California law to require landlords to provide fridge, stove for new tenants starting in 2026

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Monday that requires California landlords to supply their tenants with a working refrigerator and stove.

Assembly Bill 628 adds a working refrigerator and stove to the list of features landlords need to provide in a dwelling unit for it to be considered habitable.

Existing state law required landlords to include “standard characteristics” in apartment units, such as plumbing, electrical lighting, heating and hot water systems, but didn’t include appliances like a stove or a refrigerator.

The average rent in the state of California is $2,800 and about 37% higher than the national average, according to Zillow.

The legislation was authored and introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood).

“A working stove and a working refrigerator are not luxuries — they are a necessary part of modern life,” said McKinnor in a press release in September. “By making these necessary appliances standard in rental homes, California can provide all of its residents with a safer, more affordable and more dignified place to call home.”

The bill only applies to a lease entered into, amended or extended on or after Jan. 1, 2026. 

It does not apply for certain properties, such as permanent supportive housing, a single-room occupancy unit with living and sleeping space for the occupant only, a residential hotel unit and a dwelling unit in a housing facility with a shared or communal kitchen space.

Newsom approved the legislation Oct. 6.