Legal Q&A:

Legal Q&A: Must owners conduct annual smoke detector inspections within units?

May 7, 2018

Question: Is there a smoke detector ordinance that requires an owner to perform an annual smoke detector inspection in each unit? If so, what is the purpose of the smoke detector agreement?

Answer: California state law does not require an annual inspection of a smoke detector inside a rented unit; however, the owner is responsible to maintain and test smoke detectors in common stairwells or other common property of the apartment community. Tenants are required to notify the owner of an inoperable smoke detector in their unit.

Question: I have tenants who recently divorced. The husband has moved out. Can we take him off the rental agreement?

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