California Housing Bills From 2024: What Owners Should Use in 2026

Of the five measures covered in Coastline's May 2024 housing-bill watch, AB 2347 and AB 2493 were enacted; AB 2216 and SB 1201 died. ACA 10's final text concerned local financing for affordable housing and public infrastructure. This October 2, 2026 update explains the final outcomes and the current court-response and screening-fee rules owners should check.

AB 2216: the proposed pet restrictions did not become law

The May 2024 article described AB 2216 as though its proposed pet-deposit and application restrictions were already binding. The Legislature's final status is inactive, died. Do not redesign pet screening or deposits on the assumption this bill passed. Check the current lease, applicable assistance-animal duties, and current state and local rules separately.

AB 2347: the eviction-response period did change

AB 2347 was enacted. Current Code of Civil Procedure section 1167 generally gives a defendant 10 court days after service to respond to an unlawful detainer summons; the statute has additional rules, including address-confidentiality-program service. That timing is one input to an owner's cash and vacancy plan, not a prediction of an individual case or a substitute for the court record. Keep the notice, service, ledger and case dates distinct.

For a cash and vacancy forecast, show the notice and any court filing, summons service, response window and next court event as separate milestones. Label future dates as assumptions until the docket and service proof establish them. Coastline's California eviction guide explains the stages and records beyond this bill watch.

AB 2493: screening-fee rules took effect, then the code changed again

AB 2493 was chaptered in 2024. For current applications, read Civil Code section 1950.6 rather than treating the old bill summary as the operating rule. The current section bars a screening fee when no unit will be available within a reasonable period. It sets alternatives for application order and fee handling, including an ordered consideration path or a refund path for unselected applicants. It also addresses receipts and a copy of a consumer credit report when one is obtained. It does not require every owner to adopt a reusable screening platform or choose a tenant mechanically by timestamp. Use documented, consistently applied lawful criteria, with the actual unit and application dates in the file.

Keep the unit availability date, written criteria, application receipt order, fee receipt, screening expense and any refund in a dated file. Explain the fee process the property actually uses to applicants. Coastline's rental application screening-fee explainer covers the applicant-side questions; it does not set an owner's screening policy.

ACA 10 and SB 1201: proposal language needs its final status

Our May 2024 article described ACA 10 as a right-to-housing measure with rent caps and representation. That describes the old article's discussion, not a verified account of the proposal at that date. The final ACA 10 text, filed June 27, 2024, concerns local financing for affordable housing and public infrastructure through changes to ACA 1. The old article's rent-cap and representation statements are not provisions of that final measure. SB 1201 died. Its proposed beneficial-owner disclosure should not be listed as a current annual filing duty.

What an owner can carry forward

Keep a dated legislative watch with four separate columns: proposal, enacted text, effective date, and the operation it actually changes. For this set of bills, the live operational checks are the current screening-fee workflow and the current court-response clock. A proposal can inform contingency planning, but it cannot be used as authority for a notice, fee, filing, or tenant decision. Tell the owner which cash and vacancy dates are sourced and which remain forecast assumptions. Tell applicants which screening criteria and fee process the property actually uses, without promising a result.

This is general owner education. A particular screening, notice, or eviction decision depends on the current statute and the record for that transaction.

Primary sources

AB 2216 status · CCP 1167 · Civil 1950.6 · ACA 10 final text · SB 1201 status