Housing: tenant protections.

Senator Wahab's housing legislation modifies California's tenant protection framework by extending just cause eviction requirements to certain replacement housing units previously exempt from these provisions. The bill specifically addresses housing built to replace units that were subject to the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and were substantially damaged or destroyed by disaster.

Under current law, housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years is exempt from just cause eviction requirements. This bill creates an exception to that exemption, ensuring that replacement housing remains subject to just cause provisions if the original unit had these protections before being damaged or destroyed. The change maintains continuity of tenant protections when disasters necessitate rebuilding.

The legislation includes provisions coordinating these amendments with Assembly Bill 1529, which proposes related changes to the same Civil Code section. If both bills are enacted before January 1, 2026, and this bill follows AB 1529, the coordinated amendments will take effect. The modified requirements become operative on April 1, 2024, and remain in effect until January 1, 2030.