An act to amend Section 1941.1 of add Section 1950.3 to, and to repeal and add Section 1950.1 of, the Civil Code, and to add Section 50514.7 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to tenancy.
AB 1963 would overhaul California’s rules for rental application screening and disclosure. The bill repeals the current reusable tenant screening report framework and replaces it with a new “portable screening report” system. Under the bill, landlords would be required to accept a qualifying portable screening report from a prospective tenant, and if they do, they could not charge application or screening fees, require additional background or credit checks, or reject the applicant solely for using the portable report instead of the landlord’s preferred process. The report would have to be prepared by a Department of Housing and Community Development-approved tenant screening company, be no more than 45 days old, and cost the applicant no more than $45.
The bill also creates a new disclosure regime for rental applications. Before accepting any application materials, a landlord would have to provide a complete, itemized, plain-language disclosure of all application requirements, including required documents, qualification criteria, deposits, and processing timelines. After making that disclosure, the landlord generally could not add or change requirements, and could not deny an application based on a requirement that was not disclosed. Landlords would also have to advertise their obligation to accept portable screening reports and, if they reject an applicant after reviewing one, provide specific written reasons for the rejection within three business days.
AB 1963 would add enforcement tools and penalties. Violations of the portable screening report and disclosure provisions would be treated as unfair competition, and landlords could face civil liability to applicants for actual damages, statutory damages of $2,500 per violation, attorneys’ fees, and injunctive relief. The bill also authorizes the Attorney General to bring enforcement actions and requires a notice-and-cure process before a private lawsuit for a first violation against a particular prospective tenant. Separately, the bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to maintain a public list of approved screening companies and to post tenant-facing information about the new rules.
In addition to the tenant-screening changes, the bill makes a substantive update to California’s habitability law. It would amend Civil Code Section 1941.1 to require, for most residential leases entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026, that a dwelling include a stove and refrigerator in good working order, subject to specified exceptions for certain housing types such as permanent supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, residential hotels, and some communal-kitchen facilities. The bill also requires landlords to repair or replace recalled stoves or refrigerators within 30 days after notice, and allows tenants and landlords in some cases to agree that the tenant will provide their own refrigerator.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is tenant-protective and consumer-oriented, with a focus on reducing up-front costs, limiting surprise application requirements, and increasing transparency in the rental process. There is no committee transcript or vote record showing debate or opposition in the materials provided, and the bill’s last recorded action was procedural: the first hearing was set but then canceled at the author’s request. Likely points of contention, based on the bill’s structure, would be the mandatory acceptance of portable screening reports, the limits on landlord screening discretion, the new disclosure and notice obligations, and the expanded civil liability and unfair-competition remedies for violations.
The bill would significantly revise Civil Code rules governing residential rental applications by replacing the existing reusable tenant screening report provisions with a new mandatory portable screening report framework and by adding a separate disclosure statute for application requirements. It would also expand enforcement through private civil actions, Attorney General actions, and unfair competition liability, while shifting administrative responsibilities to the Department of Housing and Community Development for approving screening companies, publishing guidance, and standardizing disclosures. Separately, it would amend habitability law in Civil Code Section 1941.1 to require stoves and refrigerators in most covered rental units, with specified exceptions and recall-repair obligations.
Based on the bill’s text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a tenant-protection and housing-transparency bill. Its provisions are designed to reduce application costs, prevent hidden screening requirements, and improve notice to prospective tenants, suggesting a generally pro-tenant policy orientation. No direct evidence of support or opposition is available in the provided history because the bill had no recorded vote and its first hearing was canceled at the author’s request.
The main likely areas of contention are the bill’s mandatory acceptance of portable screening reports, the prohibition on additional screening fees or duplicate background checks, and the requirement that landlords disclose and then stick to all application requirements up front. Landlords and property owners may view these provisions as limiting flexibility in tenant selection and increasing compliance risk, especially given the bill’s civil penalties, unfair competition designation, and Attorney General enforcement authority. The habitability change requiring stoves and refrigerators in most units may also be contested by landlords, particularly for cost, maintenance, and applicability concerns, though the bill includes exceptions for certain housing types and allows some tenant-provided refrigerator arrangements.