When the state Legislature returns next month from its summer recess, lawmakers will have plenty of important bills to tackle.
Many of these proposals address big issues for the rental housing industry, from seismic retrofitting to conserving water to preventing unauthorized subletting.
Below you’ll find a list of 10 priority bills that are still in the legislative pipeline and a summary of what they would do. These bills are among the 54 bills that the California Apartment Association has either lobbied for or against in 2015.
Earthquakes
AB 428 (D-Nazarian) – Seismic Retrofit: Tax Credits – This bill would allow a tax credit in an amount equal to 30 percent of the qualified costs paid or incurred by a qualified taxpayer for any seismic retrofit construction on a qualified building.
CAA position: Support
AB 1429 (D-Chiu) – Grants: Earthquake Retrofit – This bill requires the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) to establish a grant program, administered by a joint powers authority of the CEA and the Office of Emergency Services for the purpose of providing monetary grants for seismic retrofit for buildings with 5 to 10 residential units where low-income tenants reside.
CAA position: Support
Affordable housing
AB 447 (R-Maienschein) Insurance Discrimination – This bill would prohibit insurers from discriminating against a property owner who offers housing for tenants with Section 8 vouchers or in other low-income programs.
CAA position: Support
Water and Energy Conservation
SB 7 (D-Wolk) – Water Meters and Submeters – This bill, among other things, requires the installation of water submeters in new apartment units on or after Jan. 1, 2017. It specifically authorizes the imposition of an administrative fee by property owners or third-party billing companies when they read and bill tenants for their water use. It authorizes late fees on tenants who pay their bills late and allows for additional enforcement for unpaid bills. It specifically leaves in place ratio utility billing systems (RUBS) used by owners at existing properties.
CAA position: Support. See CAA article
AB 723 (D-Rendon) – Plumbing Fixtures: Lease Disclosures – This bill requires multifamily rental agreements entered into, renewed, or amended after July 1, 2016, to be accompanied by a written disclosure stating the property owner’s responsibility to replace plumbing fixtures with water-conserving fixtures that are required to be installed by Jan. 1, 2019. The author also proposed to include language to allow tenants to withhold a portion of the rent if the plumbing fixtures are not installed by the deadline.
CAA position: Oppose
AB 1448 (D-Lopez) – Clotheslines – As initially introduced, AB 1448 would have prohibited lease provisions that restrict the use of clotheslines by tenants at a property. The bill was later amended as a result of CAA’s opposition to require a tenant to obtain permission from a landlord prior to using a clothesline on the exterior of a building.
CAA position: Neutral. See CAA article
Pests and Mold
AB 551 (D-Nazarian) – Bed bugs – This bill specifies the duties of tenants and landlords with respect to bedbugs in residential rental property.
CAA position: Support. See CAA article
SB 655 (D-Mitchell) – Mold – As initially introduced, SB 655 would have added mold to the conditions that make housing substandard. The bill was later amended at CAA’s request to make clear that a health officer or a code enforcement officer must be involved to declare any mold a health and safety risk to the occupants and to declare that it was not found on surfaces that can accumulate moisture as part of their properly functioning and intended use, such as shower stalls. Wording was also added to the bill to provide that the property owner has no obligation to repair a mold problem unless the owner has notice that the mold exists.
CAA position: Neutral. See CAA article
SB 328 (D-Hueso) – Pesticide Use – This bill requires a landlord or authorized agent who applies any pesticide without a licensed pest control operator to provide an affected tenant with written notice. The bill was amended to add clarification about the specific notice content, service methods, and the tenants to be notified based on location of the application and types of pesticides.
CAA position: Neutral
Vacation rentals
SB 761 (D-Hall) – Short Term Rentals – This CAA sponsored legislation requires short-term vacation rental websites such as Airbnb to provide disclosures to tenants.
CAA position: Support. See CAA article
For all bills actively lobbied by CAA this year, click the box below for our summary bill chart.
Bill chart