There is a lot of real estate news right now, and most of it arrives as headlines with no instruction manual. So here is the version I give clients over coffee: the rules and numbers that actually changed this year, one at a time, with the practical read for someone who owns a home or a rental in coastal Orange County. Nothing here is legal or tax advice. It is the map, so you know which questions to bring to your attorney, CPA, or insurance broker.
In this roundup: Mortgage rates near 7% · Tenants and EV chargers · The FAIR Plan increase on October 15 · New habitability and deposit rules · ADU bills on the governor's desk · The November housing bond · Questions I am getting
Mortgage rates are sitting near 7% again
Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed at 6.76% on September 10, 2026, up from 6.71% the week before and 6.35% a year earlier. The 15-year sits at 6.09%. Jumbo pricing, which is what most Newport Beach and Newport Coast purchases actually use, runs on its own track and is worth quoting separately.
What it means here: the buyer pool at any given price is thinner than it was last fall, and the buyers who remain are more sensitive to monthly cost, not just list price. For sellers, that reinforces what I wrote about fall pricing a few weeks ago. For anyone selling one home and buying another, the rate on the new loan is now a bigger line item than the commission, which is why the sell-first-or-buy-first sequencing matters more than usual. If you are 55 or older, keeping your property tax base through Prop 19 offsets some of that rate math on the next home.
Landlords have to allow tenant EV chargers, and most owners still do not know the rule
This one surprises Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach landlords every week. Under California Civil Code 1947.6, a landlord must approve a tenant's written request to install an electric vehicle charging station at the tenant's assigned parking space, for leases signed, extended, or renewed since July 1, 2015. The tenant pays for the charger, the electrical work, permits, any panel upgrade, and the electricity, and must use a licensed contractor and comply with code. The landlord can require a written scope of work, proof of licensing and permits, and personal liability coverage up to ten times the annual rent, and can set reasonable conditions that do not materially raise the cost or reduce the charger's performance. Effective January 1, 2026, a companion change under SB 770 also stopped HOAs from requiring condo owners to name the association as an additional insured on the charger policy, which had been a common way installations got stalled.
Not every rental is covered. The statute exempts properties with fewer than five parking spaces, leases where parking is not included, and buildings that already provide charging at 10% or more of designated spaces, with narrower exceptions for rent-controlled units. A single-family rental with a two-car garage generally falls under that five-space exemption, but it is worth confirming with counsel rather than assuming.
There is a second half to this story. The 2026 CALGreen building code, applying to permits pulled on or after January 1, 2026, requires new multifamily construction with assigned parking to be EV-ready at every unit, and new single-family homes to carry a dedicated 240-volt, 40-amp circuit in the garage. Translation for owners of existing homes: a garage that is already EV-ready is quietly becoming a feature buyers and tenants compare on, the same way dual-pane windows did a generation ago.
Own a rental in Costa Mesa or Huntington Beach and wondering what it would bring today? A private valuation gives you the number, and I can flag which of these rules touch your specific property.
The FAIR Plan gets 29.1% more expensive on October 15
The Department of Insurance approved an average 29.1% rate increase for California FAIR Plan dwelling policies, effective October 15, 2026. The plan had asked for 35.8%. It now covers more than 675,000 policies statewide, and the residential dwelling limit sits at $3 million per structure, so many coastal homes on it also carry excess coverage. I have a full breakdown of what this means for sellers coming on October 2, but the short version is this: if a buyer's only path to insuring your home runs through the FAIR Plan, their monthly cost just rose, and their lender's math rose with it. Get a pre-listing insurability quote before you list, not during escrow.
Two landlord rules that took effect January 1
AB 628 added a working stove and refrigerator to California's habitability requirements for rental units as of January 1, 2026. If your Costa Mesa duplex has historically rented "bring your own fridge," that lease language needs a look. AB 414, signed the same day, lets landlords and tenants agree at any time on how a security deposit refund is delivered, including electronically, and cleans up the process for multi-tenant leases. Both are small on their own. Together they are a reminder that the standard lease you used three years ago is probably out of date.
ADU bills waiting on the governor's signature
The legislature sent a stack of housing bills to the governor with a September 30 deadline. Two touch homeowners directly. AB 956 would require streamlined, ministerial approval of up to two detached ADUs on a lot, and SB 1117 would limit impact fees on ADUs to units larger than 750 square feet. If either signs, the math on adding a unit behind a Mesa Verde or Eastside Costa Mesa house improves, and buyers who are pricing that potential into their offers will know it. I will update this post once the signing decisions are public.
The $11.25 billion housing bond on the November ballot
SB 417 placed an $11.25 billion Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond on the November 2026 ballot. It does not change anything for an individual owner's taxes directly, but it is the kind of measure that shapes where subsidized housing gets built over the next decade, and it is worth reading before you vote.
Questions I am getting this month
Can my landlord say no to an EV charger in California?
Usually not, if the rental has five or more parking spaces, your lease includes an assigned space, and fewer than 10% of the spaces already have charging. Under Civil Code 1947.6 the landlord must approve a compliant written request, though you pay for the installation, permits, and electricity and may need liability coverage. Rentals with fewer than five spaces are generally exempt.
What are mortgage rates right now in Orange County?
Freddie Mac's national average was 6.76% for a 30-year fixed and 6.09% for a 15-year as of September 10, 2026, up from 6.35% and 5.50% a year earlier. Jumbo loans, which cover most Newport Beach purchases, are priced separately and can run above or below those figures depending on the lender.
When does the FAIR Plan rate increase take effect?
October 15, 2026. The approved change is a 29.1% average increase on dwelling policies, and the actual change on any one home depends on its wildfire-risk rating, with high-risk parcels seeing larger jumps and some low-risk parcels seeing little change.
Do I have to provide a refrigerator in a California rental now?
Yes. AB 628 made a working stove and refrigerator part of the habitability standard for rental units effective January 1, 2026.
A note from Jade
None of these changes is a reason to panic, and a couple of them are small openings if you are paying attention. Rates near 7% make the timing of a sale and a purchase matter more. The EV rule and the new habitability items mean your lease deserves a refresh. And the FAIR Plan increase is one more reason to know your home's insurability before you list. If you want to talk through how any of this applies to your house or your rental, I am glad to.
Sources and further reading: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey · California Civil Code 1947.6 (tenant EV charging) · Civil Code 4745 (HOA EV charging) · KQED on the FAIR Plan rate approval · California FAIR Plan · AB 956 (ADU approvals) · SB 1117 (ADU fees) · California Apartment Association on AB 628 and AB 414 · BOE Proposition 19. Figures verified September 2026.
This is general real estate education, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Laws and rates change, and several bills mentioned here were pending as of publication. Before making a decision, confirm your specific situation with an attorney, CPA, licensed insurance broker, or another qualified advisor.
