Residential rental properties: language requirements.

Assembly Member Kalra's legislation mandates multilingual notices and legal documents in California residential tenancy proceedings, requiring landlords to provide key communications in both English and specified languages when applicable. The bill establishes translation requirements for lease termination notices, unlawful detainer complaints, and civil summonses when rental agreements were negotiated in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, or when landlords have been notified that a tenant's primary language is one of these languages.

Under the new provisions, landlords must furnish both English and translated versions of termination notices and complaints, with the translated summons being required if available on the California Courts website. The legislation creates affirmative defenses for tenants in cases where landlords fail to provide required translations or when material differences exist between English and translated documents. These protections apply across various grounds for termination, including non-payment of rent, lease violations, and property misuse.

The measure, taking effect February 1, 2025, modifies existing civil procedure requirements while maintaining core elements like notice periods and service methods. It builds upon current summons requirements, which already mandate Spanish language introductory text, by expanding language access to additional commonly spoken languages in California. The bill places responsibility on landlords to track tenant language preferences and ensure compliant document provision throughout the eviction process.