Homeless Accountability and Prevention Act: rental registry online portal.

Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of residential tenancies. Existing law creates various programs for the creation of housing. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop specifications for the structure, functions, and organization of a housing and community development information system for this state, as specified. This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to enter into a contract with a contractor to create and administer a rental registry online portal, which would be designed to receive specified information from landlords that both (1) own or operate 5 or more rental dwelling units regarding their residential tenancies and to disseminate this information to the general public and (2) accept rental assistance payments from federal or state funds, or both, provided in response to a federal or state proclamation of a state of emergency related to COVID-19, as specified. The bill would require that the rental registry online portal, and the form necessary to support it, be completed by January 1, 2022, and would require a landlord to submit a rental registry form for each property on or before April 1, 2022. The bill would require landlords, under penalty of perjury, to provide a variety of information regarding the location of rental property, its ownership, and its occupancy, among other things. The bill would require a landlord that completes a rental registry form to receive an Annual Statement of Registration certificate within a reasonable time after completing registration. The bill would also require that the rental registry online portal allow parties other than landlords to submit information, subject to verification by the department before becoming publicly available. The bill would prohibit a landlord from issuing various notices to increase the rent or terminate a tenancy unless the landlord has submitted a form on the rental registry online portal, as specified. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.