10167.10. (a) (1) A licensee shall refund in full the fee paid by a prospective tenant if the licensee does not, within five days after execution of the contract, supply at least three rental properties then available to the prospective tenant and meeting the specifications of the contract, unless the prospective tenant obtains a rental through the services of the licensee.
(2) A licensee will be deemed to have supplied information meeting the specifications of the prospective tenant if the information supplied meets the contract specifications with reference to: (i) type of structure; (ii) designated area; (iii) furnished or unfurnished; (iv) number of bedrooms; (v) maximum rental; and (vi) any other specification expressly set forth in the contract. A demand for the return of the fee shall be made by or on behalf of the prospective tenant within 10 days following the expiration of the five-day period referred to above by delivery or by mailing by registered or certified mail to the address of a location, or branch office of a real estate broker, set forth in the contract.
(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), a licensee shall refund any fee paid over and above the sum of a fifty dollar ($50) service charge to the prospective tenant if the prospective tenant obtains a rental other than through the services of the licensee during the term of the contract or does not obtain a rental, provided that the prospective tenant demands a return of that part of the fee within 10 days after the expiration of the contract.
(2) The licensee shall refund any fee paid over and above the sum of a fifty dollar ($50) service charge to the prospective tenant within 10 days of receipt from the prospective tenant of either the documentation specified in subparagraph (A) or the written statement specified in subparagraph (B), as applicable:
(A) Except as specified in subparagraph (B), a prospective tenant demanding a refund shall provide to the licensee reasonable documentation of the prospective tenant’s new rental or of the fact that the prospective tenant did not move, such as a lease, rental agreement, or utility bill, with sufficient information to verify that the new rental was not obtained through the services of the licensee or that the prospective tenant did not move.
(B) If the prospective tenant is unable to locate or provide the documentation specified in subparagraph (A), the prospective tenant may, at his or her option, fill out and sign a written statement, supplied by the licensee, in the following form:
I, _____ (name of prospective tenant) _____ , do swear or affirm the following:
I currently live at _____ (street address) _____ .
The following statement is true (check one):
_____ I have rented a unit at the above address. I did not obtain
this rental through the services of _____ (name of licensee) _____
during the time of our contract.
_____ I did not find a new rental and did not move. I still live at the above address.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.
_____ (date) _____
_____
_____ (location) _____
_____
_____ (signature) _____
_____
(3) On or after January 1, 2002, the department may, from time to time, by regulation, adjust the amount of the allowable service charge to reflect the rate of inflation from the previous date that the amount of the allowable service charge was established, as measured by the Consumer Price Index or other method of measuring the rate of inflation which the department determines is reliable and generally accepted.
(c) Each contract shall contain provisions that shall read as follows unless different language shall have been approved in writing by the department prior to use:
“RIGHT TO REFUND(Full capital letters, in 12-point type or greater, boldface or italicized)
If, within five days after payment of a fee, the licensee has not supplied the prospective tenant with at least three available rental properties meeting the specifications of the contract as to (i) type of structure; (ii) designated area; (iii) furnished or unfurnished; (iv) number of bedrooms; (v) maximum rental; and (vi) any other specification expressly set forth in the contract, the full amount of the fee paid shall be refunded to the prospective tenant upon presentation of evidence of that failure within 10 days after the expiration of the five-day period. The prospective tenant is not entitled to a refund if the prospective tenant obtains a rental through the services of the licensee.
If the prospective tenant obtains a rental other than through the services of the licensee during the term of this contract or if the prospective tenant does not obtain a rental through the services of the licensee during the term of the contract, the licensee shall refund the fee received in excess of a (insert applicable limit pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10167.10 of the Business and Professions Code) service charge to the prospective tenant within 10 days after the prospective tenant supplies either (i) reasonable documentation of the prospective tenant’s new rental or of the fact that the prospective tenant did not move, such as a lease, rental agreement, or utility bill, with sufficient information to verify that the new rental was not obtained through the services of the licensee or that the prospective tenant did not move, or (ii) if the prospective tenant is unable to locate or provide that documentation, the prospective tenant may, at his or her option, fill out a written form provided by the licensee and signed by the prospective tenant under penalty of perjury stating that he or she did not obtain a rental through the services of the licensee during the time of the contract.
To be entitled to a refund in excess of the service charge, the prospective tenant must mail or deliver the demand for refund not later than 10 days after expiration of this contract, and must supply either (i) reasonable documentation of the prospective tenant’s new rental or of the fact that the prospective tenant did not move, such as a lease, rental agreement, or utility bill, with sufficient information to verify that the new rental was not obtained through the services of the licensee or that the prospective tenant did not move, or (ii) a written form provided by the licensee and signed by the prospective tenant under penalty of perjury stating that he or she did not obtain a rental through the services of the licensee during the time of the contract. The documentation may be supplied after the demand for a refund is mailed or delivered, provided that it is supplied within a reasonable time after it becomes available.”
(d) This section shall not apply to a person purchasing rental information for a purpose other than that of locating a rental unit for personal use or the use of a designated person.
(e) If the licensee fails to make a refund as provided in this section and if the denial or delay in making the refund is found to have been done in bad faith, a court of appropriate jurisdiction, including a small claims court, shall be empowered to award damages to the plaintiff in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) in addition to actual damages sustained by the plaintiff. If the licensee refuses or is unable to pay the damages awarded by the court, the award may be satisfied out of the security required under Section 10167.7.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 473, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2001.)