CA AB1248

Requires landlords advertising residential property for rent on or after April 1, 2026 to disclose the total price including all required fees and charges, plus a description of all available optional housing services and their associated fees

Prohibits landlords from using ratio utility billing systems to allocate utility costs to tenants, except for water and sewer service under specific conditions including transparency requirements, limits on landlord common area deductions, and prohibitions on passing vacancy costs to tenants

Mandates that tenant payments be applied in a specific order: current month's rent first, then outstanding rental debt less than 12 months old, then other fees, then other obligations; prohibits charging late fees for unpaid late fees

Creates civil liability for violations including minimum $1,000 actual damages, injunctive relief, attorney's fees, and treble damages plus punitive damages for willful or reckless violations, with a 3-year statute of limitations

Establishes that any decrease in housing services constitutes a rent increase, and declares waivers of these protections void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy