1951.35. (a) This section applies only to commercial real property, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 1954.26.
(b) Commercial real property shall be deemed abandoned by the lessee within the meaning of Section 1951.2 and the lease shall terminate if the lessor gives written notice of belief of abandonment pursuant to subdivision (c) and, prior to the date of termination specified in the lessor’s notice of belief of abandonment, the lessee fails to give the lessor written notice stating that the lessee does not intend to abandon the commercial real property and provides an address at which the lessee may be served by certified mail in an action for unlawful detainer of real property.
(c) The lessor may give notice of belief of abandonment pursuant to this section only if the rent on the property has been due and unpaid for at least the number of days required for the lessor to declare a rent default under the terms of the lease, but in no case less than three days, and the lessor reasonably believes that the lessee has abandoned the property. The date of termination of the lease shall be specified in the notice and shall be not less than 15 days after the notice is served personally, sent to the lessee by an overnight courier service, or deposited in the mail.
(d) The lessor’s notice of belief of abandonment shall be personally delivered to the lessee, sent by a recognized overnight carrier, or sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the lessee at the lessee’s last known address, and, if there is reason to believe that the notice sent to that address will not be received by the lessee, also to any other address known to the lessor where the lessee may reasonably be expected to receive the notice.
(e) The notice of belief of abandonment shall be in substantially the following form:
Notice of Belief of Abandonment
To: _____ (Name of lessee/tenant) _____
_____ (Address of lessee/tenant) _____
This notice is given pursuant to Section 1951.35 of the Civil Code concerning the real property leased by you at ________ (state location of the property by address or other sufficient description). The rent on this property has been due and unpaid for the number of days necessary to declare a rent default under your lease and the lessor/landlord believes that you have abandoned the property.
The real property will be deemed abandoned within the meaning of Section 1951.2 of the Civil Code and your lease will terminate on ________ (here insert a date not less than 15 days after this notice is served personally, sent by overnight courier service, or deposited in the mail) unless before that date the lessor/landlord receives at the address below a written notice from you stating both of the following:
(1) Your intent not to abandon the real property.
(2) An address at which you may be served by certified mail in any action for unlawful detainer of the real property.
You are required to pay the rent due and unpaid on this real property as required by the lease, and your failure to do so can lead to a court proceeding against you.
Dated: _______ _____ (Signature of lessor/landlord)
(Type or print name of lessor/landlord)
(Address to which lessee/tenant is to send notice)
(f) The real property shall not be deemed to be abandoned pursuant to this section if the lessee provides any of the following:
(1) At the time the notice of belief of abandonment was given, the rent was not due and unpaid for the time period necessary to declare a rent default under the lessee’s lease.
(2) At the time the notice of belief of abandonment was given, it was not reasonable for the lessor to believe that the lessee had abandoned the real property. The fact that the lessor knew that the lessee left personal property on the real property does not, by itself, justify a finding that the lessor did not believe that the lessee had abandoned the real property.
(3) Before the date specified in the lessor’s notice, the lessee gave written notice to the lessor stating the lessee’s intent not to abandon the real property and provided an address at which the lessee may be served by certified mail in an action for unlawful detainer of real property.
(4) During the period beginning at the start of the applicable rent default period and ending on the date the lease would have terminated pursuant to the notice, the lessee paid to the lessor all or a portion of the rent due and unpaid on the real property.
(g) Nothing in this section precludes the lessor or the lessee from otherwise proving that the real property has been abandoned by the lessee within the meaning of Section 1951.2.
(h) Nothing in this section precludes the lessor from serving a notice requiring the lessee to pay rent or quit as provided in Section 1161 or 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure at any time permitted by those sections, or affects the time and manner of giving any other notice required or permitted by law. Giving notice pursuant to this section does not satisfy the requirements of Section 1161 or 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 104, Sec. 3. (AB 2847) Effective January 1, 2019.)
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