How to Plan for Stove and Fridge Breakdowns as a California Landlord

Current as of October 2026.

Only 58 percent of Ontario's homes are lived in by their owners, according to Census figures for 2020 to 2024.

Median gross rent in the city over that period was $2,030

. A lot of the rest are single-family houses owned by people with one or two rentals, and many were leased the old local way. KQED reported that

it's more common in Southern California cities for landlords to rent out homes with no stove or refrigerator, placing this responsibility on the tenant.

That habit is over. Planning for breakdowns now comes down to three things. Know which of your leases the law covers. Have a repair path that can beat a 30-day clock. And keep money set aside so a dead compressor stays a repair bill and never turns into a habitability fight.

Does the new appliance law apply to my rental yet?

It applies as soon as you touch the lease.

AB 628 requires every residential rental unit, for leases entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026, to have a working stove and refrigerator

with some exceptions.

Month-to-month tenancies are not automatically affected on January 1, 2026, but any change of terms after that date may trigger compliance.

For a small landlord, that usually means your next renewal or rent change.

Once a lease is covered, a broken appliance stops being a courtesy repair.

A unit without a working stove or refrigerator as required by AB 628 is legally deemed uninhabitable, giving the tenant rent withholding rights

and repair-and-deduct remedies. At Ontario's median rent, one withheld month is about two thousand dollars. A drawn-out dispute that also means replacing the appliance can climb well past that.

Why does an owner carry this differently than a tenant?

A tenant whose fridge dies loses groceries. You lose use.

Once provided, appliances are considered landlord-supplied, making the landlord responsible for repair or replacement due to normal use.

Clauses like "fridge provided as-is" are the ones that cause trouble. KQED spoke with Ethan Silverstein, a staff attorney at The California Center for Movement Legal Services, who said, "Having a working, safe fridge and stove will be a minimum requirement for keeping the unit in a habitable state." That puts appliances in the same group as heat and hot water. Owners who used to treat the fridge as a nice extra now hold it to the standard they'd use for a leaking water heater. A "when I get to it" repair schedule no longer works.

There's one narrow exit.

A landlord and tenant may agree, at the time the lease is signed, that the tenant will supply their own refrigerator instead. That waiver must be voluntary, cannot be imposed as a condition of renting the unit, and must use the statutory lease language. It cannot be added after the lease is already signed.

The stove has no exit.

Tenants cannot opt out of the stove requirement; the landlord must provide and maintain the stove.

The type of home changes the plan. In a single-family rental, every appliance is yours to source and schedule. In a condo, your HOA may control when gas or electrical work can happen and who can do it. In an older Inland Empire house, a replacement range can turn up a worn gas connector or an outdated outlet, and those add time. Fire-zone properties in the foothills and backyard ADUs often sit far enough out that a technician's next open slot is days away. Some housing is outside the rule entirely.

Qualifying permanent supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, residential hotels, and facilities offering communal kitchens are excluded

so a room rented in your own home with a shared kitchen may land differently than a self-contained unit.

What can a dead fridge actually cost me?

The direct cost starts with the appliance and the service call, but the deadline is what raises the stakes.

A stove or refrigerator that is subject to a recall by the manufacturer or a public entity is deemed noncompliant. A landlord must repair or replace a stove or refrigerator that is subject to recall within 30 days of receiving notice of the recall.

Landlord groups warn that

this new requirement will prove to be problematic in circumstances where replacement parts and/or scheduling technicians to diagnose and/or repair the appliance cannot be made within thirty (30) days.

Then there's the disruption to the household. A family without a working stove eats out, and a family without a fridge throws food away, and both blame you. A recalled gas range is also a safety exposure. If a known defect injures someone in a unit you supplied it to, the question of who knew about the recall and when comes up fast. Any rent you lose stacks on top of those costs, and the bill can grow well beyond a single repair.

What should I ask before my next lease renewal?

Do a walk-through before the renewal, not after a complaint. Photograph each appliance's model and serial tag. One property manager advises that technicians

always capture serial numbers, critical for recall checks.

Keep receipts, install dates and repair invoices in one folder for each property.

