California Landlord Repair Duties & Habitability Rights (2026)

What a landlord must fix, and your options when they do not

At a glance

• Core duty: 房东须使建筑物处于适合居住的状态，并修理其后使其不可居住（untenantable）的全部破败损坏。
• Notice before acting: 法条未规定固定的「提前 30 天通知」要求，而是「合理时间」标准；但有 30 日的可反驳推定。
• Governing authority: Cal. Civ. Code § 1941

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the landlord's duty to maintain a habitable home in California, and what you can do when repairs go unmade.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conditions you caused yourself (which are treated differently).

The landlord's duty

房东须使建筑物处于适合居住的状态，并修理其后使其不可居住（untenantable）的全部破败损坏。

⚠️ 法条形态提醒：Cal. Civ. Code §1941 是 1873 年的单一未编号段落，并无 (a)-(f) 六项技术性清单。把「防水渗漏、供暖制冷、热水、电气、管道、窗户门锁、结构安全」六项清单归属 §1941(a) 是常见错误 —— 加州的具体技术性清单主要在 Housing Code（Health & Safety Code）与 Building Code 中。

Cal. Civ. Code § 1941 ↗

Notice and time to cure

法条未规定固定的「提前 30 天通知」要求，而是「合理时间」标准；但有 30 日的可反驳推定。

§1942(a) 要求房东在收到书面或口头通知后的「合理时间」内修理。若租客在通知后第 30 日之后才采取 repair-and-deduct，则推定其已超过合理时间（可反驳）。表述上必须区分：30 日是「推定制约人已行动及时」的推定，不是「租客必须提前 30 天通知才能行动」的硬性授权条件。

Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(a), (b) ↗

Your remedies when repairs go unmade

Landlord entry rules

房东进入须有法定事由，并给予书面合理通知；24 小时推定为合理通知，邮寄须至少提前 6 日。

六种可进入事由：紧急情况；必要或约定的修理/装饰/改造/改善、提供服务、展示房屋或依 §1950.5(f) 检查；租客已弃置；依法院命令；Chapter 2.5 所述目的；遵守 Health & Safety Code Article 2.2。除紧急或租客已弃置外，非正常营业时间不得进入。房东不得滥用进入权或以其骚扰租客。

Cal. Civ. Code § 1954(a)-(e) ↗

When the duty does not apply

§1942(c)：若该状况系违反 §1929 或 §1941.2 所致，则 repair-and-deduct 救济不可用。

Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(c) ↗

Burden of proof

加州法未在本组条款中规定适居性争议的举证责任分配。本数据集不就举证责任作结论。

注意不要把 §1942(b) 的 30 日推定当作burden of proof 的一般规则 —— 它明确限定为「a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of producing evidence」，仅涉及是否在合理时间内行动。

Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(b) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Cal. Civ. Code § 1941	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(a), (b)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(a)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Cal. Civ. Code § 1954(a)-(e)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(c)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(b)	2026-10-09	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More California guides

California Security Deposit Return · California Security Deposit Rules · California Eviction Process · California Rent Increase Rules · California Landlord Retaliation

→ All California tenant rights topics

Common questions