California's Rental Fee Transparency Push: AB 1248 Died, So What Are the Actual Fee Rules in 2026?

Published July 15, 2026

AB 1248, the total-price rental advertising bill, died in the Legislature in February 2026. Here are the fee rules that actually bind California landlords now.

You may have read that starting April 1, 2026 every California rental ad must show the full price including all mandatory fees. That was AB 1248, and it never became law. The bill was moved to the Assembly inactive file in June 2025 at the author's request and formally died there on February 2, 2026. What actually binds you in 2026 is a set of narrower rules already on the books: SB 611 (effective April 1, 2025) bans charging tenants for notice delivery or for paying rent or a deposit by check, security deposits are capped at one month's rent under Civil Code section 1950.5 as amended by AB 12, and application screening fees are capped under Civil Code section 1950.6.

What AB 1248 would have done, and why it matters that it died

AB 1248, introduced by Assemblymember Haney and co-sponsored by Attorney General Bonta, would have added Civil Code section 1950.2 and required any advertisement, display, or offer of a residential rental to state the total price including all required fees and charges, with optional housing services itemized separately, starting April 1, 2026. It also would have limited new tenancies to rent plus a short list of permitted charges. The bill cleared committee in April 2025, then stalled: it was moved to the inactive file on June 3, 2025 and died there on February 2, 2026 without ever reaching the Governor.

Plenty of blog posts and compliance checklists written while the bill was pending still describe those requirements as if they took effect. They did not. There is no California statute in force in 2026 that requires the advertised rent to fold in every mandatory fee. That said, fee transparency bills tend to come back, and the Attorney General's office publicly backed this one, so treat this as a reprieve, not a permanent answer.

The fee rules that ARE law in 2026

SB 611 (Chapter 287, Statutes of 2024), effective April 1, 2025, is the one that actually changed practice. It prohibits a landlord or agent from charging a tenant a fee for serving, posting, or otherwise delivering any notice, and from charging a fee for paying rent or a security deposit by check. It also added protections for military servicemembers: if you charge a servicemember a higher security deposit than your standard or advertised amount, you must explain why in a written statement on or before lease signing, and you must return the extra portion after six months of residency if the tenant is not behind on rent.

On top of that, two older caps still do the heavy lifting. Security deposits are capped at one month's rent for most landlords under Civil Code section 1950.5, as amended by AB 12 effective July 1, 2024, with a limited exception allowing up to two months for certain small landlords who are natural persons and meet the statute's ownership limits. Application screening fees are capped by Civil Code section 1950.6, and the maximum adjusts annually with the consumer price index, so confirm the current figure before you set yours.

Should you advertise the all-in number anyway?

Yes, and not just to get ahead of the next bill. A listing that quotes a base rent and then surprises applicants with a mandatory trash, pest, or parking charge at lease signing loses good applicants at exactly the moment you have leverage. Deceptive pricing can also draw scrutiny under California's existing unfair competition and false advertising laws even without a rental-specific statute. If a fee is unavoidable, put it in the ad. If a service is genuinely optional, label it and price it separately. That practice would have satisfied AB 1248, and it will likely satisfy whatever successor bill eventually passes.

What this means for you

Do not spend money restructuring your listings around an April 2026 deadline that no longer exists. Do audit your fee schedule against what is actually illegal now: no notice-delivery fees, no check-payment fees, deposit within the cap, screening fee within the current statutory maximum. And keep your advertised number honest, because the transparency bill will be back in some form.

If you would rather have someone track which of these bills actually become law versus which ones die quietly on an inactive file, that is part of what we do for our owners.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with a licensed professional before you act.

Sources

1. California Legislative Information, AB 1248 (2025-2026) bill status and history, died on inactive file February 2, 2026: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1248
2. California Legislative Information, SB 611 (2023-2024), residential rental properties, fees and security: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB611
3. California Civil Code section 1950.5 (security deposits), California Legislative Information: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1950.5
4. California Civil Code section 1950.6 (application screening fees), California Legislative Information: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1950.6
5. CalMatters Digital Democracy, AB 1248 bill page: https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1248
6. California Department of Justice, Attorney General Bonta and Assemblymember Haney unveil legislation on rent fees: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-assemblymember-haney-unveil-legislation-protect-17

Last verified: July 2026.

Topics: compliance, AB 1248, SB 611, fee transparency, rental advertising, California

Back to the Schofield Properties blog

Schofield Properties is a family run property management company at 323 Richmond St, El Segundo, CA 90245. We have managed the South Bay since 1972 and personally oversee about 186 doors today. Book a call to talk about your property.