California landlords could be barred from making blanket no-pet policies under a proposed state law.
Landlords would also be prohibited from charging additional fees for certain pets, including cats and dogs.
The big picture: Assembly Bill 2216, authored by Asm. Matt Haney (D–San Francisco), passed through the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week and will go before the Assembly floor.
- Under AB 2216, landlords would have to have reasonable reasons for not allowing a pet in a rental unit.
- Reasonable reasons include compliance with applicable state laws, local government public health ordinances, animal control and animal anti-cruelty, among others.
- Landlords would be barred from asking prospective tenants about pets before accepting rental applications.
- Prospective tenants would be required to inform landlords if they plan to have a pet at least three days before entering into a rental agreement.
- Landlords would also be barred from levying additional fees on tenants related to their pets.
What they’re saying: “One of our main strategies to address the housing crisis has been building more housing,” Haney said. “We have to keep building housing, and much faster, but we won’t be able to solve this crisis if 12 million people across the state are being denied access to that housing because they have a companion pet. The majority of renters in our state, pet owners, are denied access to the majority of rental units. That makes no sense at all and it’s dramatically exacerbating the housing crisis.”
