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AB 628 Is Now In Effect — California Property Managers

One Recalled Appliance. Zero Warning.
Your Tenants Can Stop Paying Rent Today.

AB 628 made recalled appliances a habitability issue - giving tenants the right to withhold rent, demand retroactive clawbacks, and file coordinated complaints. RecallProof monitors your entire portfolio against the federal recall database in real time, so you're protected before they act.

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AB 628 in effect Jan 1, 2026 Real-time CPSC monitoring RecallCert™ documentation included
RecallProof
Live
Portfolio Status
Portfolio Status
248 appliances · 12 properties
✓ 245 Compliant
Compliant
⚠ 2 Needs Review
Review
✗ 1 RECALL MATCH
Alert
🔔 Recall Alert
GE Refrigerator - Unit 412
Sunset Apts  ·  Recall #21-234  ·  CPSC
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250
Fires from One
Recalled Range Model5
$17M
Property Damage from
One Recalled Appliance8
1.7M
Units Recalled in One Action9
Frigidaire, Danby, Keystone & others
$6.75M
Multi-Unit Settlement10
Known defect + failure to act, 48 tenants
See citations 5 8 9 10 at page bottom.

AB 628 Didn't Just Change the Law.
It Changed Your Liability.

Tenant advocacy groups are actively distributing guides on how to check the federal recall database and file habitability complaints. The clock is already ticking.

Rent Withholding

Tenants can legally stop paying rent the moment a recalled appliance is identified in their unit. No court order required. No warning. No grace period. The right is immediate and automatic under AB 628.

Retroactive Clawback

Tenants can demand repayment of ALL rent paid since the recall was first published - even if that's years ago. A Samsung range recalled in 2023 means 3+ years of retroactive exposure per unit. Every month of unpaid-but-collected rent becomes a liability.

Class Action Risk

One tenant in Building A discovers a recalled stove. Their attorney checks your other buildings. Suddenly 200 units are filing coordinated clawback claims. AB 628 makes these cases straightforward to bring - and very expensive to defend.

⚠️
Tenant advocacy groups like the California Tenants Union, Tenants Together, and ACCE are actively educating renters about AB 628. They've published step-by-step guides. They're running workshops. They're distributing recall lookup tools. This isn't theoretical. It's happening now - and your tenants may already know their rights.
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Get protected before your tenants file. Setup takes minutes.

The Legal Standard Already Exists

California courts have awarded habitability damages for recalled and defective appliances for decades. AB 628 didn’t create the risk — it eliminated “I didn’t know” as a defense.

$50,600
One appliance · one unit · Cal. App. 1987
Per Unit
Damages multiply across your portfolio Every affected unit runs its own clock from the CPSC publication date — independently, simultaneously.
Per Day
“I didn’t know” is no longer a defense AB 628 makes CPSC publication constructive notice. The clock starts whether you were watching or not.

Active recalls in rental inventory right now

Samsung Slide-In Electric Ranges — 250 fires, 40 injuries. Clock running since Aug 2024.
AstroAI Mini-Fridges — 249,000 units — Fire hazard. Common in furnished & student units. Federal class action filed.
RecallProof monitors every active recall against your exact inventory — and generates a RecallCert™ the moment you act.
That timestamp is what separates a resolved compliance matter from an open habitability claim. It’s the only documentation courts and insurers recognize under AB 628.
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Four Steps to Full Compliance

It takes minutes to get started. We handle everything after that.

1

Register

Upload your inventory via CSV, manual entry, or sync from AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi. We immediately scan for any active recalls on Day 1.

2

Capture

Maintenance snaps a photo of each appliance data plate. Our AI pulls make, model, and serial automatically - no typing, no errors.

3

Track

RecallProof monitors the federal recall database in real time against your exact inventory — and alerts you the moment a match hits, before your tenants know.

4

Certify

Once resolved, one click generates your RecallCert™ — timestamped proof of compliance, remediation log, and inventory snapshot. Court-ready, instantly downloadable.

