Bill Text: CA AB1497 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Bill 1497 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Hosting platforms.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 599, Statutes of 2019. [AB1497 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1497-Chaptered.html

Assembly Bill No. 1497

CHAPTER 599

An act to amend Section 12927 of the Government Code, relating to business.

[ Approved by Governor October 08, 2019. Filed with Secretary of State October 08, 2019. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1497, Holden. Hosting platforms.

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, prohibits an owner of housing from engaging in specific acts of discrimination against a person seeking to purchase, rent, or lease any housing accommodation. Existing law authorizes the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to receive and investigate complaints of violations of the act. The act defines “housing accommodation” for these purposes to mean any building, structure, or portion thereof that is occupied as, or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more families.

Existing law requires a hosting platform, as defined, to provide notice, as specified, to an offeror listing a residence for short-term rental on the hosting platform.

This bill would include within the definition of “housing accommodation” under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act a building, structure, or portion thereof that is occupied, or intended to be occupied, pursuant to a transaction facilitated by a hosting platform, as defined. The bill would include findings and declarations regarding the intent of these provisions as they relate to existing housing laws.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 12927 of the Government Code proposed by SB 222 and SB 329 to be operative only if this bill and SB 222 or SB 329 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act will not affect the permissibility, classification, or local regulation of the use of residential structures for short-term rentals or other transient occupancy, pursuant to a transaction facilitated by a hosting platform or other method.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act does not imply that short-term rentals on hosting platforms should be considered permanent housing.

SEC. 2.

Section 12927 of the Government Code is amended to read:

12927.

As used in this part in connection with housing accommodations, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(a) “Affirmative actions” means any activity for the purpose of eliminating discrimination in housing accommodations because of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, or disability.

(b) “Conciliation council” means a nonprofit organization, or a city or county human relations commission, which provides education, factfinding, and mediation or conciliation services in resolution of complaints of housing discrimination.

(c) (1) “Discrimination” includes refusal to sell, rent, or lease housing accommodations; includes refusal to negotiate for the sale, rental, or lease of housing accommodations; includes representation that a housing accommodation is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when that housing accommodation is in fact so available; includes any other denial or withholding of housing accommodations; includes provision of inferior terms, conditions, privileges, facilities, or services in connection with those housing accommodations; includes harassment in connection with those housing accommodations; includes the cancellation or termination of a sale or rental agreement; includes the provision of segregated or separated housing accommodations; includes the refusal to permit, at the expense of the disabled person, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by the disabled person, if the modifications may be necessary to afford the disabled person full enjoyment of the premises, except that, in the case of a rental, the landlord may, where it is reasonable to do so condition permission for a modification on the renter’s agreeing to restore the interior of the premises to the condition that existed before the modification (other than for reasonable wear and tear), and includes refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services when these accommodations may be necessary to afford a disabled person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

(2) “Discrimination” does not include either of the following:

(A) Refusal to rent or lease a portion of an owner-occupied single-family house to a person as a roomer or boarder living within the household, provided that no more than one roomer or boarder is to live within the household, and the owner complies with subdivision (c) of Section 12955, which prohibits discriminatory notices, statements, and advertisements.

(B) Where the sharing of living areas in a single dwelling unit is involved, the use of words stating or tending to imply that the housing being advertised is available only to persons of one sex.

(d) “Housing accommodation” means any building, structure, or portion thereof that is occupied as, or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more families and any vacant land that is offered for sale or lease for the construction thereon of any building, structure, or portion thereof intended to be so occupied. “Housing accommodation” includes a building, structure, or portion thereof that is occupied, or intended to be occupied, pursuant to a transaction facilitated by a hosting platform, as defined in Section 22590 of the Business and Professions Code.

(e) “Owner” includes the lessee, sublessee, assignee, managing agent, real estate broker or salesperson, or any person having any legal or equitable right of ownership or possession or the right to rent or lease housing accommodations, and includes the state and any of its political subdivisions and any agency thereof.

