Housing: Statewide Rental Registry.

Existing law continues into existence the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. Under existing law, the department is required to develop various plans and policies related to housing. This bill would require the department to develop and maintain a rental registry online portal designed to collect specified information related to housing and make that information available to the public. The bill would require the department to develop a rental registry form to collect information from landlords, as defined, including the address and owners of a rental property, the number and type of rooms in the rental property, and information related to the payments collected and the duration of tenancies. This bill would require a landlord to submit a rental registry form when a lease is initiated, altered, or terminated, under penalty of perjury. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of residential tenancies and imposes various requirements on landlords, including that a landlord must provide written notice of their intention to terminate a tenancy if the term of the tenancy is not specified. The bill would prohibit a landlord from providing a tenant notice of a rent increase, notice of an intention to terminate a tenancy, or notice of an unlawful detainer action unless the landlord has submitted a rental registry form, as specified. 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.