Normal Business Hours Clarified

The California Court of Appeals recently ruled that weekends are considered “normal business hours” for the purpose of showing homes by agents/landlords.

California Civil Code 1954 addresses entry into tenant occupied homes.  The code indicates that this may take place during “normal business hours” with proper notice, but never indicated whether or not that includes weekends.  The courts considered that real estate activities do happen on weekends and this influenced their ruling.

This new ruling will give landlords the legal opportunity to require showings, however, the reality is that if a tenant is not cooperative then it is better to just have the tenant move out as opposed to trying to show the home.  Showing a home with an uncooperative occupant has a high risk of leading to claims of lost or stolen items, or just a general negative experience for the people seeing the home.

It has always been our experience at American Heritage Properties to schedule mutually agreeable showings, rather than posting a notice of intention to show.  We find that everyone benefits from mutually agreeable terms and highly recommend this practice for real estate agents and other landlords.