SB 567 and No-Fault Evictions: The Treble-Damages Risk for Landlords

If you are ending a tenancy in California for a no-fault reason, like moving in yourself, remodeling, or taking the unit off the rental market, SB 567 added a real damages remedy for getting it wrong. Since April 1, 2024, a landlord who attempts to recover possession in material violation of the no-fault rules can owe the tenant actual damages, attorney fees and costs in the court's discretion, and, if the violation was willful or involved fraud, oppression, or malice, up to three times the actual damages plus possible punitive damages. Here is what the no-fault rules require now and how to lower the risk of a void notice, a failed case, or a civil claim.

When the just-cause rules apply

California's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) requires a just cause to end a covered tenancy once the occupancy threshold is met, generally after all tenants have occupied the unit for 12 months. If another adult tenant is added before an existing tenant reaches 24 months, just cause applies once either all tenants have occupied the property for 12 months or at least one tenant has occupied it for 24 months. Some properties are exempt, including certain newer construction and some single-family homes and condominiums when the proper exemption notice is given. A local just-cause ordinance can control instead of state law under Civil Code section 1946.2(i), including ordinances adopted on or before September 1, 2019, and later ones that meet the statute's more-protective criteria. Confirm coverage before you serve anything.

The no-fault grounds

Just causes split into at-fault, where the tenant did something like fail to pay rent, and no-fault, where the landlord wants the unit back for a reason that is not the tenant's doing. The no-fault grounds are:

• An owner or qualifying relative moving into the unit.
• A substantial remodel or a demolition.
• Withdrawing the unit from the rental market, subject to any Ellis Act and local-ordinance requirements.
• Complying with a government or court order, or a local ordinance, that requires the unit to be vacated.

A no-fault eviction generally requires the landlord to pay one month's relocation assistance or waive the final month's rent in writing. If direct payment is used, it is generally due within 15 calendar days of serving the notice. The state amount is credited against any relocation required by other law, and some cities require more. Santa Ana, for example, requires three months of relocation assistance, or a waiver of rent for the final three months of the tenancy, for covered no-fault terminations. Santa Ana also has its own notice, filing, and language requirements, so do not treat the state notice alone as enough.

What SB 567 tightened

SB 567 added specific conditions to owner or relative move-ins and to substantial-remodel terminations, and missing any of them can make the notice invalid. (The timing rules below are for non-mobilehome residential tenancies; mobilehome tenancies have separate dates.)

For an owner or relative move-in

• The notice must name the intended occupant and their relationship to the owner, and tell the tenant they can request proof, which the owner must provide on request.
• The occupant must move in within 90 days after the tenant vacates and live there as a primary residence for at least 12 continuous months.
• It does not apply if a vacancy of a similar unit already exists at the property, or if the intended occupant already lives in a unit on the property.
• For leases entered on or after July 1, 2020, this ground works only if the tenant agreed in writing or the lease allows the owner or a relative to end the tenancy for occupancy.
• If the occupant does not move in or stay as required, the landlord generally must offer the unit back to the former tenant at the same rent and terms and reimburse reasonable moving expenses incurred in excess of any relocation assistance already paid for that notice. The intended occupant can be the owner or a close relative (spouse, domestic partner, child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent). For 2026 notices, if the occupant is the owner, confirm the owner meets the statutory definition, including the recorded-interest, family-trust, and LLC or partnership rules.

For a substantial remodel

• The planned work must meet the statutory definition of a substantial remodel: replacing or substantially modifying a structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical system that requires a permit, or abating hazardous materials, where the work cannot be done safely with the tenant in place and requires the tenant to vacate for at least 30 consecutive days. Cosmetic work does not qualify.
• The termination notice must include specific items, including a statement of the work and its expected duration, the required permits (or, for qualifying no-permit hazardous-material work, the contractor documentation), and the statutory language giving the tenant a chance to reoccupy.

The treble-damages risk, stated correctly

Be precise here. SB 567 does not say three times the rent. For a material violation of the no-fault rules, a tenant can recover:

• Actual damages.
• Attorney fees and costs, in the court's discretion.
• If the landlord acted willfully or with fraud, oppression, or malice, up to three times the actual damages, plus possible punitive damages.

Actual damages depend on the harm the tenant can prove. That is why a bad no-fault eviction can turn into an expensive lawsuit, on top of the relocation obligation and the lost time.

How to lower the risk

1. Confirm AB 1482 coverage and check for a stricter local ordinance before you do anything.
2. Pick a real, qualifying no-fault ground. Do not use an owner move-in or a remodel as a workaround to remove a tenant.
3. Put everything the statute requires in the notice: the occupant and relationship for a move-in, or the work description, permits, and reoccupancy language for a remodel.
4. For a move-in, be ready to actually move in within 90 days and stay a year, and confirm none of the bars apply.
5. Pay or waive the relocation amount correctly and on time, including any larger local amount.
6. Keep the permits, contractor contracts, proof of payment or waiver, service records, occupancy records, and communications. If the tenant later claims bad faith, that documentation may be critical evidence.

Talk to an Orange County eviction attorney

A defective no-fault notice can expose a landlord to a void notice, a failed unlawful detainer, relocation disputes, attorney-fee exposure, civil damages, and in some cases enforcement action by the Attorney General, a city attorney, or county counsel. If you are considering an owner move-in, a remodel, or taking a unit off the market, Steven D. Silverstein has been a member of the California State Bar since 1979 (Bar No. 86466) and represents landlords in eviction (unlawful detainer) matters. For property in Orange County or the Inland Empire, call 714-832-3651. For the other 2024 to 2026 changes, see our guide to the 2026 California eviction law changes.

Last reviewed June 2026. This article is general information for California landlords and is not legal advice for your situation. Confirm the current rules and exemptions for your property before you act.