The short answer
Most California rental disclosures come from a handful of statutes: lead-based paint (federal), the Megan’s Law notice, flood hazard, bed bugs, pest control, and the AB 1482 notices. This page lists each one with when it is required, the legal cite, and the official place to read or download it. We do not host copies of any form, because official versions change.
How to use this page
Always download the current version from the official source linked in each section. A disclosure that applies only to certain properties (for example, buildings built before 1978) is labeled that way. Local cities and counties may require additional notices — check your local rules. Links were checked on Nov 3, 2026; if a link stops working, please let us know.
Do I have to give tenants lead-based paint information?
- When it’s required
- For most rentals of housing built before 1978, before the tenant is obligated under the lease: give the EPA/HUD pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home,” disclose any known lead-based paint or hazards and available reports, and include the lead warning statement with signatures. Keep signed records for three years. Limited exceptions apply (for example, zero-bedroom units such as studios, and certain housing for seniors or people with disabilities).
- Legal cite
- 42 U.S.C. § 4852d (Title X, § 1018); 40 C.F.R. part 745, subpart F; 24 C.F.R. part 35, subpart A
- Official sources
Is there an official California landlord-tenant guide I can share?
- When it’s required
- Not a form. The Department of Real Estate publishes “California Tenants — A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities” (RE 26, 2026 edition) as a plain-language reference for both sides. Many landlords give a copy to tenants as good practice.
- Legal cite
- State publication (DRE RE 26, rev. Jan. 1, 2026). confirm that no statute requires delivering the guide to tenants
- Official sources
Do I have to disclose earthquake or soft-story risks to renters?
- When it’s required
- We have not found a statewide earthquake-hazard disclosure for rentals. The state’s earthquake hazards guide and disclosure requirement (Gov. Code § 8897.1) applies to sales of certain homes, not leases. Some cities require retrofits or notices for “soft-story” buildings; those are local. check for local soft-story or retrofit ordinances where the property is located
- Legal cite
- Gov. Code § 8897.1 (sales only); local ordinances
- Official sources
Does my lease need the Megan’s Law notice?
- When it’s required
- Yes for every lease or rental agreement of single-family residential property and of multiunit residential property with more than four units entered into on or after July 1, 1999. The notice must be in at least 8-point type. Smaller multiunit properties are not covered by this statute.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 2079.10a
- Required text
“Notice: Pursuant to Section 290.46 of the Penal Code, information about specified registered sex offenders is made available to the public via an Internet Web site maintained by the Department of Justice at www.meganslaw.ca.gov. Depending on an offender’s criminal history, this information will include either the address at which the offender resides or the community of residence and ZIP Code in which the offender resides.”
- Official sources
Do I need to give tenants a bed bug notice?
- When it’s required
- Yes — before creating a new tenancy, give the prospective tenant a written notice, in at least 10-point type, with the statutory information about bed bug identification, behavior, biology, the importance of cooperation and prompt written reporting, and the procedure for reporting suspected infestations to you.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1954.603 (bed bug infestations, Civ. Code §§ 1954.600–1954.605)
- Official sources
Do I have to disclose mold?
- When it’s required
- The Health & Safety Code requires written disclosure to prospective and current tenants when a landlord knows or has reasonable cause to believe that mold exceeding the permissible exposure limits, or posing a health threat under CDPH guidelines, affects the unit or building. A landlord is not required to test. However, the statute does not take effect until after the state adopts the standards and guidelines it refers to. we could not confirm that the California Department of Public Health has adopted those standards, so we cannot say whether this duty is currently operative
- Legal cite
- Health & Safety Code § 26147 (Toxic Mold Protection Act). CDPH mold page link could not be machine-verified (site timed out)
- Official sources
What flood-hazard disclosure goes in a residential lease?
- When it’s required
- Every residential lease or rental agreement entered into on or after July 1, 2018 must disclose, in at least 8-point type: (1) if the owner has actual knowledge that the property is in a special flood hazard area or area of potential flooding (for example, written notice from a public agency, a mortgage holder requiring flood insurance, or the owner carrying flood insurance); (2) that the tenant may get hazard information from Cal OES’s MyHazards website (include the address); (3) that the owner’s insurance does not cover the tenant’s belongings and renter’s and flood insurance are recommended; and (4) that the owner need not provide further flood information.
- Legal cite
- Gov. Code § 8589.45
- Official sources
What AB 1482 notices must go in the lease?
- When it’s required
- Covered properties: the lease, an addendum or a signed notice must state in at least 12-point type that rent increases are limited and that just cause is required after the occupancy period. Exempt single-family homes and condos: the exemption statement must appear in the rental agreement for tenancies commenced or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, or the exemption can be lost. Termination notices must state the just cause, and no-fault notices must include the relocation-assistance or rent-waiver statement.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code §§ 1946.2(e)(8), 1946.2(f), 1946.2(d) and 1947.12(d)(5)
- Required text
“California law limits the amount your rent can be increased. See Section 1947.12 of the Civil Code for more information. California law also provides that after all of the tenants have continuously and lawfully occupied the property for 12 months or more or at least one of the tenants has continuously and lawfully occupied the property for 24 months or more, a landlord must provide a statement of cause in any notice to terminate a tenancy. See Section 1946.2 of the Civil Code for more information.”
- Official sources
Do I have to tell tenants about a demolition permit application?
- When it’s required
- Yes. An owner who applies to a public agency for a permit to demolish a residential unit must give written notice to a prospective tenant before entering into a rental agreement or taking any application or other fee, and to a current tenant before applying. The notice states the earliest approximate demolition date and the approximate date the tenancy will end. Remedies include actual damages and a civil penalty of up to $2,500.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1940.6
- Official sources
Do I have to disclose a death on the property?
- When it’s required
- No disclosure is required for a death that occurred more than three years before a prospective tenant offers to rent, or for a prior occupant’s HIV status. The law does not protect an intentional misrepresentation in answer to a direct question, and it does not excuse disclosing the physical condition of the premises. Consult an attorney about deaths within three years.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1710.2
- Official sources
Do I have to disclose former military ordnance locations?
- When it’s required
- A landlord with actual knowledge of a former federal or state ordnance location within one mile of the rental must give written notice to a prospective tenant before the rental agreement is signed.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1940.7
- Official sources
What do I need to put in the lease about smoking?
- When it’s required
- Landlords may prohibit smoking on any part of the property. For leases entered into on or after January 1, 2012 on property where smoking is prohibited, the lease must specify where smoking is prohibited (for tenants who have not previously occupied the unit). For existing tenants, adding a prohibition changes the terms of the tenancy and requires written notice as for a change in terms. Local ordinances may be stricter.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1947.5
- Official sources
Do I have to give tenants a pest-control notice?
- When it’s required
- If a contract for periodic pest-control service has been executed, give each new tenant a copy of the notice provided by the registered structural pest-control company. Pest-control operators have their own notice rules.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1940.8; Bus. & Prof. Code § 8538
- Official sources
Do I have to offer rent reporting to credit bureaus?
- When it’s required
- Landlords covered by AB 2747 must offer each tenant on the lease the option of having positive rental payment information reported to a consumer reporting agency — at lease signing and at least once a year — with a written election form that includes the items listed in the statute. A fee may not exceed the lesser of actual cost or $10 a month. Landlords of buildings with 15 or fewer units are generally exempt, unless the landlord owns more than one rental building and is a REIT, a corporation or an LLC with a corporate member. Assisted housing developments are exempt.
- Legal cite
- Civ. Code § 1954.07
- Official sources
Not legal advice
This checklist is a starting point and may not include every requirement for your property or locality. Read the disclaimer.