Free California lease agreement — CA rules built in
A residential lease that follows California law on security deposits, disclosures and entry notice. Answer simple questions, preview the whole document free, then pay once to download and sign.
Key California rental rules at a glance
| Security deposit cap | 1× monthly rent — but: landlords who are natural persons (incl. close-family trust settlors/beneficiaries) or all-natural-person LLCs, with ≤2 rental properties and ≤4 total units, may collect 2×; service-member tenants: 1× cap always applies; written statement required since 2025-04-01 (Civ. Code §1950.5(c) (AB 12)) |
|---|---|
| Deposit return deadline | Within 21 days with itemized statement + receipts; inception/move-out photo rules phase in 2025 (AB 2801); electronic refund when rent was paid electronically from 2026-01-01 (AB 414) (Civ. Code §1950.5(f)-(n)) |
| Entry notice | 24 hours presumed reasonable — written notice, normal business hours (Civ. Code §1954) |
| Month-to-month termination | Month-to-month: landlord 60 days (30 if tenancy <1 year); tenant 30 days. Statewide just-cause (§1946.2) applies after 12 months of occupancy (Civ. Code §1946.1; §1946.2) |
| Late fees | No statutory cap or grace period — fee must be a reasonable estimate of actual loss (liquidated-damages rule); avoid per-day penalties (Civ. Code §1671(b), §1670(d); DRE guide) |
Each rule is cited to the current California statute; the lease quotes it in plain English. Note: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other rent-control / just-cause cities add local rules — excluded from v1.
What's in the California lease
Required disclosures
California-specific disclosures included automatically, with citations.
Deposit & fee clauses
Amounts checked against CA caps — you get a warning before crossing a limit.
Pets, occupants & extras
Plain-language answers turned into enforceable lease clauses.
California lease FAQ
Is this California lease template really free?
Building and previewing the full California lease is free. You pay $19 once — only when you're ready to download the PDF and sign. No subscription, no auto-renewal, no credit card to start. (Launch pricing: $12 for the first 100 customers.)
Does the California lease include state-required disclosures?
Yes. The generator adds the disclosures your state requires for residential leases automatically, based on official state-published resources, and cites them in plain English.
What is the security deposit limit in California?
For California: 1× monthly rent — but: landlords who are natural persons (incl. close-family trust settlors/beneficiaries) or all-natural-person LLCs, with ≤2 rental properties and ≤4 total units, may collect 2×; service-member tenants: 1× cap always applies; written statement required since 2025-04-01 (Civ. Code §1950.5(c) (AB 12)). The generator warns you before you exceed it.
Can I sign it online?
Yes. ESIGN/UETA-compliant e-signing for both parties is included, with an audit trail binding each signature to the document.