(f) “Person” includes all individuals and entities that are described in Section 3602(d) of Title 42 of the United States Code, and in the definition of “owner” in subdivision (e), and all institutional third parties, including the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

(g) “Aggrieved person” includes any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice or believes that the person will be injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur.

(h) “Real estate-related transactions” include any of the following:

(1) The making or purchasing of loans or providing other financial assistance that is for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing, or maintaining a dwelling, or that is secured by residential real estate.

(2) The selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property.

(3) The use of territorial underwriting requirements, for the purpose of requiring a borrower in a specific geographic area to obtain earthquake insurance, required by an institutional third party on a loan secured by residential real property.

(i) “Source of income” means lawful, verifiable income paid directly to a tenant or paid to a representative of a tenant. For the purposes of this definition, a landlord is not considered a representative of a tenant.

SEC. 2.1.

Section 12927 of the Government Code is amended to read:

12927.

As used in this part in connection with housing accommodations, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(2) “Discrimination” does not include either of the following:

(B) Where the sharing of living areas in a single dwelling unit is involved, the use of words stating or tending to imply that the housing being advertised is available only to persons of one sex.

(h) “Real estate-related transactions” include any of the following:

(2) The selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property.

SEC. 2.2.

Section 12927 of the Government Code is amended to read:

12927.

As used in this part in connection with housing accommodations, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(2) “Discrimination” does not include either of the following:

(B) Where the sharing of living areas in a single dwelling unit is involved, the use of words stating or tending to imply that the housing being advertised is available only to persons of one sex.

(h) “Real estate-related transactions” include any of the following:

(2) The selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property.

(i) “Source of income” means lawful, verifiable income paid directly to a tenant or paid to a representative of a tenant. “Source of income” includes a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher. For the purposes of this definition, a housing owner or landlord is not considered a representative of a tenant unless the source of income is a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher.

SEC. 2.3.

Section 12927 of the Government Code is amended to read:

12927.

As used in this part in connection with housing accommodations, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(2) “Discrimination” does not include either of the following:

(B) Where the sharing of living areas in a single dwelling unit is involved, the use of words stating or tending to imply that the housing being advertised is available only to persons of one sex.

(h) “Real estate-related transactions” include any of the following:

(2) The selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property.

(i) “Source of income” means lawful, verifiable income paid directly to a tenant or to a representative of a tenant, or paid to a housing owner or landlord on behalf of a tenant, including federal, state, or local public assistance, and federal, state, or local housing subsidies, including, but not limited to, federal housing assistance vouchers issued under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1437f). “Source of income” includes a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher. For the purposes of this definition, a housing owner or landlord is not considered a representative of a tenant unless the source of income is a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher.

SEC. 3.

(a) Section 2.1 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 12927 of the Government Code proposed by both this bill and Senate Bill 329. That section of this bill shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2020, (2) each bill amends Section 12927 of the Government Code, (3) Senate Bill 222 is not enacted or as enacted does not amend that section, and (4) this bill is enacted after Senate Bill 329, in which case Sections 2, 2.2, and 2.3 of this bill shall not become operative.

(b) Section 2.2 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 12927 of the Government Code proposed by both this bill and Senate Bill 222. That section of this bill shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2020, (2) each bill amends Section 12927 of the Government Code, (3) Senate Bill 329 is not enacted or as enacted does not amend that section, and (4) this bill is enacted after Senate Bill 222, in which case Sections 2, 2.1, and 2.3 of this bill shall not become operative.

(c) Section 2.3 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 12927 of the Government Code proposed by this bill, Senate Bill 222, and Senate Bill 329. That section of this bill shall only become operative if (1) all three bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2020, (2) all three bills amend Section 12927 of the Government Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Senate Bill 222 and Senate Bill 329, in which case Sections 2, 2.1, and 2.2 of this bill shall not become operative.