for the enforcement of the Mobilehome Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code) in order to determine whether a violation of that act exists.
(b) With respect to trees in the common areas of a mobilehome park, park management shall be solely responsible for the trimming, pruning, or removal of any tree, and the costs thereof.
(c) Park management shall be solely responsible for the maintenance, repair, replacement, paving, sealing, and the expenses related to the maintenance of all driveways installed by park management including, but not limited to, repair of root damage to driveways and foundation systems and removal. Homeowners shall be responsible for the maintenance, repair, replacement, paving, sealing, and the expenses related to the maintenance of a homeowner installed driveway. A homeowner may be charged for the cost of any damage to the driveway caused by an act of the homeowner or a breach of the homeowner’s responsibilities under the rules and regulations so long as those rules and regulations are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.
(d) No homeowner may plant a tree within the mobilehome park without first obtaining written permission from the management.
(e) This section shall not apply to alter the terms of any rental agreement in effect prior to January 1, 2001, between the park management and the homeowner regarding the responsibility for the maintenance of trees and driveways within the mobilehome park, except that upon any renewal or extension, the rental agreement shall be subject to this section. This section is not intended to abrogate the content of any existing rental agreement or other written agreements regarding trees or driveways that are in effect prior to January 1, 2001.
(f) This section shall only apply to rental agreements entered into, renewed, or extended on or after January 1, 2001.
(g) Any mobilehome park rule or regulation shall be in compliance with this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 298, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2015.)
798.38. The management shall not acquire a lien or security interest, other than an interest arising by reason of process issued to enforce a judgment of any court, in a mobilehome located in the park unless it is mutually agreed upon by both the homeowner and management. Any billing and payment upon the obligation shall be kept separate from current rent.
(Added by renumbering Section 798.40 by Stats. 2009, Ch. 558, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2010.)
798.39. (a) The management may only demand a security deposit on or before initial occupancy and the security deposit may not be in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to two months’ rent that is charged at the inception of the occupancy, in addition to any rent for the first month. In no event shall additional security deposits be demanded of a homeowner following the initial occupancy.
(b) As to all security deposits collected on or after January 1, 1989, after the homeowner has promptly paid to the management, within five days of the date the amount is due, all of the rent, utilities, and reasonable service charges for any 12-consecutive-month period subsequent to the collection of the security deposit by the management, or upon resale of the mobilehome, whichever occurs earlier, the management shall, upon the receipt of a written request from the homeowner, refund to the homeowner the amount of the security deposit within 30 days following the end of the 12-consecutive-month period of the prompt payment or the date of the resale of the mobilehome.
(c) As to all security deposits collected prior to January 1, 1989, upon the extension or renewal of the rental agreement or lease between the homeowner and the management, and upon the receipt of a written request from the homeowner, if the homeowner has promptly paid to the management, within five days of the date the amount is due, all of the rent, utilities, and reasonable service charges for the 12-consecutive-month period preceding the receipt of the written request, the management shall refund to the homeowner the amount of the security deposit within 60 days.
(d) As to all security deposits collected prior to January 1, 1989, and not disbursed pursuant to subdivision (c), in the event that the mobilehome park is sold or transferred to any other party or entity, the selling park owner shall deposit in escrow an amount equal to all security deposits that the park owner holds. The seller’s escrow instructions shall direct that, upon close of escrow, the security deposits therein that were held by the selling park owner (including the period in escrow) for 12 months or more, shall be disbursed to the persons who paid the deposits to the selling park owner and promptly paid, within five days of the date the amount is due, all rent, utilities, and reasonable service charges for the 12-month period preceding the close of escrow.
(e) Any and all security deposits in escrow that were held by the selling park owner that are not required to be disbursed pursuant to subdivision (b), (c), or (d) shall be disbursed to the successors in interest to the selling or transferring park owner, who shall have the same obligations of the park’s management and ownership specified in this section with respect to security deposits. The disbursal may be made in escrow by a debit against the selling park owner and a credit to the successors in interest to the selling park owner.
(f) The management shall not be required to place any security deposit collected in an interest-bearing account or to provide a homeowner with any interest on the security deposit collected.
(g) Nothing in this section shall affect the validity of title to real property transferred in violation of this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 151, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2002.)
798.39.5. (a) (1) The management shall not charge or impose upon a homeowner any fee or increase in rent which reflects the cost to the management of any fine, forfeiture, penalty, money damages, or fee assessed or awarded by a court of law or an enforcement agency against the management for a violation of this chapter or Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code, including any attorney’s fees and costs incurred by the management in connection therewith.
(2) This section shall not apply to violations for which the registered owner of the mobilehome is initially responsible pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 18420 of the Health and Safety Code.
(b) A court shall consider the remoteness in time of the assessment or award against the management of any fine, forfeiture, penalty, money damages, or fee in determining whether the homeowner has met the burden of proof that the fee or increase in rent is in violation of this section.
(c) Any provision in a rental agreement entered into, renewed, or modified on or after January 1, 1995, that permits a fee or increase in rent that reflects the cost to the management of any money damages awarded against the management for a violation of this chapter shall be void.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 477, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2013.)
ARTICLE 4. Utilities [798.40 — 798.44]
(Article 4 heading added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 558, Sec. 4.)
798.40. (a) Where the management provides both master-meter and submeter service of utilities to a homeowner, for each billing period the cost of the charges for the period shall be separately stated along with the opening and closing readings for his or her meter. The management shall post, in a conspicuous place, the specific current residential utility rate schedule as published by the serving utility or the Internet Web site address of the specific current residential utility rate schedule. If the management elects to post the Internet Web site address where the schedule may be accessed, the management shall also: (1) provide a copy of the specific current residential utility rate schedule, upon request, at no cost; and (2) state in the posting that a homeowner may request a copy of the rate schedule from management.
(b) If a third-party billing agent or company prepares utility billing for the park, the management shall disclose on each resident’s billing, the name, address, and telephone number of the billing agent or company.
(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 201, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2014.)
798.41. (a) Where a rental agreement, including a rental agreement specified in Section 798.17, does not specifically provide otherwise,