(a) In the case of any foreclosure on a residential property, the immediate successor in interest in the property pursuant to the foreclosure shall attach a cover sheet, in the form as set forth in subdivision (b), to any notice of termination of tenancy served on a tenant of that property within the first year after the foreclosure sale. This notice shall not be required if any of the following apply:
(1) The tenancy is terminated pursuant to Section 1161.
(2) The successor in interest and the tenant have executed a written rental agreement or lease or a written acknowledgment of a preexisting rental agreement or lease.
(3) The tenant receiving the notice was not a tenant at the time of the foreclosure.
(b) The cover sheet shall consist of the following notice, in at least 12-point type:
Notice to Any Renters Living At
[street address of the unit]
The attached notice means that your home was recently sold in foreclosure and the new owner plans to evict you.
You should talk to a lawyer NOW to see what your rights are. You may receive court papers in a few days. If your name is on the papers it may hurt your credit if you do not respond and simply move out.
Also, if you do not respond within five days of receiving the papers, even if you are not named in the papers, you will likely lose any rights you may have. In some cases, you can respond without hurting your credit. You should ask a lawyer about it.
You may have the right to stay in your home for 90 days or longer, regardless of any deadlines stated on any attached papers. In some cases and in some cities with a “just cause for eviction law,” you may not have to move at all. But you must take the proper legal steps in order to protect your rights.
How to Get Legal Help
If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Internet Web site (www.lawhelpca.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.
(c) If the notice to quit specifies an effective date of at least 90 days after the notice is served, without qualification, no cover sheet shall be required, provided that the notice incorporates the text of the cover sheet, as set forth in subdivision (b) in at least 10-point type. The incorporated text shall omit the caption and the first paragraph of the cover sheet and the fourth paragraph of the cover sheet shall be replaced by the following language:
You may have the right to stay in your home for longer than 90 days. If you have a lease that ends more than 90 days from now, the new owner must honor the lease under many circumstances. Also, in some cases and in some cities with a “just cause for eviction law,” you may not have to move at all. But you must take the proper legal steps in order to protect your rights.
(d) This section shall remain in effect only until December 31, 2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before December 31, 2019, deletes or extends that date.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 210, Sec. 1. (SB 825) Effective January 1, 2013. Repealed as of December 31, 2019, by its own provisions.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018