Getting Your Coronado Home Rent-Ready

A Coronado home is rent-ready when it meets California's habitability rules (including, for leases entered into, amended or extended since January 1, 2026, a working stove and refrigerator), has working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, is repaired and deep cleaned, is cleared of the things you are not leaving for the tenant, and has been photographed room by room before move-in. Do the legal items first, then the repairs that salt air causes, then the cleaning and photos, and list the home once you know the date it will be empty.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the details for your situation with a California attorney or tax professional. Legal points are stated as of October 2026.

Key takeaways

• California requires a stove and a refrigerator in good working order for leases entered into, amended or extended on or after January 1, 2026 (Civ. Code § 1941.1, as amended by AB 628).
• Smoke alarms must be operable when a new tenancy starts, and a carbon monoxide device is required if the home has a fossil-fuel appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage.
• For tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025, you must photograph the unit immediately before or at the start of the tenancy to support later deposit deductions.
• In Coronado, a lease generally has to include all buildings and habitable units on the lot, so plan around any guest house or accessory building before you list.
• From January 1, 2027, digitally altered listing photos (including virtual staging) need a disclosure and the original image.

Step 1: Meet the legal minimums

Start here, because these items are not optional and some take time to source.

Habitability. Civil Code § 1941.1 (opens in a new tab) treats a home as untenantable if it substantially lacks waterproofing and weather protection, working plumbing and gas, hot and cold running water and sewage, heating, electrical lighting, clean grounds free of vermin, garbage receptacles, or floors, stairs and railings in good repair. Walk the house with that list in hand.

Stove and refrigerator. For a lease entered into, amended or extended on or after January 1, 2026, you must provide a stove that can safely generate heat for cooking and a refrigerator that can safely store food, both in good working order. Two details:

• A recalled appliance does not count. If you get notice of a recall, repair or replace it within 30 days.
• The tenant may choose to bring their own refrigerator, but only through a specific checkbox statement in the lease, with the right to ask you to install one on 30 days' written notice. You may not require a tenant to supply a refrigerator. There is no opt-out for the stove.

Smoke alarms. Under Health and Safety Code § 13113.7, the owner of a rented single-family home is responsible for testing and maintaining smoke alarms and must make sure they are operable when a new tenancy is created. Owners of rented units were required to bring alarm locations up to current building standards by January 1, 2016.

Carbon monoxide. A State Fire Marshal listed carbon monoxide device is required in a dwelling with a fossil-fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, and it must be operable when the tenant takes possession (H&S §§ 17926, 17926.1). If your home has any of these, check the number and placement of devices against the manufacturer's instructions.

Older homes. If the home was built before 1978, you must give the federal lead disclosure and EPA pamphlet before the tenant is bound by the lease. The California landlord laws guide lists the other required notices.

Step 2: Fix what salt air and time have worn down

Coronado is bordered almost entirely by San Diego Bay and the Pacific, and the whole city is in the Coastal Zone, so give exposed metal and moving parts a close look. Before photos, walk the house and fix:

Small items that are annoying to you become repair requests from a tenant. Fixing them now also gives you a clean baseline in your move-in photos. For a seasonal plan after the tenant moves in, see coastal maintenance for Coronado rentals and maintenance services.

Step 3: Decide what stays and what goes

Tenants rent space, not your belongings. Decide early, because it affects your insurance, your listing and your photos.

• Remove personal items, documents, valuables, and anything you would be upset to see worn or damaged.
• Leave on purpose the items you want the tenant to use, such as window coverings or a washer and dryer, and list them in the lease. A landlord insurance policy typically covers your own property left for tenants, so tell your insurer what stays.
• Think twice about furnished. A furnished rental changes your costs and the kind of rental you offer, but the security deposit cap is the same: one month's rent, furnished or not (Civ. Code § 1950.5).

