2017 New Real Estate and Lending Laws in California

About the Authors........................3

California Assembly Bills Bedbug Regulations for Landlords (AB 551)....5

California Senate Bills

HIV Disclosures (AB 73)..........................7

Water Submetering (SB 7)......................12

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance (AB 1645).....7

Real Estate Team Names (SB 710)............13

Real Estate “Salespersons” (AB 685)...........7

CRMLA Licenses (SB 657).....................12

Broker Advertising (AB 1650)...................8

Excessive Water Use Policy (SB 814)..........13

Transfer on Death Deed (AB 1779)..............8

Fees for Foreclosure Trustees (SB 983)........14

Environmental Hazards (AB 1750)..............8

HOA Annual Notice (SB 918).................13

Contractor “Good Faith” Defense (AB 1793)...9

Accessory Dwelling Units (SB 1069)..........14

Commercial Accessibility (AB 2093)............9

Real Estate License Suspension (SB 1196)....15

Agent Discipline Online (AB 1807).............9

Homeowner Bill of Rights (SB 1150)...........14

Accessory Dwelling Units (AB 2299).........10

Contractor Citations (SB 1209)...............15

Associate Licensee Status (AB 2330)........10

Junior Accessory Units (AB 2406)............10

New Parcel Tax Notice (AB 2476)............11 Greenway Easements (AB 2651).............11

PACE Preservation Act (AB 2693).............11 Eviction Court Records (AB 2819).............12

Index....................16

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ABOUT THE

AUTHORS SIMON

CHARLIE

OFFORD Real Estate Attorney Simon Offord is a senior real estate attorney at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer. Attorney Offord primarily focuses his practice on commercial real estate matters, HOA disputes, boundary disputes, fence, tree, & neighbor issues, and easements.

BRONITSKY Construction Attorney Charlie Bronitsky is a senior real estate attorney at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer, as well as the mayor of Foster City, California. Attorney Bronitsky has over 30 years of experience in construction, land use & zoning, and contractor law.

JULIA M.

HENRY

WEI

Lending Law Attorney Julia M. Wei is a senior real estate and lending law attorney at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer. Attorney Wei primarily represents private money investors, mortgage brokers, and loan servicers in foreclosure litigation and investment recovery matters.

CHUANG Lending Law Attorney Henry Chuang is an associate at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer. Attorney Chuang’s practice focuses on creditor-side bankruptcy matters, landlord-tenant issues, unlawful detainers & evictions, and lending law matters.

ASHLEE D.

CLAYTON

ADKINS Real Estate Attorney Ashlee D. Adkins is an associate at the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer. Attorney Adkins’ practice focuses on commercial and residential landlord-tenant matters and commercial unlawful detainers.

DODDS Director of Marketing Clayton Dodds is the director of marketing for the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer. He previously worked as a legislative analyst intern in the Oklahoma House of Representative for Rep. Doug Cox, M.D.

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AB 551 NEW LAW CREATES DUTIES FOR LANDLORDS AND TENANTS TO TREAT AND CONTROL BED BUGS

THE PROBLEM Bed bug infestations are on the rise in California. Los Angeles rose to #2 on the Orkin’s Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List, while the San FranciscoOakland-San Jose area jumped to #14. Bed bugs are reddishbrown, wingless bugs that feed on SIMON human blood, leaving itchy welts OFFORD on the skin that can cause allergic reactions. Because bed bugs are flat and thin, they can hide in unusual places, such as under carpets or behind baseboards. Bed bugs are particularly effective at traveling, since they can hide in luggage, clothing, and bedding. Often, a bed bug infestation can be detected by looking for tiny, rust-colored spots on bed sheets or mattresses. Other signs include seeing the bugs themselves (which are about the size of an apple seed) or finding skins that the bed bugs have shed.

Bed bug infestations can be particularly problematic in multi-unit buildings, such as condominiums and apartments, especially since female bed bugs can deposit up to 5 eggs a day and the average life span for a bed bug extends over 300 days. The rise of urban environments has provided fertile breeding ground for bed bugs, and a general lack of awareness has prevented effective treatment. Typical bed bug remediation involves treatment of the units above, below, and next to the primary infestation. Additionally, bed bugs have developed resistance to insecticidal control measures. Thus, effective treatment of an infestation requires cooperation between a landlord and a tenant — from prevention to early detection to outbreak control.

Existing law is very unclear about how to manage bed bug infestations. There is currently no bed bug protocol or management plan required by law. Landlords are

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required by existing law to maintain a habitable unit, and must make repairs when the condition of the unit becomes untenantable. Existing law also states that a unit is uninhabitable if there is an infestation of insects, rodents, or vermin that endanger the life, health, or safety of the occupants. Under the previous law, there was significant confusion as to whether it was the landlord or the tenant’s responsibility to treat a bed bug infestation.

NEW LAW CLARIFIES RESPONSIBILITIES The new law created by AB 551 establishes requirements for both landlords and tenants for preventing and treating bed bugs in residential rental housing. The bill makes several findings and declarations, including: •Cooperation between landlords, tenants, and pest control operators is essential for successfully controlling bed bug infestations •Tenants who don’t provide adequate or timely responses to landlords could exacerbate an infestation •Pest control operators are best equipped to help tenants and owners eradicate bed bugs, and should incorporate bed bug management training based on best practices To best address the control and treatment of bed bugs in residential rental housing, the new law creates notice requirements for landlords, prohibits retaliation against tenants that report suspected bed bug issues, and specifies a number of actions that landlords and tenants must take in response to a bed bug infestation.

receiving notice from tenants, or from visually inspecting units and common areas; however, this law does not create a duty for landlords to inspect for bed bugs if they have received no notice of a possible infestation.

