Immigration was a divisive topic in 2017, but California has been the capital of democratic resistance in the Trump era, making a concerted effort to protect immigrants from the rhetoric and anticipated changes coming down the pike.

One example is the passage of AB 291, or the Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which prevents rental housing providers from using an individual’s immigration status against tenants.

Under existing California Law, it is not permissible for landlords to inquire as to a tenant’s immigration status, but AB 291 was designed to address the unfortunate acts of intimidation some owners have used to influence tenants to vacate the unit or face being reported to immigration authorities. It adds greater teeth to anti-discrimination laws for renters that are already on the books. Specifically, AB 291:

  • Prohibits landlords from threatening to report tenants to immigration authorities, whether in retaliation for engaging in legally-protected activities or to influence them to vacate.
  • Bars landlords from disclosing information related to tenants’ immigration status.
  • Provides tenants the right to sue landlords who report them to immigration authorities.
  • Codifies an existing defense to unlawful evictions based on immigration status.
  • Prohibits questions about tenants’ immigration status in discovery or at trial.
  • Prohibits attorneys from reporting, or threatening to report, the immigration status of persons involved in housing cases.

Watch David Chiu (D-San Francisco make his case for the Bill on the Assembly floor.

The new law isolates the few bad apples, and so it will not affect the day-to-day operations of most law-abiding rental businesses; however, it does highlight the duty of care that landlords must use with the information they glean from their relationship with tenants.

This includes their social security numbers, native languages, the times they are home, the identity of their families among other sensitive information, and so landlords must use caution to make sure that any information is not misused.

Bornstein Law
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