Keep an Eye on These New California Laws

There have been a number of legal changes in California that will impact real estate. Here are a few of the major ones to note.

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Today, I wanted to update you on certain laws that have been changed in California which will impact real estate.

First, new disclosure requirements have been added. One of those is the bedbug disclosure; it is now a requirement to disclose whether or not there have been bedbug infestations in the past. Additionally, you must now disclose to new tenants if a property is located within a flood zone. You’re not required to disclose this to older tenants.

Another legal impact to consider in real estate is California’s laws about marijuana. If one is over the age of 21, they are legally allowed to use marijuana, and legally, you’re only allowed to own six plants per one adult person. You are, however, allowed to place restrictions on smoking and drug use within your property.

As a landlord, you are allowed to place restrictions on pets, however, with regards to comfort or therapy pets, the restriction must be reasonable. For example, even though one might have a pit bull as a comfort pet, if the city ordinance bans such dogs, you needn’t make an exception for them. Similarly, therapy animals like peacocks and other, exotic animals would be considered unreasonable.

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It is now a requirement to disclose whether or not there have been bedbug infestations in the past

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When it comes to swimming pools, if the pool was built before 1996, you were required to have one kind of alarm or gate with a spring lock on it to prevent children from falling in. Now, if the pool is being renovated or was built after 1996, you are required to have two of about six different security systems. You need to have some combination of a fence, a cover, a latch, and/or and alarm. Inspectors in California are now required to inspect all pools, where it was once an optional feature that would constitute an extra charge.

Finally, another interesting change is that you are now no longer able to ask a prospective or current employee’s wage history, where once you were able. You also are required to clearly inform an employee about what they will be making at your workplace. Further still, any background checks you do must take place after you’ve extended a job offer.

There have been a lot of changes, so be sure to stay updated on those to avoid any trouble in the future.

If you have any questions about any of these changes, feel free to reach out to me. I'd be happy to help.