Guest houses and accessory buildings. Coronado's code says that no building or portion of a building may be leased apart from the entire parcel, and a lease of part of a lot violates the rule unless it includes all buildings and habitable units on the lot. There is a narrow exception for an owner who lives in the home and rents a room that is not in an accessory building (CMC § 86.56.100(H)). If you planned to keep a guest house or accessory building for your own use while renting the main home, check this rule with the city or an attorney before you list.

Step 4: Deep clean, then photograph everything

Clean before you photograph, because those photos set the standard at move-out. Under Civil Code § 1950.5, deposit deductions for cleaning are limited to returning the unit to the level of cleanliness it had at the start of the tenancy, so a professionally cleaned, documented home protects you later.

Then take the move-in photos California now requires. For tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord must take photos of the unit immediately before or at the start of the tenancy. They are used alongside move-out photos when you itemize deductions. A practical routine:

1. Photograph every room from two corners, plus closets, inside cabinets and inside appliances.
2. Take close-ups of existing marks, worn flooring and any damage you are not repairing.
3. Photograph the exterior, yard, garage and any outdoor equipment.
4. Save the files with the date and address, and give the tenant a move-in condition checklist to sign.

Step 5: Listing photos, timing and HOA notice

Listing photos. Starting January 1, 2027, AB 2025 requires anyone using a digitally altered image in a rental ad (AI-generated, or edited to add, remove or change fixtures, furniture, flooring, paint, landscaping or views) to disclose it on or next to the image and provide the unaltered original or a link to it. Ordinary lighting, white balance, cropping and exposure edits are excluded. If you plan virtual staging, build that into your listing now.

Ad wording. Describe the home, its features and the rules (pets, smoking, parking), never the kind of person you want. California's fair housing law bars ads that state a preference based on protected traits, including source of income and military status.

Timing. Work back from the day the home will be empty: repairs and cleaning first, photos next, then the listing, so showings happen on a home that looks the way the listing says. Your rent estimate should be set before you list; see how much rent a Coronado home can get.

HOA. If the home is in an association, California law requires you to give the HOA verification of the date you acquired title and the prospective tenant's name and contact information before renting (Civ. Code § 4740). Ask now about tenant registration, move-in reservations and amenity access.

The first-year landlord checklist picks up from move-in day. The Coronado Rental Guide has the rest of the series.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to provide a refrigerator in my Coronado rental?

For leases entered into, amended or extended on or after January 1, 2026, yes, unless the tenant chooses to supply their own through the specific checkbox statement in Civil Code § 1941.1. You cannot make bringing a refrigerator a condition of renting, and you must still provide a working stove, which has no opt-out.

Do smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have to work before a tenant moves in?

Yes. Health and Safety Code § 13113.7 requires smoke alarms to be operable when a new tenancy is created, and § 17926.1 requires a carbon monoxide device to be operable when the tenant takes possession in homes with a fossil-fuel appliance, fireplace or attached garage. The owner maintains them and fixes defects the tenant reports.

What move-in photos does California require?

For tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025, Civil Code § 1950.5(g) requires the landlord to photograph the unit immediately before or at the start of the tenancy. Photos are also required after the tenant moves out, both before and after any repairs or cleaning, and they go with the itemized deposit statement.

Can I use virtually staged photos to list my Coronado rental?

You can, but from January 1, 2027, AB 2025 requires a conspicuous disclosure on or next to any digitally altered image in a rental ad, plus the unaltered original or a link to it. Ordinary edits to lighting, white balance, cropping or exposure are excluded from the rule.

Can I keep using my guest house while I rent out the main house?

Check first. Coronado Municipal Code § 86.56.100(H) says no building or portion of a building may be leased apart from the entire parcel, and a lease of part of a lot violates the rule unless it includes all buildings and habitable units on the lot. The owner-occupant exception is narrow, so confirm your plan with the city or an attorney.

Next step: price it before you list

Once the home is ready, the rent you ask decides how quickly it leases. Get a rent estimate and the reasoning behind it with a free Coronado rental analysis. McKee Properties has managed rentals from its Coronado office since 1989 and offers the analysis with no obligation.