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California Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell

California landlords must give tenants at least 24 hours' written notice before entering to show a home to prospective or actual buyers, and 24 hours is presumed reasonable under Civil Code Section 1954. This guide covers every rule you need for 2026, and our AI drafts your compliant notice in minutes, with attorney-review available before you send it.

Introduction

Selling a rental in California while someone still lives there? You can absolutely do it, but there are rules about getting into the home to show it. California Civil Code § 1954 says that before you let anyone in to show the place to buyers, you have to give your tenant written notice first. Follow those rules and you protect both your sale and your rights as an owner. This notice is how you do it right from the start.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    You can only show the home during normal business hours, unless your tenant agrees to a different time. Each notice you give has to spell out the date, a rough time window, and the reason you are coming in.

  2. 2

    California doesn't give you an official form for this. You write your own letter, and it just needs to cover everything Civil Code § 1954 asks for.

  3. 3

    You need to give at least 24 hours' written notice before you or your agent enters an occupied home to show it to buyers. The law treats 24 hours as reasonable unless there's a good reason it isn't.

  4. 4

    There's one exception when you're selling. Once you've given your tenant written notice that the home is for sale, you can give notice of showings out loud, in person or by phone, for up to 120 days.

  5. 5

    That 120-day oral option only kicks in if your first written notice tells the tenant two things: that the home is for sale, and that from here on you or your agent may give showing notices out loud.

  6. 6

    The 24-hour rule isn't just for buyer walk-throughs. It covers everyone connected to the sale who needs in, like appraisers, inspectors, and other professionals doing their due diligence.

  7. 7

    Selling the place doesn't automatically end your tenant's lease. To end a month-to-month arrangement where the tenant has lived there less than a year, you usually need to give 30 days' written notice, and 'just cause' eviction protections may still apply.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell in California, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell guide walks through them.

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Notice to Tenant: We're Putting the Property Up for Sale

Date: ____________________

To Our Tenant(s): ____________________

Property Address: ____________________________________________

From (Owner/Agent): ____________________

I. We're Selling, and Here's What That Means for You

This letter is your official notice that the home you rent is going on the market and will be offered for sale. Nothing about your lease changes because of this. All the rights you have under your lease and under California law stay exactly the same throughout the process. We're sending this notice to follow California Civil Code Section 1954, which sets the rules for when a landlord can enter an occupied rental. Putting it in writing is part of doing this the right way.

The only reason we'll come into the home in connection with the sale is to show it to possible buyers. That can also include letting in the people a sale involves, like appraisers, contractors, or inspectors.

II. How We'll Handle Entry and Showings

Before we come in to show the home, we'll give you at least twenty-four (24) hours' notice. Under California law, 24 hours counts as reasonable notice unless there's a clear reason it isn't. Each notice will tell you the date, a rough time window for the visit, and why we're coming in. We'll schedule showings during normal business hours, generally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, unless you agree to another time.

III. Spoken Notice for the Next 120 Days

California law lets us do one thing a little differently while the home is for sale. Because the property is listed and you're receiving this written notice, for the next one hundred and twenty (120) days from the date above, we're allowed to tell you about a showing out loud, either in person or by phone. That means we, or our real estate agent, may reach out directly to set up a showing for a buyer with at least 24 hours' spoken notice. This written letter is what makes that allowed: it tells you the home is for sale and that we may give showing notices out loud from here on. After the 120 days are up, we go back to giving 24-hour written notice for every entry.

IV. Your Tenancy Continues

Selling the property does not end your lease. The rights you have as a tenant stay in place through the sale and after it. You do not have to move out just because we are selling. Your lease, your rent, and every term of your agreement stay the same. The only real change for now is that we may need to bring buyers and the people involved in a sale through the home, and every time we do, we will give you the notice described above. We want this to be as easy on you as possible, and clear notice ahead of each visit is how we plan to keep it that way.

Signature of Owner or Agent: ____________________

Date: ____________________

Further legal context and document generation can be found at (/legal-document/notice-to-tenants-of-intent-to-sell).

California Requirements for Notice to Tenants of Intent to Sell

24-Hour Advance Notice to Show

At least 24 hours' notice must be provided before entering an occupied unit to show it to prospective or actual buyers. California Civil Code § 1954 presumes 24 hours is reasonable.

120-Day Oral Notice Option

After providing initial written notice that the property is for sale, the landlord may give subsequent showing notices orally (in person or by phone) for the next 120 days.

Purpose Limited to Sale Activities

Entry must be for the purpose of exhibiting the unit to prospective purchasers, appraisers, or inspectors related to the sale. The notice must state the date, time, and purpose.

Entry During Business Hours

Showings and other sale-related entries must occur during normal business hours, typically defined as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, unless the tenant consents to another time.

Proper Written Notice Delivery

The initial written notice of sale must be delivered personally, left with a suitable person at the residence, or posted and mailed to be legally effective.

Tenancy Survives Sale

A property sale does not terminate a lease. The new owner inherits the existing rental agreement, whether it is a fixed-term or month-to-month tenancy.

Termination Notice Rules Apply

To terminate a month-to-month tenancy, landlords must provide 30 days' notice (for tenancies under one year) or 60 days' notice (for tenancies of one year or more), subject to any just-cause eviction laws.

Tenant Cannot Unreasonably Refuse Entry

While tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment, they cannot unreasonably withhold consent to the landlord to enter the unit when proper and lawful notice has been given for a showing.

Frequently Asked Questions

California presumes 24 hours' notice is reasonable before I enter to show the unit (Cal. Civ. Code § 1954), and the showing has to fall within normal business hours unless my tenant agrees otherwise.

Yes, but only after I've given written notice within the past 120 days stating the property is for sale and that I may phone about showings. During that window, oral notice by phone or in person suffices.

A sale doesn't cancel the lease; the buyer inherits it and becomes the landlord. A month-to-month tenancy still needs 30 days' notice to end (under a year) or 60 days (a year or more), plus any local just-cause rules.

With proper 24-hour notice for a business-hours showing, my tenant can't unreasonably refuse entry. Their quiet-enjoyment right doesn't override lawful, properly noticed access for a sale showing.

Sale-related entries are limited to normal business hours, generally 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. To show on a weekend or in the evening, I need my tenant's consent first.

The notice requirement follows my tenant's possession. Once the unit is fully vacant and the tenant has surrendered possession by returning the keys, I no longer owe any entry notice before going in.

Declare my intention to sell right at the top, then set out clearly how I'll arrange showings so my tenant stays informed. I also make a point of reassuring my tenant that an existing fixed-term lease continues without interruption, keeping every term intact even once a new owner takes over.

Rely on a delivery method that documents my tenant's receipt of the notice. Personally handing it over is a solid choice, certified mail with a return receipt provides a paper trail, and any approach the lease sanctions is equally fine. Proof of receipt is what counts.

Move the deposit into the buyer's hands when ownership transfers at closing, passing it from me to whoever purchases the property. The new owner then steps into my role, holding the funds and remaining accountable for returning them to my tenant at the end of the tenancy.