Official Summary Text
SB 1296, as amended, Durazo.
Real property: rentals: pet policy.
Existing law governs the obligations of tenants and landlords. Existing law prohibits a landlord who allows an animal on the premises from advertising or establishing rental policies in a manner that requires a tenant or a potential tenant with an animal to have that animal declawed or devocalized as a condition of occupancy, as provided.
This bill
would require a landlord who does not allow a tenant to keep pets on a residential rental property premises to clearly disclose the no pet policy in any advertisement, rental application, or lease agreement for the property. The bill
would require a landlord
that
who
allows a tenant to have a pet on the premises to have a pet policy in writing and to provide access to the property’s pet policy on the property’s internet website, in digital advertisements, and in information provided
for
to
a residential rental search
engine.
engine, as prescribed.
The bill would require a landlord to provide a written copy or summary of the property’s established pet policy or its pet addendum with any rental application form. The bill would require a pet policy or pet addendum to include specified information, including
breed and weight restrictions and required fees.
a description of the rights, responsibilities, and requirements for tenant pet owners at the property.
The bill would
authorize a landlord to substantially comply
establish conditions for a landlord to substantially comply
with the bill’s provisions and would specify that nonmaterial errors or omissions by a landlord that are corrected upon notice would not constitute a violation of the bill’s provisions. The bill would
exclude service animals and support animals, as specified, from the definition of “pet” for purposes of the bill’s provisions.
not affect obligations or rights under state or federal law relating to
service and support animals.
The bill would require any landlord who charges an application fee but fails to disclose their
established
pet policy
or pet addendum
before charging the fee,
if
and due to the landlord’s failure to disclose that information,
the applicant is no longer eligible to rent the unit or declines to proceed with the
application because of the pet policy,
application,
to
refund the application fee to the applicant, as specified. The bill would make the bill’s provisions operative on April 1, 2027.