California’s Landlord Entry Rules: When and How Your Landlord Can Enter Your Home

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation

Your rental unit is your home — and California law significantly limits when and how your landlord can enter it. Violations of these entry rules are both a habitability issue and, when systematic, potential harassment. Understanding your right to quiet enjoyment and the specific notice requirements for landlord entry allows you to protect your privacy and document violations when they occur.

The 24-Hour Notice Requirement

California Civil Code Section 1954 requires landlords to give at least 24 hours’ advance written notice before entering a rental unit, except in genuine emergencies. The notice must state the purpose of the entry. Entry must be during normal business hours (8am to 6pm, Monday through Saturday) unless the tenant consents to a different time. A notice slipped under the door or left on the premises is sufficient if done at least 24 hours in advance.

Permitted Reasons for Entry

Landlords may enter only for specific purposes: to make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; to supply necessary or agreed services; to show the unit to prospective tenants or buyers; when the tenant has abandoned the unit; or pursuant to a court order. Entry for inspection is not separately listed — a landlord who wants to inspect the unit must frame it as part of a permitted purpose. Entry for the purpose of harassing the tenant or gathering information to use against them is not a permitted purpose.

Emergency Entry

In genuine emergencies — fire, flooding, gas leak, other immediate threat to life or property — the landlord may enter without notice. The emergency must be real and immediate. A landlord who claims “emergency” to justify unannounced entry for a non-emergency reason has violated Section 1954. Document every entry attempt: date, time, stated purpose, whether proper notice was given. A pattern of unannounced entries or entries beyond the permitted purposes is harassment. The Justice Foundation kit includes an entry violation log and demand letter templates for improper entry.