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The Compliance Layer AppFolio
and Buildium Don't Have.

Purpose-built for California property managers. Every feature designed around AB 628 compliance - and it works alongside AppFolio, Buildium, and Yardi, not instead of them.

In many cases, property managers pay $0 for remediation. Manufacturers like Whirlpool, GE, and Samsung are required to cover repair or replacement costs on recalled appliances — RecallProof handles the OEM coordination so remediation doesn’t come out of your pocket.

30-Day SLA Management

AB 628 gives you 30 days to remediate. RecallProof tracks every open item against that deadline automatically — countdown timers, status tracking, automated reminders. Nothing falls through the cracks.

AI Data Plate Capture

Point. Shoot. Done. Our AI reads appliance data plates and extracts make, model, and serial number automatically. No manual entry, no transcription errors - just accurate data, every time.

Live Portfolio Inventory

Every appliance, every unit, every building - tracked in one dashboard. Filter by property, floor, appliance type, or recall status in seconds. Your entire portfolio, always up to date.

Real-Time Recall Monitoring

We check the federal recall database in real time. The moment a recall touches your inventory, you know about it - before your tenants do. You're always the first to know.

Multi-Channel Instant Alerts

Email and SMS alerts the moment a recall matches your inventory. Real-time notifications reach the right people on the right channels, every time - no delays, no manual checking.

RecallCert™

One click generates a court-ready RecallCert: complete inventory, recall history, remediation log, and timestamped evidence trail. Gives your legal team exactly what they need - instantly.

30-Day SLA Management

You Approve. We Handle Everything Else.

When a recall hits your inventory, RecallProof manages the entire remediation workflow inside the 30-day AB 628 window. Your only job is to approve the action — we do the rest.

RecallProof
Recall Detected
We match the CPSC database against your live inventory in real time. 30-day clock starts automatically.
RecallProof
You’re Alerted
Instant email & SMS with affected units, appliances, and your countdown already running.
You — one tap
Approve the Fix
Authorize repair or replacement. This is the only step that requires you.
RecallProof
RecallCert™ Generated
Clock stopped. Remediation logged. Court-ready certificate issued. You’re documented.
Most managers spend a few minutes per recall event — we handle the rest. RecallProof tracks every deadline, escalates automatically, coordinates OEM remediation, and generates your documentation. The workflow runs without you — your compliance isn’t something you need to remember.
Countdown timers per unit
OEM coordination handled
Automated escalation reminders
RecallCert™ on completion
RecallProof Total Coverage Guarantee
$1,000,000
Full Protection  ·  Every Unit  ·  Zero Exceptions
We don't just document your compliance - we stand behind it. If RecallProof ever fails to detect a recall or deliver an alert it should have caught, we make it right. Full remediation support, immediate team activation, and legal resources - all at zero cost to you. No runaround. No exceptions.

Remediation Support

Our ops team activates immediately to help coordinate appliance replacement and tenant communication so you can respond fast and document everything correctly.

Legal Support

We connect you with our network of California habitability attorneys at no cost to you. Experienced counsel, activated immediately - because you shouldn't be navigating this alone.

Direct Response

Dedicated incident manager assigned within 4 hours of a verified platform-side failure. One point of contact. Full accountability. No runaround through support tickets.

The RecallProof Total Coverage Guarantee applies to verified platform-side compliance gaps on covered incidents. Terms and conditions apply. See our Service Level Agreement for full details.
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Join property managers already protected under AB 628.

The Law

What AB 628 Actually Requires

Plain English. No legal jargon.

Effective January 1, 2026, California AB 628 classified recalled appliances as a statutory habitability violation under Civil Code §1941.1. This isn't a grey area. It isn't a technicality. It is the law - and it changes everything about how property managers must approach appliance inventory.

