Rental property data registry.

(1) 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 create a rental registry online portal, which would be designed to receive specified information from landlords regarding their residential tenancies and to disseminate this information to the general public. The bill would require the department to complete the rental registry online portal, the form necessary to support it, by January 1, 2021, and would require landlords who own or operate property that includes more than 15 dwelling units to register within 90 days and annually thereafter. The bill would require landlords to provide a variety of information regarding the location of rental property, its ownership, and its occupancy, among other things. The bill would require the rental registry online portal to comply with all relevant state and federal laws regarding privacy and personally identifying information. The bill would require a landlord who completes a rental registry form to receive an Annual Statement of Registration certificate within a reasonable time after completing registration and would impose a civil penalty of $50 per rental unit on a landlord who is subject to the bill's requirements and fails to register, as provided. The bill would require a code enforcement officer, as defined, to report a residential property owned or operated by a landlord who is subject to its provisions to the department and would require the department to require the landlord to register that property if specified contingencies are satisfied. By requiring local officials to perform new duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.