Don’t Go It Alone—Why Leasing Your Home Solo in 2025 is Riskier Than Ever

Don’t Go It Alone—Why Leasing Your Home Solo in 2025 is Riskier Than Ever

After teaming up with Austin Lampson and her team for our recent Lunch & Learn, I’ve come to a straightforward conclusion: going solo on leasing out your property just isn’t worth the risk anymore. California’s current rental laws are an intricate web, and with recent legal shifts, the stakes have only gotten higher. This isn’t just about “dotting i’s and crossing t’s”—it’s about navigating a field where even minor mistakes can have big consequences.

The Legal Maze: California Rental Laws Are No Joke

Over the past few years, California has introduced sweeping changes like the Tenant Protection Act and just cause eviction laws under SB 567. Then there’s AB 2801, coming in 2025, which tightens the rules around security deposits, requiring landlords to photograph units before and after a tenant’s stay, and forbidding automatic cleaning fees. This builds on AB 12, which limits security deposits to one month for many leases. Together, these laws demand a level of detail and precision that most of us aren’t trained to handle.

I want to be real with you—keeping up with these changes is tough, even for professionals. There’s a reason we saw wide-eyed expressions around the room during our Lunch & Learn: realizing how easy it is to slip up, even on a small technicality, and get hit with penalies. In today’s environment, leasing on your own just isn’t as simple as listing a property and signing a lease.

Risks of DIY Leasing

The DIY route might seem appealing—you have more control and save on management fees. But here’s the catch: if you misinterpret a law, skip a documentation step, or handle a deposit the wrong way, the financial and legal consequences can add up fast. It’s easy to think, “It won’t happen to me,” until it does. As we discussed with agents at our event, handling the contracts and move-in processes correctly is critical to protect yourself and your property.

Most brokerages won’t even let their agents handle leasing due to the high risk involved. So, if professionals are treading carefully, why should individual property owners take on these risks alone?

A Safer Path: Work with a Professional Property Manager

If you want to manage your property after the tenant moves in, that’s totally reasonable! But let a professional handle the initial lease and move-in process. We’re talking about tenant screenings, lease drafting, and all those legal intricacies. When you work with someone experienced, you get a rock-solid foundation—leaving you free to handle the day-to-day relationship with your tenant with peace of mind.

The Mission City Promise

At Mission City Property Management, we make leasing safe and straightforward by taking on these risks for you. From ensuring compliance with California’s evolving rental regulations to maintaining positive tenant relations, we’re here to help you protect your property and investment. Whether it's handling initial leasing contracts or managing day-to-day tenant concerns, our expertise makes a difference.

If a room full of real estate agents were wide-eyed at the complexity of handling rentals in Santa Barbara—and realizing they wouldn’t want to touch it themselves—what does that say for the average property owner? Leasing without professional help has become a risky business in 2025, and we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore!

In case you missed it in the Navigating California’s Legal Minefield section, AB 2801 brings significant changes to the handling of security deposits, requiring landlords to document cleaning and damages meticulously. For a deeper dive into these updates, check out my recent blog post: New CA Security Deposit Law 2025: AB 2801 Brings More Changes.

Reach out to us to learn more about how we can simplify the process, protect your property, and help you manage with confidence.