11256. (a) The contract proposed to be used by a developer applying for a public report for the sale or lease of time-share interests shall provide that if the escrow for sale or lease of a time-share interest does not close on or before the date set forth in the contract, or a later closing date mutually agreed to by the developer and the prospective purchaser or lessee, within 15 days after the closing date set forth in the contract or an extended closing date mutually agreed to by the developer and the prospective purchaser or lessee, the developer shall, except as provided in subdivisions (c) to (h), inclusive, order all of the money remitted by the prospective purchaser or lessee under the terms of the contract for acquisition of the time-share interest (purchase money) to be refunded to the prospective purchaser or lessee. Any extension of the closing of escrow shall be in writing and shall clearly and conspicuously disclose that the purchaser is not obligated to extend the closing of escrow.
(b) The contract may provide for disbursements or charges to be made against purchase money for payments to third parties for credit reports, escrow services, preliminary title reports, appraisals, and loan processing services by the parties if the contract includes the following:
(1) Specific enumeration of all of the disbursements or charges that may be made against purchase money.
(2) The developer’s estimate of the total amount of the disbursements and charges.
(c) Any contractual provision that calls for disbursement or a charge against purchase money based upon the prospective purchaser’s or lessee’s alleged failure to complete the purchase of the time-share interest shall conform with Sections 1675, 1676, 1677, and 1678 of the Civil Code.
(d) Except for a disbursement made following substantial compliance with the procedures set forth in subdivision (f) or pursuant to a written agreement of the parties that either cancels the contract or is executed after the final closing date specified by the parties, a disbursement or charge against purchase money as liquidated damages may be done only pursuant to a determination by a court of law, or by an arbitrator if the parties have so provided by contract, that the developer is entitled to a disbursement or charge against purchase money as liquidated damages.
(e) A contractual provision for a determination by arbitration that the developer is entitled to a disbursement or charge against purchase money as liquidated damages shall require that the arbitration be conducted in accordance with procedures that are equivalent in substance to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association or another third-party arbitration organization selected by the parties and in accordance with Title 9 (commencing with Section 1280) of Part 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure that any arbitration include every cause of action that has arisen between the prospective purchaser or lessee and the developer under the contract, and that the developer remit the fee to initiate arbitration with the costs of the arbitration ultimately to be borne as determined by the arbitrator.
(f) The contract of sale may include a procedure under which purchase money may be disbursed by the escrowholder to the developer as liquidated damages upon the prospective purchaser’s or lessee’s failure to timely give the escrowholder the prospective purchaser’s or lessee’s written objection to disbursement of purchase money as liquidated damages. This procedure shall contain at least the following elements:
(1) The developer shall give written notice, in the manner prescribed by Section 116.340 of the Code of Civil Procedure for service in a small claims action, to the escrowholder and to the prospective purchaser or lessee that the prospective purchaser or lessee is in default under the contract that the developer is demanding that the escrowholder remit _____ dollars ($____) from the purchase money to the developer as liquidated damages unless, within 20 days, the prospective purchaser or lessee gives the escrowholder the prospective purchaser’s or lessee’s written objection to the disbursement of purchase money as liquidated damages.
(2) The prospective purchaser or lessee shall have a period of 20 days from the date of receipt of the developer’s 20-day notice and demand in which to give the escrowholder the prospective purchaser or lessee written objection to the disbursement of purchase money as liquidated damages.
(g) The contract may not make the prospective purchaser’s or lessee’s failure to timely give the escrowholder the aforesaid written objection a waiver of any cause of action the prospective purchaser or lessee may have against the developer under the contract unless the waiver is conditioned upon service of the developer’s 20-day notice and demand in a manner prescribed by Section 116.340 of the Code of Civil Procedure for service in a small claims action.
(h) If the developer has had the use of purchase money pending consummation of the sale or lease transaction under authorization by the department pursuant to Section 11243, the developer shall immediately upon alleging the default of the prospective purchaser or lessee, transmit to the escrowholder, funds equal to all of the purchase money paid by the prospective purchaser or lessee.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 153, Sec. 5. (SB 578) Effective January 1, 2020.)