California Proposes Landlords Must Accept Pets, Experts Warn Rents Will Rise

California is proposing that landlords accept pets for tenant residencies, a change that landlords warn will result in higher rents required to offset the cost of pet damages and limits on security deposits to one month’s rent. AB 2216 was introduced by Assembly member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco as a spot bill with limited information to be fleshed out later on in the legislative process. While the bill itself only says “it is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation related to a landlord’s ability to prohibit common household pets in residential tenancies,” Haney’s statement on the bill outlines his intent.