Sacramento, CA - The State Assembly is helping California renters stay in their homes with today’s passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 2219 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). The bill requires landlords to accept third-party rent payments under certain circumstances. Tenants struggling to make their rent sometimes turn to relatives or non-profit organizations for financial assistance in order to avoid eviction. But some landlords have refused such payments, putting families on the street.
“Skyrocketing rents in our state have made finding and keeping affordable housing very challenging,” said Ting. “California already has the highest homeless population in the country. The law must ensure renters can stay in their homes when someone is willing to step in with payment assistance.”
According to a 2017 report by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, about 1.5 million households, or one-third California renters, pay more than half of their income toward rent. Refusal of third party rent payments disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, such as seniors and the disabled.
“AB 2219 will allow tenants to utilize assistance they have obtained to pay their rent and avoid becoming homeless. In a time when tenants are facing rising rents and displacement pressures, and governments and organizations are making their funds available to assist, landlords should not be permitted to refuse those funds and then evict tenants for nonpayment,” said Alexander Harnden of the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
Ting’s bill also requires the third-party payer to acknowledge in writing that the payment does not create tenancy rights or have any impact on the eviction process, if it comes to that. It also does not force the landlord into government programs, such as Section 8.
The bill now heads to Governor Brown for consideration. If approved, it’ll take effect on January 1, 2019.
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