California Tenant-Occupied Home Sale & Eviction Report 2026

Updated October 2026. In California, a sale does not end a tenancy, and ending one is a regulated and often slow process. California courts received 128,894 eviction (unlawful detainer) filings in fiscal year 2024-25, and only 44% of cases were disposed of within 45 days, down from 77% in FY 2017-18, according to the Judicial Council of California. With 44.1% of the state’s occupied homes rented (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024), these rules affect many sellers.

How many evictions are filed in California, and how long do they take?

About as many as before the pandemic, but cases take longer to resolve. The Judicial Council counted 128,894 unlawful detainer filings in FY 2024-25, close to the 129,206 of FY 2018-19 and down 5.2% from FY 2023-24, after a pandemic low of 35,727 in FY 2020-21.

In FY 2024-25, 24% of cases were disposed of within 30 days and 44% within 45 days, versus 62% and 77% in FY 2017-18; the 45-day share has recovered from 34% in FY 2022-23 but remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Counties differ: Fresno disposed of 70% of cases within 45 days, Orange and San Bernardino 55%, Los Angeles 36% and San Francisco 28%.

A disposition closes the court case; it is not the date a tenant moves out. For unpaid rent, a landlord generally starts with a three-day notice to pay or quit that excludes weekends and judicial holidays (Code of Civil Procedure §1161), and a tenant served with the lawsuit has 10 court days to respond (§1167).

What does AB 1482 require?

AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act, sets statewide just-cause and rent-cap rules for covered rentals:

• Just cause after 12 months. Once a tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied the home for 12 months, the owner can end the tenancy only for a just cause stated in the written notice; if adult tenants are added before an existing tenant reaches 24 months, the rule applies once all have 12 months or one has 24 (Civil Code §1946.2(a)).
• Listed causes only. No-fault causes are owner or relative move-in, withdrawal from the rental market, complying with a government or court order to vacate, and demolition or substantial remodel; at-fault causes include nonpayment of rent and material lease violations. A sale is on neither list.
• Relocation assistance. For a no-fault termination, the owner must, regardless of the tenant’s income, pay one month’s rent within 15 calendar days of serving notice or waive the final month’s rent in writing before it is due; the notice must say so, and failure to strictly comply voids it (§1946.2(d)).
• Rent cap. Increases over any 12-month period are limited to 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, in no more than two increments (§1947.12).
• Exemptions. These include qualifying single-family homes and condos (see the FAQ below), housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the past 15 years, and certain owner-occupied homes and duplexes (§1946.2(e)).
• Sunset. Both sections are scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030.

Any waiver of the just-cause rights is void (§1946.2(j)). A landlord-tenant attorney can confirm whether a home is covered.

What are the options for selling a home with tenants?

Three main ones: sell with the tenant in place, negotiate a voluntary move-out, or end the tenancy for an owner or buyer move-in.

Sell with the tenant in place

The tenancy continues after a sale: the buyer takes the home subject to the lease, the deposit and the tenant’s protections, unless the tenant leaves voluntarily or the tenancy ends lawfully. Owner-occupant buyers generally need a vacant home, so the market is mainly investors, who weigh the rent, lease, deposit and condition and, under AB 1482’s rent cap, how far a below-market rent can rise. Selling as-is to a cash buyer who purchases occupied homes is one option alongside listing with an agent who markets to investors; our page on selling a rental property explains how a direct sale works.

Negotiate a voluntary move-out

An owner and tenant can agree in writing that the tenant will move out by a set date in exchange for money, time or other consideration, often called a buyout or “cash for keys” agreement. The tenant does not have to accept, and because AB 1482 rights cannot be waived, an attorney should draft or review the agreement. Some cities regulate these deals: Los Angeles (for rent-stabilized units) and San Francisco require a written disclosure to the tenant before a buyout is offered or discussed and give tenants 30 and 45 days, respectively, to cancel a signed agreement.

Owner or buyer move-in

It is a no-fault just cause if the owner, or the owner’s spouse, domestic partner, child, grandchild, parent or grandparent, intends to live in the home as a primary residence for at least 12 continuous months (§1946.2(b)(2)(A)). The conditions are strict:

• For leases entered into on or after July 1, 2020, the lease must allow it or the tenant must agree in writing.
• The notice must name the intended occupant and their relationship to the owner, and tell the tenant they may request proof.
• The occupant must move in within 90 days after the tenant leaves and stay at least 12 consecutive months, or the owner must offer the home back at the same rent and terms and reimburse reasonable moving expenses beyond any relocation payment.
• The owner generally must be a natural person with at least a 25% recorded ownership interest, with variations for family owners, family trusts and LLCs or partnerships.

A buyer who plans to move in should confirm with an attorney how and when notice can be given.

Do local rent-control ordinances change the rules?

Often, yes. The Department of Real Estate’s tenants’ rights guide lists 37 cities plus unincorporated Los Angeles County with rent control ordinances as of 2024, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Sacramento, Berkeley and Santa Monica.

A local just-cause ordinance adopted on or before September 1, 2019, or a later, more protective one (for example, with higher relocation payments), applies instead of AB 1482’s just-cause section (§1946.2(i)), and housing under stricter local rent control is exempt from the state rent cap (§1947.12(d)(3)). Check with the city’s rent program before choosing a strategy.

What should you prepare before selling a rental with tenants?

• Leases and notices. The lease and amendments, the AB 1482 notice required for covered units or the exemption statement for exempt homes, and any notices served.
• Rent roll. For each unit: tenant names, rent, due date, lease dates, deposit, last increase, concessions and any arrears.
• Security deposits. Before a voluntary sale, the seller must give the buyer a written statement of the remaining deposit, any itemized deductions and whether it will be transferred to the buyer or returned to the tenant (Civil Code §1950.5(j)); see the FAQ below.
• Showings. Civil Code §1954 allows entry to show the home to prospective buyers during normal business hours with reasonable written notice of the date, approximate time and purpose; 24 hours is presumed reasonable, as is notice mailed at least six days ahead. If the tenant was told in writing within the past 120 days that the home is for sale and that showings may be arranged orally, notice can be given in person or by phone, with written evidence of the entry left inside. Access may not be abused or used to harass the tenant.
• Estoppel certificate. A signed tenant statement confirming the rent, deposit, lease dates, any prepaid rent and any claimed defaults, which buyers and lenders use to check the rent roll. See whether the lease requires one, and ask early.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology and sources

Eviction figures are unlawful detainer filings and time-to-disposition shares from the Judicial Council of California’s 2026 Court Statistics Report (FY 2024-25; earlier years as revised in that edition, county FY 2023-24 figures as first published in the 2025 report). Disposition shares cover limited-jurisdiction cases and were not reported by the Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, Solano and Ventura courts. Renter households are ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates via Census Reporter. Statutes were read on the Legislature’s official site in October 2026: Civil Code §1946.1, §1946.2 (as amended by AB 1529, effective January 1, 2026), §1947.12, §1950.5 (as amended by AB 414, effective January 1, 2026) and §1954, and Code of Civil Procedure §1161 and §1167. Rent-control cities: the Department of Real Estate’s Landlords’ and Tenants’ Rights Guide, Appendix 2 (as of 2024, compiled from Nolo). Buyout rules: the Los Angeles Housing Department and the San Francisco Rent Board.

Related research: all Cash Home Buyers CA reports, plus our Los Angeles rental and tenant-occupied housing report, owner and renter housing report, stale listings and price cuts report and as-is home sale report. If you are weighing a sale, see selling a rental property, how our process works and where we buy.