No. In California, when your building is sold, the new landlord takes over your existing lease. During a fixed-term lease, they can’t raise your rent, change your rules, or make you sign a new lease. Your security deposit must be transferred to them or returned to you. After your lease ends, they can make changes only with proper written notice and within California’s rent cap and just cause rules. A sale by itself is not a legal reason to evict you.
You get a notice that your building has been sold and a new landlord is taking over. Will your rent go up? Can they rewrite the rules overnight? A property sale can feel like starting over, but your lease is a legal contract, and it doesn’t disappear just because the building changed hands.
1. Your Lease Stays With the Property, Not the Old Landlord
When a rental property is sold, the new owner generally takes it subject to existing leases. If you have a fixed-term lease, the new owner must honor it:
- Your rent stays the same until your lease ends
- Your lease end date doesn’t change
- The rules in your current lease still apply
- Your security deposit must be transferred or returned
If you’re month to month, the new owner can change terms, but only with proper notice and within California’s rent cap and just cause rules.
2. When Can the New Landlord Change Your Rent or Rules?
Mostly after your lease ends. Even then, for covered units, the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) caps yearly rent increases at 5% plus local inflation or 10%, whichever is lower, and the landlord must give written notice: 30 days for increases of 10% or less, and 90 days for larger ones.
During your lease, the new landlord can’t:
- Raise your rent
- Change pet, parking, or guest rules in your lease
- Reduce services included in your lease
- Force you to sign a new lease with different terms
After your lease ends, they can:
- Offer a new lease with updated terms
- Raise rent within legal limits, with proper notice
- Change some building rules with advance notice
Learn how to fight an illegal rent increase.
3. What Happens to Your Security Deposit After a Sale?
Under Civil Code §1950.5, the old owner must either transfer your deposit to the new owner and notify you, or return it to you with an itemized list of any deductions. If neither happens, the new owner can be held responsible for your deposit along with the old owner. You shouldn’t lose your deposit because of a deal between two landlords.
Keep copies of your lease, proof of your deposit payment, and any messages about the deposit amount.
4. Can the New Landlord Evict You After Buying the Property?
Not just because they bought it. Under California’s just cause rules, most tenants who have lived in a unit for 12 months or more can only be evicted for a legal reason, and a sale isn’t one. A new owner may have a no-fault reason, like moving in or a substantial remodel, but must follow strict notice rules and usually pay relocation money. For more, see do I have to move if they sell the building?
5. What to Do Right Now if Your Building Was Sold
- Read your lease and note your end date, rent, and included services.
- Get the new owner’s name and contact information in writing, and confirmation that your lease will be honored.
- Confirm your deposit in writing and keep copies of all messages.
- Don’t sign anything new mid-lease without legal review.
- Get help early if you receive a rent increase, new rules, or a notice to move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the new landlord change everything about my lease after buying the property?
No. The new landlord must honor your existing lease until it ends, including your rent, rules, and included services.
Does my lease end when the property is sold?
No. A fixed-term lease survives a sale, and the new owner steps into the old landlord’s role.
Can the new landlord raise my rent after buying the building?
Not during your lease. Afterward, they must follow AB 1482’s rent cap for covered units and give 30 or 90 days’ written notice.
What happens to my security deposit when the property is sold?
It must be transferred to the new owner, with notice to you, or returned to you with an itemized list. If neither happens, the new owner can be responsible for it.
Can the new owner evict me just because they bought the property?
No. A sale isn’t a legal reason to evict. The new owner needs a valid just cause and must follow proper notice rules.
Do I have to sign a new lease with the new landlord?
Not during your current lease. Don’t sign a new lease with different terms without legal review.
Your Lease Protects You, But You Have to Enforce It
A property sale doesn’t erase your rights. At The Law Firm For Tenant Rights, Inc., we help California tenants facing illegal rent hikes, pressure to move, wrongful evictions, and landlord harassment after a sale. Contact us or call 866-939-8224 for a free consultation.
Have another question? See all our tenant rights FAQs.