Just Cause Evictions

Under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482), once all tenants have lawfully lived in a covered unit for 12 months (or any one tenant for 24 months), the landlord must have a legally recognized "just cause" to end the tenancy, and that reason must be stated in writing in the termination notice.

Reasons for Eviction

The law distinguishes between at-fault and no-fault just causes. At-fault causes are based on something the tenant did or failed to do; no-fault causes are based on the landlord's own plans for the property.

At-Fault Just Causes

A tenancy may be ended for at-fault reasons, including:

• Failure to pay rent
• Breach of a material term of the lease
• Maintaining a nuisance or damaging the property (committing "waste")
• Criminal activity, or using the unit for an unlawful purpose
• Subletting or assigning in violation of the lease
• Refusing to sign a renewal on similar terms after the landlord's written request
• Refusing to allow the landlord lawful entry
• Failing to move out after the tenant's employment with the landlord ends, where the unit came with the job
• Failing to move out after giving the landlord written notice of intent to leave

For violations that can be corrected — a lease violation like an unauthorized pet, for example — the landlord must first provide written notice and an opportunity to cure before serving a final notice to quit. A tenant who corrects the problem within the notice period keeps the tenancy.

No-Fault Just Causes

A tenancy may be ended without tenant fault only for:

• The owner or the owner's spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents moving into the unit
• Withdrawal of the property from the rental market
• Intent to demolish or substantially remodel the unit
• Compliance with a government or court order requiring the unit to be vacated

For a no-fault eviction, the tenant is entitled to relocation assistance equal to one month's rent — paid directly or applied as a waiver of the final month's rent — and the termination notice must state which option the landlord has chosen.

Owner move-in evictions carry additional conditions:

• For tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2020, the lease must contain a provision allowing termination for owner or family move-in, or the tenant must agree to the termination in writing.
• The owner or relative must move in within 90 days after the tenant leaves and live in the unit as a primary residence for at least 12 consecutive months. If they do not, the unit must be offered back to the tenant at the same rent and terms, and the tenant's reasonable moving expenses must be reimbursed.
• Since April 1, 2024, the termination notice must name the person moving in, state their relationship to the owner, and tell the tenant they may request proof of that relationship. The eviction is not allowed if a comparable unit on the property is already vacant.

Substantial remodel evictions also have specific requirements. The work must replace or substantially modify a structural, electrical, plumbing, or other system in a way that requires a permit, or abate hazardous materials such as lead or asbestos. It must be unsafe to perform with the tenant in place and must require the unit to be vacant for at least 30 consecutive days. Cosmetic upgrades such as painting, flooring, or new appliances do not qualify. Since April 1, 2024, the notice must describe the work, include copies of the required permits, and state that the tenant has the right to re-rent the unit at the same rent and terms if the remodel does not begin or is not completed.

See Notices for the notice types used in evictions and Exemptions for properties the just cause rules do not cover.