Renting in California is not cheap. The average rent for a one-bedroom in the Golden State — $2,100 — is 40% higher than the national average. But renters will soon be getting a little more for their money: a working refrigerator and stove.
On Jan. 1, California will begin requiring landlords to provide their tenants with a fridge and stove — and repair or replace them if they stop working.
While this new law may surprise some tenants who have always lived in apartments that already came with these appliances, it’s more common in Southern California cities for landlords to rent out homes with no stove or refrigerator, placing this responsibility on the tenant.
AB 628 — authored by state Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood — adds these appliances to the state’s definition of a livable home, helping secure access to these appliances for the state’s millions of tenants.
“Having a working, safe fridge and stove will be a minimum requirement for keeping the unit in a habitable state,” said Ethan Silverstein, staff attorney for the housing rights nonprofit, The California Center for Movement Legal Services.
Whether you are a renter or landlord, keep reading to learn how AB 628 applies in different situations and what legal experts recommend to make sure your home is up-to-date with the state’s habitability standards.
What does the law actually say?
All new leases signed on or after Jan. 1 will need to include a working fridge and stove.
When an existing lease is renewed or extended at any moment starting on Jan. 1, those homes will also need to have these appliances.
“The way this law is written, it will eventually apply to all new and current renters in California,” Silverstein said.
This law also applies to homes where tenants are renting without a formal written agreement (e.g., renting “informally” with a month-to-month lease).
What tenants should know
If you’re thinking about moving and hoping to land a new spot sometime in 2026, any potential landlord must be ready to provide a stove and refrigerator, along with any maintenance these devices need in the future — at no cost to you. And if you plan to stay in your current rental home, this law will impact you, depending on who provided the appliances.
If you bought your own refrigerator when you moved in, you can talk with your landlord before it’s time to renew your lease and decide together if it makes more sense to keep it or replace it with one provided by your landlord.
“The parties can agree for the tenant to bring their own refrigerator,” said Whitney Prout, executive vice president of legal affairs for the California Apartment Association, which advises landlords and developers. “But you can’t require the tenant to bring their own refrigerator. … It has to be the tenant’s voluntary choice and the landlord has to agree.”
If both you and your landlord decide to keep the fridge you provided, the law requires that the lease acknowledge this arrangement by adding the following disclosure:
“Under state law, the landlord is required to provide a refrigerator in good working order in your unit. By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have asked to bring your own refrigerator and that you are responsible for keeping that refrigerator in working order.”
But under no circumstances can the landlord ask a tenant to buy their home’s stove. “The landlord needs to provide the stove,” Prout said. “You can’t have an agreement for the tenant to provide their own stove.”
What landlords need to know
Landlords should start preparing now to comply with AB 628, Prout said. “Look at when your lease renewals are coming up, because that does give you some flexibility in terms of phasing in compliance with this law — especially if you have a lot of appliances you need to acquire,” she said.
What kind of stove or fridge are landlords required to provide? The actual text of the law is pretty broad and only specifies that these appliances need to be in “good working order.” A stove must be “capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes,” while a refrigerator should be “capable of safely storing food.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a refrigerator that can keep temperatures at 40°F or below can protect most food products.
On Jan. 1, California will begin requiring landlords to provide their tenants with a fridge and stove — and repair or replace them if they stop working. (Alicia Windzio/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)As for what appliance brand or model, that’s the landlord’s decision. But Prout added that it could be a good idea to share with tenants some information on the appliances you’ll provide them with, especially if you’re planning to replace what’s in their home.
“The tenant may have feelings about aesthetics,” she said. “They may have invested in a stainless steel refrigerator that they’re really happy with, that has certain functionalities.”
And if you will replace existing appliances, make a plan to safely remove them. “Communicate with residents what the appropriate processes are for removal and disposal of tenant-provided appliances,” Prout said, adding that “Illegal dumping is a huge problem around rental property.”
What if these appliances break down?
If the tenant provided the fridge— and both the tenant and landlord agreed to this arrangement — then it’s actually the tenant’s responsibility to make repairs.
But if the landlord provided both the refrigerator and stove, then it’s up to the landlord to make sure they keep functioning. “You provide the appliances; if they break down, you fix them or replace them — as long as you’re doing that, you’re in compliance with the law,” Prout said.
The law explicitly states that property owners have 30 days to either replace or repair these appliances if there is a recall from the manufacturer.
Landlords: Keep in mind that while it’s legal to provide your tenants with second-hand appliances, it may be more difficult to keep up with recall announcements, as the manufacturer may not have a record that you bought their product.
But if these devices simply break down with time or use, “It’s like any other repair issue where the landlord needs to act in a reasonable amount of time to get it replaced,” Silverstein said.
Silverstein recommends that tenants notify their landlords about any repair needs through written communication, like a text message or email.
“The worst thing you can do is make the request verbally through the phone,” he said, adding that keeping this “paper” trail could be helpful if your landlord fails to make necessary repairs. You can also ask your landlord for a clear date for when repairs will be made and what you can do in the interim to safely store or cook your food.
If a landlord is not complying with AB 628, tenants can contact their city’s rent board or building code enforcement agency. After a tenant files a complaint, code enforcement staff will contact the landlord to enforce the state’s habitability standards.
Below is the contact information for the code enforcement departments of several California cities. You can also quickly look up the contact information for your city’s agency with an online search.
