California Department of Oversight. See: Reasons to Use an Independent Escrow Company.

Our website includes a summary of the communities in Southern California where we represent sellers, buyers, landlords, and tenants. If you are new to the area, these summaries are intended to assist you in becoming familiar with the area. If you would like to check out an area, all you have to do is type in the area name into the search bar on the home page of our site.

If you are a licensed insurance agent and would like to earn referral fees or commissions, please contact our affiliate, OTC Insurance Services to learn about available opportunities.

If you are a licensed real estate agent and would like to learn how to manage and lease rental homes, we can provide the required training. Of course, if you already have experience in leasing and managing rental homes, we would like to hear from you. Pacific-Realtors.net, is expanding its property management and leasing division and needs agents who want to focus on this important segment of the business. Management and leasing provides a secondary, reliable source of monthly income and rental properties are eventually sold by the owners which leads to listings. You can be located anywhere in California. Call our founder, Michael Chulak, for a confidential interview. See: Reason to Join Pacific-Realtors.net and Real Estate Agent Training.

We are not aware of any lenders that accept completed lender’s questionnaires or even copies of documents from board members. Their concerns are the inability to sell loans in the secondary market and possible fraud . Lenders know that HOA management companies are reliable sources of authentic documents and an accurate source of unbiased truthful information. See: Lender’s Questionnaire – Purpose.

W-9 forms are required to be submitted to the management company by all vendors and contractors before payments can be made. This applies to all invoices submitted regardless of the amount and regardless of whether the party is incorporated or not. This policy is intended to protect our management clients.

Mortgage interest rates have declined this last month and are continuing to fall. This is a good time to contact a mortgage broker about refinancing. See: Reasons to Use a Mortgage Broker.

Under prior law, unlicensed individuals could perform construction work if the total cost of labor, materials, and other project expenses did not exceed $500. Under AB 2622, the threshold was raised to $1,000, effectively allowing unlicensed persons to handle more small jobs without violating the California’s Contractors State License Law.

The new exemption applies only if no building permit is required. If the scope of work triggers a building permit (electrical rewiring, plumbing changes, or structural modifications) an unlicensed person cannot legally accept the job. In such cases, a licensed contractor is mandatory.

Also, unlicensed persons under the exemption cannot employ any other person to perform or assist with the work. When another person is brought on board whether paid or unpaid, the exemption no longer applies, and a contractor’s license is required.