Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (Photo: a61.asmdc.org)
Bill to Require Mandatory Refrigerators, Stoves in All CA Rental Units Moves Up In Assembly
‘When we’re paying $6,000 to $8,000 to move in to rent an apartment, the landlords can provide the necessity of a stove and refrigerator’
By Evan Symon, April 3, 2025 2:45 am
A bill that would require California landlords to have refrigerators and stoves in all rental units recently moved up in the Assembly following amendments that now allow for those appliances to be older than ten years.
Assembly Bill 628, authored by Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) would require that a stove and a refrigerator that are maintained in good working order and are capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes and capable of safely storing food, be added to the list of characteristics required for a rented dwelling unit. Under AB 628, permanent supportive housing, residential units in hotels, and places that offer a shared or communal kitchen space would be exempted from the bill. Should the bill pass, it would go into effect beginning on January 1, 2026.
Assemblywoman McKinnor wrote the bill because of some rental markets, including the L.A. area, do not have mandatory refrigerator and stoves in units, requiring tenants to buy one, move it in, and upon leaving, move it out. She also called refrigerators and stoves necessities, especially with rents being high across the state and those appliances being another added cost for tenants who are moving in.
“Apartments in my district often require monthly rents between $3,000 and $4,000, plus an equivalent security deposit,” explained McKinnor. “When we’re paying $6,000 to $8,000 to move in to rent an apartment, the landlords can provide the necessity of a stove and refrigerator. I think it’s fair.”
Under current California law, landlords don’t have to provide a refrigerator or stove. While most do to encourage tenants to move in, some opt out of providing one to keep maintenance costs lower, as well as not having to make a big expense in buying a fridge or stove. Some renters also look for units without stoves, not wanting to pay an additional gas bill each month or pay more for an electric bill.
Originally introduced in February, the bill was amended last week because of concerns from landlord groups including the California Apartment Association, which took offense at an original requirement that the fridges and stoves were required to be ten years old or less. After arguments over environmental grounds and the high added cost it would give some landlords in the state, McKinnor amended the bill to allow for no age limit of the appliances as long as they are in working order.
The amendment succeeded in solidifying support for the bill, with AB 628 passing the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week with a 9-1 vote with 2 abstentions. Only recently resigned Assemblyman Bill Essayli voted against the bill. And, since most landlord groups are now appeased by the amendment, the bill is not expected to have significant opposition for the session.
While most other areas of the country, like New York City and Texas, don’t require refrigerators or stoves like California, a few do. Should AB 628 pass this year, California would join states including Massachusetts in requiring them for rental units.
“A working stove and a working refrigerator are not a luxury,” added McKinnor. “They are a necessary part of modern life.”
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February 22, 2024 -
A dormitory frig and a hot plate.
Why would anyone want to be a landlord in California when legislative Democrats have made it almost impossible for landlords with all the restrictions they’ve imposed that make it a very risky investment?
It’s curious as to how Democrat Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor got elected in the 61st Assembly District when it’s overwhelmingly Latino? Probably the usual Democrat voter fraud and rigged voting machines?
They named it “dominion” for a reason….
And this is just more “nanny-state” pandering to the illegals that make up a large portion now of the rental population, and another Democrat legislating to keep their grateful voters on “the plantation”, gratefully accepting their largesse, in exchange for their votes….
When having to pay those exorbitant prices for a LIFE necessity, a roof over your head, a stove and fridge is not a lot to ask for!! Food, clothing, & shelter are BASIC necessities. A landlord living high off the hog by charging those epic rental prices ought to be human enough to provide basic necessities, like a fridge and stove!!!
“A working stove and a working refrigerator are not a luxury,” added McKinnor. “They are a necessary part of modern life.”
So is a Tesla, until recently McKinnor… according to you Democrats, everyone should be driving an EV and transportation is ALSO a “necessary part of modern life”….
next time the landlord will be required to provide transportation since its not a luxury…. the renters will take the fridge when they leave. or if they have one the landlord has to remove his and store it???
For crying out loud, just let tenant and landlord work this kind of stuff out between themselves without interference from these idiot Dem politicians you wouldn’t even trust to mail a letter for you.
Mandating this stuff just ends in disaster. Does anyone remember how landlord and tenant were honorably working out, as best they could, rent payments during the Covid fake hysteria era but it all went to hell when these ridiculous Dem-Marxist legislators and local politicians stuck their big fat unwanted noses into it? Remember how landlords took it in the shorts while tenants released from rent payments and from fear of eviction as a result of a one-size-fits-all ridiculous policy leased their apartments to CA tourists and headed off for European vacations with all of their extra cash? These Dem-Marxist politicians NEVER LEARN. Or are they doing it on purpose? Anything to promote a Marxist state I guess.
I guess landlords get to increase rents again due to having to provide a refrigerator and the upkeep. What if the renter has a refrigerator? Does that mean the renter has to store their refrigerator or does the landlord need to store the one that was in the home? Bad law
what you pay for rent in California every landlord Should provide a stove and refrigerator, this should have been addressed long ago.
When having to pay those exorbitant prices for a LIFE necessity, a roof over your head, a stove and fridge is not a lot to ask for!! Food, clothing, & shelter are BASIC necessities. A landlord living high off the hog by charging those epic rental prices ought to be human enough to provide basic necessities, like a fridge and stove!!!
Ms. Tina McKinnon apparently hasn’t had to clean up behind many of these nasty tenants from her own minority communities. Talk is cheap as these cheap shots at all landlords from so many of our politicians here because they need to divert attention away from their failings to all the constitutes they’re been selling out instead of seriously and intelligently planning housing for honest working people.
I dont want to pay higher rent so other tenants who don’t have their own appliances get them free!! Stop driving rents higher!
I manage affordable properties in California. The majority of our tenants have their own appliances they bring with them, although there are some who do not. They never have a problem getting their own appliances from serviceable used items off craigslist or offerup or new ones. We don’t particularly like keeping the appliances because tenants leave them dirty when they leave and we have to charge their security deposits for cleaning them. Requiring all landlords to provide appliances (and storage of appliances when tenants who bring their own) will cause costs to be passed on to tenants in the form of higher rents.