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Feb. 27, 2026

California's 40-year-old habitability law is failing California tenants

Many view California as a leader in tenant protections, but its primary unsafe-housing statute remains frozen in 1985, trapping renters in a futile "notice and cure" loop. California must modernize this outdated law.

Iris Maguire

Associate
Tobener Ravenscroft LLP

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California's 40-year-old habitability law is failing California tenants
Shutterstock

Many view California as a leader in tenant protections, but the state's primary law for litigating unsafe housing is obstructive and outdated. Enacted in 1985, California Civil Code Section 1942.4<...

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