When Assembly Bill 628 takes effect on January 1, 2026, California landlords will face a significant addition to their legal obligations: tenants are entitled to working stoves and refrigerators as part of minimum habitability standards.
“Existing law requires that any building with a dwelling unit maintain certain characteristics in order to be tenantable, including the maintenance of adequate heating and hot water systems that conform to the standard of quality set by applicable law.
This bill would add a stove and refrigerator that are maintained in good working order and are capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes and capable of safely storing food, respectively, to the list of characteristics required for the dwelling unit to be tenantable for leases entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026.”
AB 628
What Changed
California's habitability standards, codified in Civil Code Section 1941.1, have long required electricity, plumbing, heating, and basic structural safety. AB 628 adds kitchen appliances to that list by amending the statute directly.
Effective immediately for leases entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026, landlords must now provide:
- • A stove maintained in good working order and capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes
- • A refrigerator maintained in good working order and capable of safely storing food
The statutory language is precise: appliances subject to manufacturer or public entity recalls are deemed incapable of safe operation and therefore violate habitability standards.
The 30-Day Recall Requirement
Landlords must repair or replace any stove or refrigerator subject to recall within 30 days of receiving notice—whether that notice comes from the manufacturer or a government agency. This creates an affirmative compliance obligation that goes beyond standard maintenance.
Importantly, this recall requirement does not prevent tenants from exercising remedies under Civil Code Section 1942, which allows tenants to repair-and-deduct or withhold rent for habitability violations.
The Refrigerator Exception: Mutual Agreement
Here's where the bill permits flexibility. Tenants and landlords may mutually agree, at lease signing, that the tenant will provide their own refrigerator—but only under strict conditions:
Required Lease Language:
The lease must include a statement substantially stating: "Under state law, the landlord is required to provide a refrigerator in good working order in your unit. By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have asked to bring your own refrigerator and that you are responsible for keeping that refrigerator in working order."
Tenant Exit Right:
The tenant may terminate this arrangement (the mutually agreed upon tenant provided refrigerator) with 30 days written notice, at which point the landlord must install a refrigerator in good working order within 30 days. Landlords cannot condition tenancy upon the tenant providing their own refrigerator.
What This Means for Landlords
As of January 1, 2026, for any new, amended, or extended lease landlords must:
- • Check existing units for stove and refrigerator presence
- • Install or upgrade of missing appliances
- • Establish a recall-monitoring system (30-day compliance window is firm)
- • Document all installations, repairs, and replacements
- • Implement lease language if allowing tenant-provided refrigerators
- • Ensure leases do not condition tenancy on tenant appliance provision
For units already compliant, the administrative burden is lighter—but the recall requirement is non-negotiable.
The Broader Context
This directive sits within California's evolving tenant protection landscape. The state has consistently strengthened renter rights over the past decade, from just-cause eviction to rent-increase caps to habitability standards. AB 628 continues that path.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), the bill's author, framed it plainly: "A working stove and a working refrigerator are not luxuries—they are a necessary part of modern life."
The Bottom Line
