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AB-299 • 2026

Motels, hotels, and short-term lodging: disasters.

Motels, hotels, and short-term lodging: disasters.

Housing
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Gabriel (A) , Rivas
Last action
2025-10-10
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 531, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify an effective date for the bill.

Disaster Housing Protection for Lodging Guests

AB-299 changes the rules about when a person staying in a hotel or motel after a disaster is considered to be renting long-term housing, giving them more time before they can be evicted.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines lodging as places where people stay for short periods of time, like hotels and motels.
  • Says that if someone stays at a lodging place because their home was damaged by a disaster, they are not considered to have rented long-term housing until they've stayed there for 270 days (about nine months).
  • This means the person can stay longer without being evicted under normal rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who need to stay in hotels or motels after a disaster has damaged their home.
  • Landlords and managers of lodging places.

Terms To Know

Unlawful detainer action
A legal process that landlords use to evict tenants who are not following the rules of renting a place to live.
Disaster
An event like an earthquake, flood, or fire that causes serious damage and may make homes uninhabitable.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies if the person's home was damaged by a disaster.
  • It does not apply to regular long-term tenants who are not staying because of a disaster.
  • After January 1, 2031, this protection will no longer be available.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 531, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-10 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-24 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3477.).

  5. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Page 3477.)

  6. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rules 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)

  7. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  8. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 3004.).

  9. 2025-09-08 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  10. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  11. 2025-07-17 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

  12. 2025-07-16 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (July 15).

  13. 2025-07-03 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  14. 2025-05-07 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

  15. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  16. 2025-04-01 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 950.).

  17. 2025-03-13 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  18. 2025-03-12 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (March 12).

  19. 2025-03-05 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on H. & C.D.

  20. 2025-03-04 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on H. & C.D. Read second time and amended.

  21. 2025-02-18 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on H. & C.D.

  22. 2025-01-24 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee February 23.

  23. 2025-01-23 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 299, Gabriel.
Motels, hotels, and short-term lodging: disasters.
Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of tenancies and defines the term “persons who hire” for the purpose of regulating residential tenancies. Existing law excludes from these provisions occupancy at a hotel or motel if certain conditions are met, including that the occupancy is for a period of 30 days or less, as specified.
Existing law establishes a procedure, known as an unlawful detainer action, that a landlord must follow in order to evict a tenant.
Under this bill, the continued occupancy of a resident of a lodging, as defined, would not be considered a person who hires, nor have their lodging constitute a new tenancy for purposes of an unlawful detainer action, until the guest has resided in the lodging for 270 days, if the guest is residing in the lodging as a result of a disaster,
as defined, that substantially damaged, destroyed, or otherwise made uninhabitable their prior housing, as specified. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2031.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

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