Los Angeles Real Estate Blog & Market Updates

The new California real estate laws for 2027 mostly take effect January 1, 2027. They let homeowners build up to two detached ADUs and pay lower ADU fees, stop HOAs from blocking air conditioning, heat pumps, and energy-efficient windows, strengthen wildfire insurance and smoke-damage protections, create permanent mortgage forbearance after disasters, and open a faster approval path for for-sale townhomes.

Major changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac condominium financing standards took effect on August 3, 2026, and another important reserve-funding change arrives January 4, 2027. For condo buyers and sellers throughout Los Angeles, including the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, that means an HOA’s reserves, deferred maintenance, special assessments, insurance and other building-level issues can affect whether a buyer is able to obtain the loan they planned to use.

California’s balcony inspection law requires mandatory safety inspections of balconies, decks, stairways, and walkways on residential buildings with three or more units where those structures are more than six feet above the ground and rely on wood for structural support. Two laws govern this: SB 326 for condominiums and HOA properties, and SB 721 for apartment buildings. All initial inspections were due by January 1, 2026. If you’re buying, owning, or renting in a qualifying