  • A landlord's knowledge of a recall is presumed from the date of CPSC publication - not from when you personally find out. "I didn't know" is not a defense.
  • Tenants can withhold rent immediately upon identifying a recalled appliance - no court order needed, no advance notice required.
  • Landlords have 30 days to remediate once notified. Miss that window and penalties compound daily.
  • Retroactive exposure extends back to the original recall publication date - potentially years of rent repayment liability on every affected unit.
  • All appliance types are covered: ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, HVAC units, water heaters, washers, dryers, and any appliance included in the lease or habitability warranty.
AB 628 Key Requirements
  • ✓ 30-day remediation window from date of notice
  • ✓ Retroactive rent exposure to recall's original publish date
  • ✓ CPSC publish date = legal notice date - not when you find out
  • ✓ All appliance types covered: stoves, fridges, HVAC, water heaters, washers, dryers
  • ✓ No court order required for tenant rent withholding
  • ✓ Applies to all appliances included in lease or habitability warranty
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Straightforward Pricing. No Surprises.

Every feature included at every tier. Per-unit rate decreases as your portfolio grows. No setup fees, no long-term contracts.

Save 20%
$2.00 /unit/month
You save -/year

Let's build a custom plan for your portfolio.

For portfolios over 5,000 units, we offer volume pricing, dedicated onboarding, and custom integration support.

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Every feature included at every volume. No setup fees. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime.

Why This Can’t Wait.

AB 628 is already in effect. These are the facts on the ground right now.

$6,750,000 One building. 48 tenants. One landlord who didn’t act. A San Francisco landlord faced California’s largest single-case tenant settlement at the time. The legal standard: known defect, failure to act. AB 628 makes a published CPSC recall a known defect by statute — the moment it publishes, that standard applies to every affected unit in your portfolio.
$6,750,000 Settlement10
SF Mission District, 2018 · Greenstein & McDonald P.C.
“I didn’t know” is not a defense. It hasn’t been for 40 years. Under California law, a landlord’s knowledge of a defect is presumed from the date it became knowable. AB 628 operationalizes this for recalled appliances: the CPSC publication date is the legal notice date. Every day after that without remediation is documented exposure — per unit, per month.
The Legal Standard
Becker v. IRM Corp., 38 Cal.3d 454 (1985) · AB 628, Civil Code §1941.1
Day 31. That’s when the exposure is fully documented. AB 628 gives you exactly 30 days to remediate after notice. Miss that window and the habitability clock has been running the entire time — every unit, every month, independently. RecallCert™ creates timestamped proof you acted. Without it, you’re defending a gap in the record with nothing.
30 Days. Then Exposure.
AB 628, Civil Code §1941.1 · RecallCert™ closes the loop

Frequently Asked Questions

No. RecallProof works alongside your existing property management software - the same way Brex works alongside your bank, or Gusto alongside your HR system. AppFolio and Buildium manage leases, rent, and maintenance. RecallProof handles appliance recall compliance: serial-number-level CPSC monitoring, OEM remediation coordination, and court-ready documentation. We sync directly with AppFolio and Buildium via API (Professional plan and above), so your inventory stays current automatically.
That's exactly what the RecallProof Total Coverage Guarantee covers. If a failure is traceable to a gap on our end - a recall we should have caught and didn't, or an alert we failed to deliver - we activate immediately at zero cost: ops team to coordinate remediation, connections to our California habitability attorney network, and a dedicated incident manager within 4 hours. Backed up to $1,000,000 per covered incident. Full terms in our SLA.
No. RecallProof scales from single-property landlords to institutional operators. Pricing adjusts by portfolio size - use the calculator above to see your rate. AB 628 applies equally regardless of how many units you own, and the cost of a habitability judgment doesn't scale with portfolio size. Your protection should be in place before the claim arrives, not after.
Most property managers are fully operational in under an hour. Upload your inventory via CSV, sync from AppFolio or Buildium, or enter manually. Then send the mobile scanner link to your maintenance team - they photograph appliance data plates on their normal rounds, no special equipment needed. You're protected from the moment your first appliance is uploaded. Our onboarding team is available 7 days a week if you need help.
AB 628, effective January 1, 2026, amended California Civil Code §1941.1 to classify recalled appliances as a statutory habitability violation. It applies to any California residential lease entered, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026 - in practice, nearly every active rental in the state. Critically: landlords are presumed to have knowledge of a recall from the date of CPSC publication. "I didn't know" is not a defense. Tenants can withhold rent immediately upon identifying a recalled appliance, with no court order required.
It depends on how many units contain the same recalled appliance model and how long it went unaddressed. The key insight is that recalled appliances are typically bought in bulk - the same model across multiple units. When one model is recalled, exposure stacks independently across every affected unit on the same day.

