AB 1414: Landlord-tenant: internet service provider subscriptions. - California

06/19/25 - Amended Senate → 08/26/25 - Amended Senate · 5 edits · Aug 26, 2025

MODERATE

The August 2025 Senate amendment to AB 1414 significantly reworks the bill's approach to internet service provider subscriptions in rental agreements. It expands coverage to existing month-to-month and periodic tenancies (not just new ones), removes an outright ban on landlords requiring tenants to use a specific ISP, and reframes the tenant right as an option to opt out of paying for the subscription rather than opting out of the subscription itself.

SCOPE

Coverage expanded from 'tenancy commenced or renewed' to 'residential tenancy commenced, renewed, or continuing on a month-to-month or other periodic basis.' This means existing tenants on month-to-month or other periodic leases are now protected, not just those entering new or renewed fixed-term leases.

Changed the description of covered services from those 'offered as part of residing in the dwelling unit' to those provided 'in connection with the lease,' which is a broader and more lease-focused framing.

REQUIREMENT

The outright prohibition on landlords requiring tenants to subscribe to a specific internet service provider was removed. The bill no longer bans the practice itself; it only requires that an opt-out option be provided.

ELIGIBILITY

The tenant right changed from 'opt out of any subscription' to 'opt out of paying for any subscription.' This is a narrower protection: tenants can refuse to pay but the language no longer clearly lets them reject the service arrangement entirely.

DEFINITION

Added the phrase 'such as through a bulk-billing arrangement' to clarify that the opt-out applies to arrangements where the landlord bundles ISP costs into rent or charges.

10/10/25 - Chaptered → AB1414 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes occurred between these two versions. The diff reflects a transition from the official authenticated chaptered document format to a web page rendering of the same bill text. All legal provisions in Section 1942.8 remain identical.

TECHNICAL

The document was reformatted from an official authenticated legislative document (with state header, page numbers, and traditional formatting) into a web page layout with navigation menus, metadata panels, version history links, and publication date information.

09/02/25 - Amended Senate → 09/12/25 - Enrolled · 3 edits · Sep 12, 2025

MINOR

AB 1414 moved from its amended Senate version to enrolled status after passing both chambers (Senate Sept 9, Assembly Sept 10, 2025). The only substantive text changes are minor drafting corrections: the phrase 'provide allow the tenant with the option to opt out' was cleaned up to 'allow the tenant to opt out,' and the word 'lease' was changed to 'tenancy' in subdivision (a) for consistency. No policy changes were made.

TECHNICAL

Subdivision (a) language was corrected from 'shall provide allow the tenant with the option to opt out' to 'shall allow the tenant to opt out,' removing redundant and contradictory drafting language left over from an earlier version.

In subdivision (a), 'in connection with the lease' was changed to 'in connection with the tenancy' to align terminology with the rest of the section, which consistently uses 'tenancy.'

The legislative counsel's digest was updated to remove 'as amended' and reflect the final enrolled text language.

09/12/25 - Enrolled → 10/10/25 - Chaptered · 1 edit · Oct 10, 2025

MINOR

This diff reflects the transition of AB 1414 from its enrolled version to its chaptered (signed into law) version. No substantive policy changes were made. The only new information is the assignment of Chapter 506 and the gubernatorial approval date of October 10, 2025.

TECHNICAL

The bill was assigned Chapter 506 and received gubernatorial approval on October 10, 2025. All statutory text (Section 1942.8, subdivisions a through e) remains unchanged from the enrolled version.

08/26/25 - Amended Senate → 09/02/25 - Amended Senate · 3 edits · Sep 2, 2025

MINOR

The September 2 amendment removes all references to associations (homeowners associations and condominium associations) as covered entities under the bill. Previously, the bill applied to both regular landlords and association landlords governed by the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act. The amended version narrows the scope to only landlords and their agents, eliminating the requirement that HOAs and condo boards offer tenants the option to opt out of bundled internet subscriptions.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing all applicability to associations (HOAs and condominium associations). It now applies only to landlords and their agents, not to association-managed common interest developments.

SCOPE

All references to 'an association landlord or their agent' were removed from every subsection (a) through (e). The bill no longer applies to common interest developments (HOAs, condominiums) managed by associations.

The summary paragraph describing existing law under the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act and its requirements for associations to manage common interest developments was deleted.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Association' referencing Section 4080 (Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act) was removed from the definitions subsection.

03/13/25 - Amended Assembly → 06/19/25 - Amended Senate · 7 edits · Jun 19, 2025

MODERATE

The Senate amendment removed the career technical education provision entirely and significantly expanded the tenant internet access provision. The bill now applies to landlords, their agents, and common interest development associations, requires them to offer tenants an opt-out option for bundled ISP subscriptions (rather than merely prohibiting forced subscriptions), adds a retaliation protection, includes an exemption for bulk-billing arrangements, and sets an effective date of January 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from covering only landlord-tenant relationships to also covering common interest development associations (HOAs/condo associations) and their agents. The effective date was set at January 1, 2026, applying only to new or renewed tenancies on or after that date. The Education Code provision was dropped entirely.

SCOPE

The entire Education Code amendment (Section 51226) regarding career technical education curriculum standards was removed from the bill. This provision had been described as nonsubstantive changes.

The obligated parties expanded from just 'a landlord' to 'a landlord, or their agent, or an association,' bringing common interest development associations (HOAs/condo associations) under the new requirements.

An exemption was added (subdivision d) stating the section does not prevent a landlord or agent from offering bulk-billing arrangements to tenants.

REQUIREMENT

The core obligation changed from a flat prohibition on requiring tenants to subscribe to a specific ISP to a requirement that landlords/agents/associations provide tenants with the option to opt out of any third-party ISP subscription for wired internet, cellular, or satellite service offered as part of residing in the unit.

TIMELINE

An effective date was added: the provisions apply to tenancies commenced or renewed on or after January 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

A new retaliation protection was added (subdivision b), prohibiting landlords, agents, or associations from retaliating against tenants for exercising their rights under the section, consistent with Section 1942.5 protections.

DEFINITION

A definition for 'Association' was added, referencing Section 4080 of the Civil Code (Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act), clarifying that HOAs and condo associations are covered.

02/21/25 - Introduced → 03/13/25 - Amended Assembly · 5 edits · Mar 13, 2025

MODERATE

The amendment adds an entirely new topic to the bill: a prohibition on landlords requiring tenants to subscribe to a specific internet service provider, with a rent deduction remedy for violations. This significantly expands the bill's scope from a single career technical education cleanup into a two-topic bill. The original Education Code changes remain primarily nonsubstantive, removing outdated deadlines and redundant language.

SCOPE

Added new Section 1942.8 to the Civil Code prohibiting landlords from requiring tenants to subscribe to a specific internet service provider. This is a completely new policy area unrelated to the bill's original career technical education purpose.

ENFORCEMENT

If a landlord violates the ISP requirement prohibition, the tenant may deduct the cost of the forced subscription from their rent as a self-help remedy.

DEFINITION

Defines 'internet service provider' by incorporating the definition from Civil Code Section 3100.

TECHNICAL

Removed outdated deadline of January 1, 1985 for the State Board of Education to adopt CTE curriculum policies, and removed the expired June 1, 2005 deadline for adopting career technical education course standards.

Cleaned up redundant language throughout Section 51226, such as changing 'the superintendent Superintendent' to 'The Superintendent' and 'State Board of Education state board' to 'state board'.

Landlord-tenant: internet service provider subscriptions.

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