Home/Landlord tools/Just cause check
Landlord ToolsCan I end a tenancy in California, and what will it cost?
After a resident has lived in a home for 12 months, California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) requires a just cause to end most tenancies, and a relocation payment when the reason isn’t the resident’s fault. Answer up to seven questions to see whether your reason qualifies, which notice applies and what you’ll owe.
Question 1 of up to 7
Where is the property?
Some cities and counties have their own eviction laws. Where one applies, it replaces the state rules, and it often adds steps and a larger relocation payment.
Civil Code § 1946.2(i)
This tool explains California state law in plain English. It isn't legal advice, and local ordinances can be stricter. Legal content version 2026.10, checked against California law as of October 2026.
How California’s just cause rules work
The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) added Civil Code section 1946.2, and SB 567 strengthened it from April 1, 2024. Once every resident has lived in a covered home for 12 months, the landlord needs one of the reasons below to end the tenancy, and the notice must say which one.
Keep readingShow less
| Reason | Type | Relocation owed |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid rent | At fault. 3-day notice to pay or quit. | No |
| Lease violation | At fault. A notice to fix it first if it can be fixed. | No |
| Nuisance, damage, criminal activity, illegal use | At fault | No |
| Refusing a renewal on similar terms | At fault | No |
| Owner or close family move-in | No-fault. Move in within 90 days, live there 12 months. | One month’s rent |
| Substantial remodel or demolition | No-fault. Permits and at least 30 days vacant. | One month’s rent |
| Taking the home off the market | No-fault | One month’s rent |
| Government or court order | No-fault | One month’s rent, unless the resident caused it |
Exempt from these rules: housing built in the last 15 years, single-family homes and condos not owned by a company (with the exemption notice in the lease), owner-occupied duplexes, homes where the landlord rents out no more than two rooms or ADUs, and deed-restricted affordable housing. Selling the home, raising the rent or wanting a new resident isn’t a just cause.
Source: California Civil Code section 1946.2 (AB 1482, as amended by SB 567), in effect until January 1, 2030. Local just cause laws can replace these rules.
Want us to handle this for you?
The rules, renewals and turnovers are part of every management package. Packages start at $99.00/mo.