Imagine if you will, you just renewed a lease, and the tenant let you know that the refrigerator is not working. You pull out the lease agreement and show her that if the refrigerator needs to be repaired or replaced, it is a tenant expense. Then she let you know that there was a new law in California requiring landlords to provide working stoves and refrigerators. Is she right?
I’ll explain.
Are Landlords Required To Provide Refrigerators and Stoves in California?
Yes, starting January 1, 2026, a new California law called AB 628 went into effect, requiring landlords to provide working refrigerators and stoves. It does so by updating California Civil Code 1941.1 to include stoves and refrigerators as part of the state’s habitability standards, just like a roof or running water.
This law applies to residential leases entered, amended, or extended after January 1, 2026.
Do All Landlords Have To Supply Refrigerators and Stoves?
Most residential landlords will have to comply with AB 628 and supply working stoves and refrigerators.
There are a few very specific kinds of housing that are exempt, including units with communal kitchens, single-room occupancy (SOR) units, permanent supportive housing, and hotel rooms. Otherwise, AB 628 applies to any residential lease extended or modified after January 1, 2026.
What if You Are Already in a Lease Requiring the Tenant To Provide Their Own Refrigerator?
If you are already in a lease, then the current terms of the lease will remain until the end of the lease. Once the lease is extended or amended, such as a rent increase, the landlord will be responsible for supplying a working stove and refrigerator.
Are Landlords With Month-To-Month Leases Required To Include Stoves and Refrigerators?
If the lease was signed before January 1, 2026, and it has not been amended, the landlord probably does not have to include a stove or refrigerator.
The argument could be made that month-to-month leases are essentially extended each month, triggering the requirement. If you look online, you can find that case being made. However, we are hearing from multiple attorneys who specialize in landlord-tenant law that month-to-month leases technically don’t change, so they don’t count as something that would trigger this appliance requirement.
If you do have a month-to-month tenant come to you requesting a refrigerator, you might want to consider working something out with them. Let’s face it, there will be a time in the future when you will need to include one, and maybe you could bump the rent a little to help offset the cost.
What if the Tenant Wants To Use Their Own Refrigerator?
The tenant can agree to provide their own refrigerator, but does not have to. If you do let the tenant provide their own refrigerator, the following conditions must be met:
The lease must state that the law requires the landlord to provide a working refrigerator and that it was the tenant who asked if they could bring their own.
The tenant providing their own refrigerator cannot be a condition of tenancy.
The lease must provide that the tenant may, with 30 days' written notice, declare they no longer wish to provide their own refrigerator, and the landlord will provide one.
If the tenant provides their own refrigerator, the tenant is responsible for repairs.
Can the Tenant Provide Their Own Stove?
You will find many articles online stating that you are not allowed to let tenants provide their own stoves. We have seen credible attorneys specializing in landlord-tenant law disagree on the subject. Not giving legal advice, but we guess that you probably can let a tenant provide their own stove, provided you follow the same steps required for refrigerators.
Personally, I don’t know why you would ever let a tenant provide their own stove. It’s more trouble than it is worth. If you think about it, the same holds for refrigerators. Once you are set up to include one, there is no point in removing and storing it for a tenant.
Is There a Way for California Landlords To Avoid Providing Stoves and Refrigerators?
There are some landlords who are always looking for creative ways around the rules. Save your creative thinking for an art class. The only way to avoid providing your tenants with stoves and refrigerators is to sell your California residential rental property.
There are plenty of examples in California where the law is unreasonable, but this one is not too bad. At least it provides some clarity as to how to best handle appliances.
The market is already ahead of the law. Most California landlords already supply stoves and refrigerators. Even before the law, we advised our clients to include stoves and refrigerators because not having one put the landlord at a distinct disadvantage when filling vacancies.
In fact, I am proud to be quoted in the New Your Times saying, “Leasing a home without a refrigerator or stove was kind of like trying to sell a car without a radio or air-conditioning.”
AB 628, in some way, will help landlords who are behind the times and will help level the playing field when it comes to comparing rent rates.
We cover the topic in more detail in a blog called What Appliances Should Be Included with a Rental Property.
Who Pays for Repairs to Stoves and Refrigerators?
AB 628 helps clarify some potential confusion as to who pays for appliance repairs. In most instances, the landlord will have to pay for repairs. This is true even if there is a clause saying that the tenant pays for repairs. These clauses will no longer work.
The tenant is still financially responsible for an appliance repair when the tenant breaks the appliance or if the tenant owns the appliance, per the rules laid out in AB 628.
If you are a landlord who has not been making appliance repairs, you should start looking for a good appliance repair person.
Bottom Line
There is a new law called AB 628, which has gone into effect, requiring landlords to provide working stoves and refrigerators in all residential leases entered into, amended, or extended after January 1, 2026. The only exemptions are units with communal kitchens, single-room occupancy (SOR) units, permanent supportive housing, and hotel rooms.
If you are already in a lease before January 1, 2026, then the terms regarding appliances in your lease will still apply. Once the lease is amended or extended, the landlord will be required to provide a working stove and refrigerator.
Tenants can provide their own refrigerator, provided it was the tenant’s idea, it cannot be a condition of tenancy, and the tenant still retains the right to request the landlord to provide a refrigerator at the landlord’s expense.
The law is new, but most landlords in California already provide working stoves and refrigerators. It is pretty much expected, and having essential appliances makes a property easier to lease and to achieve a higher rent.
The property owner will be responsible for appliance repairs. The only exceptions are when the tenant breaks the appliance or if the appliance is owned by the tenant.
Thank You
We hope that you found this helpful and informative. Remember, we are not attorneys, so we don’t give legal advice. Laws are always changing and vary depending on the specific municipality in which the property is located. For legal advice, please consult a real estate attorney familiar with the laws in your area.
For Real Estate Advice
If you are looking for a reliable property management company to help you handle a rental property or a real estate broker to guide you through the sales process in Long Beach, Los Angeles, or Orange County, California, or if you are just considering it and have a few questions about real estate, contact the Mike Dunfee Group today. We are happy to help.
Dunfee Real Estate Services, Inc. DRE # 02026232
