Updated August 16, 2026
Tenants must allow entry for a legitimate purpose with proper written notice, and showing the unit to a prospective purchaser is a legitimate purpose under California law. The standard is 24 hours' written notice, during normal business hours, stating the date, approximate time, and purpose. What the law does not give you is the right to march an unlimited stream of buyers through occupied units on demand. In practice, a well-run LA multifamily sale barely touches the tenants at all: buyers underwrite from the rent roll and the financials, tour the exterior and common areas, and inspect a small representative sample of units at a single scheduled walkthrough once they are in contract.
24 hours' written notice, in general. Delivered personally, left with someone of suitable age at the premises, or posted and mailed — with mailing generally requiring more lead time to be considered reasonable.
Normal business hours. Weekday daytime hours are the safe standard. Evening and weekend entry requires the tenant's agreement.
A stated purpose. "To show the unit to a prospective purchaser" is sufficient and accurate. Vague notices invite disputes.
Entry that is actually reasonable. Repeated notices, notices for entry that does not occur, or a pattern that disrupts the tenant's use of the home can cross into harassment regardless of whether each individual notice was technically compliant.
No lockboxes on occupied units. This is a residential-sale practice that does not translate to occupied apartment buildings.
This is the part that removes most of the friction, and sellers are frequently relieved to hear it. Institutional and experienced private buyers of a 12-unit LA building are not touring twelve apartments.
They underwrite the income first. Rent roll, trailing twelve months of operating statements, registry history, leases. That is where the value is determined.
They walk the exterior, the roof, the systems, and the common areas. These do not require tenant cooperation.
They inspect a sample of units in contract. Typically a representative selection — a vacant unit if one exists, one or two occupied units per unit type — during a single scheduled physical inspection window.
They rely on estoppels rather than eyes. The tenant-signed estoppel certificate verifies the tenancy terms, which is what the buyer actually needs.
A seller who structures the process this way — financials to qualified buyers, one physical inspection for the buyer in contract — protects the tenants, protects the transaction, and loses nothing on price.
Notify tenants once, in writing, that the building is being marketed. Accurately: tenancies transfer, leases continue, rents continue, protections continue. A short letter removes the vacuum that speculation fills.
Batch the inspection. One scheduled window with proper notice to every affected unit, rather than repeated one-off entries.
Have someone from your team present. The owner, the manager, or the broker. Never send a buyer through an occupied unit unaccompanied.
Be flexible with a tenant who has a genuine conflict. A reasonable reschedule costs nothing and prevents a complaint.
Do not enter units that are not on the inspection list. Curiosity is not a legitimate purpose.
Occasionally a tenant refuses entry entirely. Escalating is almost always the wrong move — the cost of a harassment complaint or a dispute during escrow far exceeds the value of seeing inside one apartment.
Confirm the notice was compliant. Most refusals trace to defective or short notice.
Offer alternatives. A different date, a different time, or a shorter visit resolves the large majority of refusals.
Substitute another unit of the same type. Buyers care about representative condition, not about a specific apartment.
Disclose it to the buyer rather than concealing it. If a unit genuinely cannot be inspected, say so. Buyers price a known unknown; they retrade a concealed one.
Give proper written notice, schedule a single batched inspection for the buyer in contract, accompany every entry, and keep the tenants informed in writing about what the sale does and does not change for them. Handled that way, tenant access is a minor logistical item on an LA multifamily sale rather than the obstacle sellers expect it to be — because the buyer's real diligence is happening in the financials, not in the living rooms.
Can I hold an open house at an apartment building?
Not through occupied units. Marketing an occupied apartment building runs on financials and scheduled inspections for qualified buyers under contract, not on open houses. Common areas and vacant units are a different matter.
Do I have to tell tenants the building is for sale?
No statute requires an announcement, but you will be serving entry notices that state the purpose, so they will know. Telling them clearly and accurately first is better than letting them infer it from a notice or a stranger with a clipboard.
What if a tenant is hostile to buyers during the tour?
It happens, and experienced buyers discount it appropriately. What matters more is that the financials are clean and the estoppels are consistent. A seller who has prepared those has far less riding on any single tenant interaction.
Michael Sterman is Senior Managing Director Investments at Marcus & Millichap.
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