Abogados de Casa | California Habitability & Tenant Rights Lawyers

Bed bugs, roaches, mold or no hot water? Your home must be habitable. It’s the law.

If your landlord won’t fix the problems in your home, you may have rights and possible compensation. Talk to our legal team today. The consultation is free.

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Habitability problems

Flashlight inspection of a mattress seam for bed bugs — Bed bugs & pests

Worried tenant looking at mold spots on her bedroom wall — Mold & dampness

Cracked ceiling with a water stain and a leak dripping into a bucket — Leaks

Older woman wrapped in a blanket next to a heater that is off — No heat

Bed bugs

Bites, stains on the mattress, bed bugs that come back after “spraying.”

Cockroaches & pests

Infestations in the kitchen, bathroom or whole building that are never controlled.

Rats & mice

Droppings, noises in the walls, chewed food, unsealed holes.

Mold & dampness

Black or green stains, musty smell, wet walls and ceilings.

No heat

Broken heater, or one that doesn’t warm your home.

No hot water

Days or weeks of cold water, or no water at all.

Leaks

Leaking roof, broken windows, water coming in when it rains.

Plumbing & electrical

Leaks, clogged drains, exposed wires, outlets that don’t work.

Stove or refrigerator

For leases signed or renewed since 2026, they must work (with some exceptions).

Ignored repairs

You’ve asked again and again and nothing gets fixed.

Retaliation or eviction

Rent raised, services cut, or threats after you complained.

The law, in plain words

Your home must be habitable

California landlords must provide and keep a home fit to live in and repair conditions that make it uninhabitable: weatherproof roof, walls and windows; working plumbing and gas; hot and cold water; heat; safe electrical; a clean building free of garbage, rodents and vermin; garbage containers; safe floors, stairs and railings. For leases signed, amended or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, also a working stove and refrigerator, with some exceptions.

Cal. Civil Code §§ 1941, 1941.1; Green v. Superior Court (1974) 10 Cal.3d 616.

Mold and pests count

Visible mold, dampness and infestations of insects, vermin or rodents can make a home legally “substandard,” as determined by a health or code enforcement officer.

Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17920.3.

Special bed bug rules

A landlord may not show or rent a unit known to have bed bugs, and must give tenants written bed bug information. Reporting a suspected infestation is protected from retaliation.

Cal. Civil Code §§ 1954.602, 1954.603, 1942.5(a)(1).

Complaining is your right

If you are current on rent and complain in good faith, your landlord may not retaliate within 180 days by evicting you, raising rent or cutting services. Threatening to report you or your family to immigration is prohibited retaliation, and landlords may not ask about immigration status.

Cal. Civil Code §§ 1942.5, 1940.3.

If the city already inspected

If an inspector notified the landlord in writing and repairs weren’t made within 35 days without good cause, the landlord may not demand or collect rent or raise it while the problem continues, and a court can award actual damages plus $100 to $5,000.

Cal. Civil Code § 1942.4.

Be careful about withholding rent

The law allows repair-and-deduct in some cases (up to one month’s rent, twice a year) and lets habitability be raised as a defense to eviction. A mistake can cost you your home. Talk to a lawyer before you stop paying or make repairs yourself.

Cal. Civil Code § 1942; Code of Civil Procedure § 1174.2.

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and some cities, like Los Angeles, add protections.