AB 863 (Kalra D) Residential rental properties: language requirements.

Current Text: Amended: 3/25/2025 
Last Amend: 3/25/2025
Status: 3/26/2025-Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
Location: 3/3/2025-A. JUD.
Summary: Current law requires landlords seeking to remove tenants from their property for specified
reasons to terminate the leases by notice, as specified. Current law also outlines requirements for civil
actions filed by landlords to remove tenants from their properties. Current law also requires plaintiffs
to ensure service of a summons and complaint to defendants in civil suits, as specified. This bill would
require landlords to provide notices to terminate leases and complaints in specified civil actions in
Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, as well as in English, if the lease was originally
negotiated in one of those non-English languages or if the landlord has reason to believe that
Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean is the tenant’s primary language. This bill also
specifies that when filing a complaint, a plaintiff who was required to provide notices or complaints in a
required language, must include both versions of the documents with the complaint. This bill provides
that a failure to do so, the existence of material differences between the documents, and a failure to
serve a copy of the complaint or notice in a required language, are all affirmative defenses to specified
actions.