Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in California?
No. In California, a landlord may not recover possession, raise the rent or cut services within 180 days after a tenant who is current on rent makes a good-faith repair request, complains to a government agency about habitability, or wins a habitability case, and threatening to report a tenant to immigration authorities is retaliation. A tenant may use the 180-day protection once in any 12 months, and a landlord who states a good-faith reason in the notice may still act within the period. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to threaten or interfere with anyone for exercising fair housing rights. This is Cal. Civ. Code § 1942.5.
| What | California |
|---|---|
| Retaliation by a landlord | Prohibited by statute |
| Time period in the statute | Barred for 180 days |
| How the period works | The protection is tied to a fixed period |
Source
Cal. Civ. Code § 1942.5
Read the statute in the California Codes (California Legislative Information): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
When an owner prepares an eviction in Seayora, it lists any repair request opened on the unit in the last 180 days that is still open, not to stop the case but because the tenant will raise retaliation and the owner should have an answer. Every repair request keeps the date it was filed.
Guides on this rule
- Landlord Retaliation Laws: Protected Tenant Acts and Time Limits — When an eviction, rent increase or cut in services is presumed retaliatory: 180 days in California, six months in Texas, a year in New York.
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