{"id":460,"date":"2026-09-08T18:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T18:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/?p=460"},"modified":"2026-09-08T18:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T18:22:12","slug":"new-stove-and-refrigerator-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/new-stove-and-refrigerator-law\/","title":{"rendered":"New Stove and Refrigerator Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A long-term resident who moved in with her own refrigerator informed me that it recently quit working and asked for a replacement, citing a new state \u201crefrigerator law.\u201d&nbsp; Am I responsible for replacing it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As responsible housing providers, we have been ingrained with the understanding that only \u201chabitable\u201d dwellings are suitable for rental use in California.&nbsp; Over the years, the definition of \u201chabitable\u201d has expanded.&nbsp; Traditionally, the elements of habitability included the more obvious characteristics of safe and comfortable housing features such as: (1) effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls, including unbroken windows and doors; (2) functioning plumbing fixtures; (3) a safe water system, including hot water, with a proper sewage connection; (4) a functioning heating system that will heat all habitable rooms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit at all times;&nbsp; (5) safe and operable electrical systems that provide adequate lighting; (6) building common areas that are maintained in a clean and sanitary manner, with sufficient pest control to ensure that the apartment and building are free from rodent and vermin infestations; (7) proper and adequate waste, recycling , and composting removal; (8) floors, stairways, and railing maintained in good repair; (9) secure mail receptacles; and (10) security apparatus on doors and windows to provide safety to the occupants.&nbsp; If the apartment lacks any of these features, the resident may be excused from paying rent and you as the housing provider could potentially face civil and even criminal penalties.&nbsp; In addition to the above, other state and local housing codes mandate additional features (e.g., smoke detectors, carbon monoxide devices, mold free living) for the apartment to be habitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2026, the state expanded the list of habitability requirements set forth in Civil Code section 1941.1 to include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apartments (but not most SROs or residential hotel rooms) must have \u201ca stove that is maintained in good working order and capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes. A stove that is subject to a recall by the manufacturer or a public entity is not capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes. This [requirement] shall only apply to a lease entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apartments (but not most SROs or residential hotel rooms) must also have \u201ca refrigerator that is maintained in good working order and capable of safely storing food. A refrigerator that is subject to recall by the manufacturer or a public entity is not capable of safely storing food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, \u201c[a] tenant and landlord may mutually agree when the lease is signed if the tenant chooses to provide and maintain their own refrigerator, provided that all of the following apply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(i)&nbsp;The lease contains a statement in substantially the following form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>Under state law, the landlord is required to provide a refrigerator in good &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; working order in your unit. By checking this box, you acknowledge that &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; you have asked to bring your own refrigerator and that you are responsible for keeping that refrigerator in working order<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(ii)&nbsp;The lease provides that the tenant may, with 30 days written notice, inform the landlord that they no longer wish to keep their own refrigerator in the unit, and that at the end of the 30-day notice period, the landlord shall install a refrigerator in good working order in the unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(iii)&nbsp;A landlord shall not condition a tenancy upon the tenant providing their own refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(iv)&nbsp;The landlord shall not be responsible for the maintenance of a refrigerator provided by the tenant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with the stove mandate, these refrigerator requirements shall only apply to a lease entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, a landlord shall repair or replace a stove or refrigerator that is subject to recall by the manufacturer or a public entity within 30 days of receiving notice that the stove or refrigerator is subject to recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question here seeks guidance on an older, pre-2026 tenancy where the tenant moved in with her own refrigerator.&nbsp; Technically, the repair or replacement of that appliance falls upon the tenant.&nbsp; However, a literal reading of the statute states that leases <em>amended or extended <\/em>after January 1, 2026, become subject to this new refrigerator and stove law.&nbsp; You likely will adjust rent or impose other terms and conditions onto this resident post-2026 as part of an annual renewal process, so in this author\u2019s opinion, the better course of conduct would be to replace the refrigerator and to service the stove as needed.&nbsp; Indeed, habitability is not something to be taken lightly!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A long-term resident who moved in with her own refrigerator informed me that it recently quit working and asked for a replacement, citing a new state \u201crefrigerator law.\u201d&nbsp; Am I responsible for replacing it? As responsible housing providers, we have been ingrained with the understanding that only \u201chabitable\u201d dwellings are suitable for rental use in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New Stove and Refrigerator Law - Davewassermansf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/new-stove-and-refrigerator-law\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Stove and Refrigerator Law - Davewassermansf\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A long-term resident who moved in with her own refrigerator informed me that it recently quit working and asked for a replacement, citing a new state \u201crefrigerator law.\u201d&nbsp; Am I responsible for replacing it? 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