Ask your appliance repair contractor how quickly they typically schedule and whether they stock parts for your brands. In a condo, ask the HOA whether appliance swaps need approval or set work hours. If your rental is financed, check whether your lender treats appliances as part of the property it secured. Get your lease updated with the statutory refrigerator language before signing, never after. Read your landlord policy too, since the protection on a rental can be narrower than on the home you live in. One thing that comes up often is that landlord policy protection limits can depend on how the unit is being used.

Red flags that a repair is about to become a dispute

The worst position is finding out about a problem in writing weeks after it started. Watch for tenants who mention a problem casually, like a fridge that "runs warm" or a burner that clicks without lighting. Those turn into formal notices. Treat any text about food spoiling as urgent.

Two habits work better than a reserve fund alone. Line up a backup technician before you need one, and decide in advance at what point you'll replace an appliance instead of waiting on a part. If a part is more than a week out, a new unit usually beats a 30-day standoff. And never offer a rent credit in place of a repair. As one property firm put it,

a rent discount does not cure an untenantable condition or remove your legal duty under California habitability rules.

Is replacing an old appliance before it breaks worth it?

For most small landlords, yes. That goes double for appliances more than a decade old or ones you can't identify. A planned swap at turnover happens on your schedule, at a price you chose, with no tenant waiting. An emergency swap happens on theirs. Well-kept kitchens also help when you're looking for a tenant and when you sell. Owners already feeling homeowner coverage costs rise usually find that steady upkeep is the cheaper path compared with surprise repairs.

One thing you can do this week

Walk each rental, or ask your tenant to text you photos, and write down the brand, model and serial number of every stove and refrigerator. Then check each one against federal recall listings. It takes an hour. It means a recall notice will never catch you off guard, and it gives you a record if a tenant ever disputes how quickly you responded.

Common Questions

Do California landlords have to provide a refrigerator in 2026?

For covered leases, yes.

Beginning Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 628 adds refrigerators and stoves to the state's definition of a "habitable" home. This means landlords must provide them, keep them in working order and handle repairs or replacement. The rule applies to new or renewed leases.

Ca my tenant bring their own fridge instead?

Yes, if the right lease language is in place at signing. The lease has to include the checkbox statement set out in the statute.

The tenant may, with 30 days written notice, inform the landlord that they no longer wish to keep their own refrigerator, and at the end of the 30-day notice period, the landlord will install a refrigerator

in good working order.

Can I raise rent on a current tenant because I added a refrigerator?

The Apartment Association of Orange County says no. It explains that

that would trigger many legal obligations including notice in change of tenancy, breach of contract, rent control limitations

and more. Treat the appliance as part of the unit you're already renting.

How long do I have to fix a recalled stove?

A landlord must repair or replace a stove or refrigerator that is subject to recall by the manufacturer or a public entity within 30 days of receiving notice

of the recall. Keep records showing when you learned about the recall and when you fixed it.

Protecting Your Rental Home With the Right Coverage

A landlord policy usually isn't built to pay for an appliance that simply wears out. Still, the dwelling, personal property, loss of rent and personal liability parts of the policy may come into play when a supplied appliance causes a fire, water damage or an injury, depending on your policy. At Farmers Insurance - Young Douglas, our agents look over landlord policies for Inland Empire owners with one or two rentals. They check whether landlord-supplied appliances are treated as covered property, whether your liability limits fit the unit, and whether umbrella liability is worth a look for your situation. When you're ready, you can review your current coverage with an agent who knows California rental property.

Sources:

• California Legislature. "AB-628 Hiring of Real Property: Dwellings: Untenantability. (2025-2026)." California Legislative Information. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB628
• KQED. "In 2026, All Rental Homes in California Will Need to Have These 2 Things." KQED News. kqed.org/news/12067581/in-2026-all-rental-homes-in-california-will-need-to-have-these-2-things
• U.S. Census Bureau. "QuickFacts: Ontario City, California." United States Census Bureau. census.gov/quickfacts/ontariocitycalifornia

DISCLOSURE: This article may feature independent professionals and businesses for informational purposes. Farmers Insurance - Young Douglas collaborates with some of the professionals mentioned; however, no payment or compensation is provided for inclusion in this content.