New California Law: Existing Tenants In Recently Foreclosed Homes Now Get To Stay Rent-Free Until New Owner Provides Proper Notice Of Ownership Change

Tenants Together, a California statewide renters' rights organization, recently announced:

• California Governor Jerry Brown has signed an important new law to protect tenants after rental property ownership changes. Authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the bill will prevent unfair and unnecessary evictions when a new owner buys rental property and fails to communicate with tenants.
  
  Bill author, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D - San Francisco), authored the bill to stop unfair evictions. "Too many tenants have been scammed out of their homes by the confusion of an ownership change. We're putting a stop to that."
  
  Sponsored by Tenants Together, California's statewide organization for renters' rights, the new law addresses rising complaints across the state that new owners, especially banks and investors after foreclosure, are not communicating with tenants and then forcing them out unfairly. "Many good tenants will be able to stay in their homes as a result of this bill," commented Dean Preston, Executive Director of Tenants Together.
  
  The bill provides that a new owner who delays beyond 15 days in notifying a tenant where to pay rent cannot later evict the tenant for nonpayment of rent that accrued before the notification. The bill seeks to increase communication and transparency when a new owner takes over and protect tenants from unnecessary confusion and evictions. Advocates noted that this is the first state law in years to expressly outlaw any type of eviction.
  
  "The success of this bill reflects the growing tenant movement in California," commented Preston. "With 15 million renters in the state, a figure that is growing every day with all the homeowners-turned-renters in the foreclosure crisis, this sleeping giant of California politics has awoken." Indeed, the bill's supporters in the Legislature included Republicans and Democrats who have historically opposed tenants' rights measures.
  
  The new will take effect on January 1, 2013.
  
  Tenants Together urges tenants [throughout California] with questions about their rights to contact the organization's free, bilingual hotline at 1.888.495.8020 or visit Tenants Together on the web at www.TenantsTogether.org.

For the press release, see Law Barring Unfair Evictions after Ownership Changes Signed by the Governor.