AB 2713

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, until January 1, 2030, prohibits an owner, as defined, of residential real property from terminating a tenancy without just cause, stated in the written notice to terminate the tenancy, after a tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied a residential real property for 12 months. Existing law defines "just cause" to mean certain at-fault just causes, including default in the payment of rent, and certain no-fault just causes, including intent to occupy the residential real property by the owner or the owner's spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents, as prescribed, withdrawal of the residential real property from the rental market, and intent to demolish or to substantially remodel the residential real property. This bill would revise the intent to occupy just-cause provision described above to mean a good faith intent to occupy the residential real property by the owner or the owner's spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents for at least 3 consecutive years. The bill would, among other things, prohibit an owner from terminating a tenancy under that provision if the same owner or relative already occupies a unit on the residential real property or if there is a vacancy on the residential real property. The bill would define the term "owner" for purposes of that provision to mean an owner who is a natural person who has at least a 51% recorded ownership interest in the property. This bill would revise the withdrawal of the residential real property from the rental market just-cause provision described above to mean withdrawal of all of the rental units at the residential real property from the rental market for the purpose of changing the property's use from residential use to nonresidential use or for the purpose of selling each unit on the property for owner-occupancy, only if both of certain criteria are true and described with particularity in a notice to the tenant required to terminate the tenancy, including the owner has previously provided the tenant with a written notice of intent to withdraw the unit from the rental market and describing the intended use of the property 180 days before serving the notice to terminate the tenancy. This bill would revise the intent to demolish or to substantially remodel the residential real property just-cause provision described above by, among other things, requiring an owner to, before issuing a notice to terminate a tenancy based on that just cause, obtain any necessary permits for the demolition or substantial remodel from the applicable governmental agencies. Existing law, until January 1, 2030, prohibits an owner of residential real property from, over the course of any 12-month period, increasing the gross rental rate for a dwelling or a unit more than 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, of the lowest gross rental rate charged for that dwelling or unit at any time during the 12 months before the effective date of the increase, as prescribed. This bill would make unenforceable any lease provision that would result in an increase in the gross rental rate for a dwelling unit that exceeds those limits, as specified.