Exposure components: Civil Code §1942.4 special damages ($100-$5,000 per unit), retroactive rent abatement under the Cazares v. Ortiz percentage-reduction formula (per unit, per month, from the recall date), repair-and-deduct claims, and attorney fees - which are typically recoverable and in California habitability cases often exceed the underlying damages.

What the record shows: In 2018, a San Francisco landlord who failed to act on a known building defect faced a $6,750,000 settlement covering 48 tenants in a single building - described by plaintiffs' counsel as the largest single-case tenant settlement in Northern California history at the time (Greenstein & McDonald P.C., Representative Results). That case involved a known defect and failure to act - the exact legal standard AB 628 now applies to recalled appliances by statute. Multi-unit habitability cases in LA and SF counties routinely settle above $1 million. With AB 628 in effect, a CPSC recall publication is constructive notice of a defect from day one - making these cases faster and cheaper for tenant attorneys to bring than ever before.

Get Protected Before
Your Tenants File.

AB 628 is in effect. The 30-day remediation clock is running on every recalled appliance in your portfolio right now. Don't find out about a recall from a rent withholding notice.

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California property managers All portfolio sizes AB 628 compliant from day one
Sources & Citations
  1. Camacho v. Schaefer, 193 Cal.App.3d 718 (1987). Single rental unit; non-functioning appliance. Court awarded $33,100 in damages + $17,500 in attorney fees = $50,600 total exposure. Attorney fees separately recoverable and alone exceeded half the damages award.
  2. Cazares v. Ortiz, 109 Cal.App.3d Supp. 23. Established the percentage-reduction formula for California habitability damages: (fair rental value as warranted) - (fair rental value in actual condition) × months of violation, per unit. Civil Code §1942.4 adds special statutory damages and prohibits rent collection during the violation period. Each affected unit is an independent calculation.
  3. Cazares v. Ortiz, see note 2. Formula applies independently to each affected unit from the date of untenantability.
  4. Becker v. IRM Corp., 38 Cal.3d 454 (Cal. Supreme Court, 1985). Landlords strictly liable for defective conditions regardless of actual knowledge. AB 628 extends this doctrine: CPSC recall publication constitutes constructive notice by statute.
  5. CPSC Recall #24-335 (August 2024). Samsung Slide-In Electric Ranges. Approximately 250 fires reported; 40 injuries; 18 causing extensive property damage. Source: CPSC.gov / SaferProducts Database.
  6. CPSC Recall #25-086 (2025). AstroAI Inc. mini-refrigerators. 249,000 units recalled for fire and burn hazard. 70 overheating incidents, 2 fires, $360,000 in property damage. Federal class action filed. Source: CPSC.gov.
  7. Samsung Slide-In Electric Ranges, CPSC Recall #24-335 (2024) - approximately 250 fires reported, 40 injuries, 18 causing extensive property damage. See note 5.
  8. One recalled appliance model; 107 fire incidents; ~$17M in documented property damage. Source: CPSC SaferProducts Database.
  9. Midea window air conditioners, CPSC Recall #25-320 (June 2025). Sold as Frigidaire, Danby, Keystone, Mr. Cool and others. 1.7 million units.
  10. $6,750,000 settlement, 2018. 48 tenants displaced by fire at San Francisco Mission District property. Greenstein & McDonald P.C., Representative Results (greensteinmcdonald.com). Described as the largest single-case tenant settlement in Northern California history at time of resolution.