Additionally, a landlord may not retaliate against a tenant who has provided notice of a suspected bed bug infestation, so long as the tenant has paid rent.

To encourage tenants to be forthright in reporting bed bug infestations, the new law prohibits landlords from increasing rent, decreasing services, or evicting the tenant within 180 days of receiving notice.

TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES

NOTICES HENRY After July 1, 2017, all new tenants CHUANG must be provided a written notice containing information about bed bugs. All other tenants must receive the written notice by January 1, 2018. The information to be provided is defined by statute, and includes general information about bed bug behavior, biology, prevention, and treatment. A downloadable form can be found on page 17 of this e-book.

Bed bugs are best treated when landlords, tenants, and pest control operators work together to control and treat the infestation. This new law clarifies that landlords and pest ASHLEE D. control operators must provide at ADKINS least 24-hour notice before entering the unit for inspection or treatment. Additionally, the law states that it is necessary to inspect surrounding units, to ensure that the bed bug infestation is eliminated in its entirety. Tenants are required to cooperate with pest control operators during inspection and treatment, including providing information necessary for detecting and treating the bed bug problem.

RESTRICTIONS If a landlord is aware of a bed bug infestation, the landlord may not show, rent, or lease a vacant dwelling unit. Landlords can be made aware of infestations by

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FIND RELATED FORM ON PAGE 17

AB 73 SELLERS NOT REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE HIV/AIDS STATUS OF PREVIOUS OCCUPANT Current law specifies that “no cause of action” against a seller or agent will occur for failing to disclose that an occupant of the property was living with HIV, or died from AIDS-related complications. This new law affirmatively declares that an occupant of a property living with HIV is not a material fact of the real property. As a result, sellers and agents are not required to disclose that a previous occupant was living with HIV, or died from AIDS-related complications.

ASHLEE D. ADKINS

AB 685

LICENSED AGENTS NOW RECOGNIZED AS GENDER-NEUTRAL “SALESPERSON” Previously, a person licensed and employed by a licensed real estate broker was referred to by law as a “salesman”. Existing law authorizes licensees to refer to the licensed status as a real estate salesman, saleswoman, or salesperson. The law makes a number of small, nonsubstantive changes to the wording of the Business and Professions Code, by changing the wording of “salesman” to “salesperson”, or adding “saleswoman”. It removes all mentions and references of gender throughout JULIA M. the text of the law, where in many instances previously the WEI terminology referred to a broker as “he”.

AB 1645 MORTGAGE GUARANTY INSURERS NO LONGER SUBJECT TO 30% CAP ON COVERAGE Mortgage guaranty insurance is a type of insurance for real estate investors and lenders. These insurance products provide compensation to lenders in situations where a mortgage borrower defaults on the loan. Previous law created a 30% cap — requiring that insurers limit their coverage to no more than 30% of the debt for real properties designed for less than 4 families. Insurers were having to work with their competitors to completely cover lenders against financial loss due to nonpayment of principal or interest. The new law created by AB 1645 removes this 30% cap.

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HENRY CHUANG

AB 1650 AGENTS MUST DISCLOSE BROKER IDENTITY AND LICENSE NUMBER ON FOR SALE SIGNS

SIMON OFFORD

Existing law specifies the circumstances under which a real estate agent must disclose his or her broker’s identity and license number. Previously, “for sale” signs were specifically exempt from this requirement. This new law clarifies that “for sale” signs, as well as other solicitation forms, that identify a specific agent must identify the employing broker and the salesperson’s BRE license number. Signs that identify the broker — but do not make reference to a specific licensee — are exempt. The new law also applies the disclosure requirements to agents operating under a fictitious business name or a team name.

AB 1750

LANDLORDS ENCOURAGED TO DISTRIBUTE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS BOOKLET

Sellers and brokers owe a duty of care to disclose material facts, including the existence of known environmental hazards. The law states that a broker or seller is protected from liability by providing a buyer with a copy of the booklet titled: “California Environmental Protection Agency Residential Environmental Hazards: A Guide for Homeowners, Homebuyers, Landlords & Tenants”. The current law, however, does not mention landlords or tenants. This law clarifies the legislature’s intent that landlords must ASHLEE D. provide disclosures about environmental hazards, and ADKINS that this duty to disclose is satisfied by providing the California EPA Hazards booklet to the tenant.

AB 1779 COMMISSION SHOULD STUDY EXPANSIONS OF REVOCABLE TRANSFER ON DEATH DEED

SIMON OFFORD

In 2016, the California legislature created the “Revocable Transfer on Death deed”, a new nonprobate instrument for transferring property that becomes effective only upon the death of the transferor. To evaluate the efficacy of this new instrument, the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) has been directed to study the revocable transfer on death deed, and whether the instrument has been effective. This new law simply states that the CLRC should also study whether the revocable transfer on death deed could expand to include the transfer of stock cooperatives, or transfers to a trust.

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AB 1793 CONTRACTORS CAN CLAIM “GOOD FAITH” DEFENSE FOR EXPIRED LICENSE IN COURT Contractors are required by law to be licensed by the Contractors’ State License Board (CSLB) in order to perform work. If a person hires a contractor and then discovers the contractor is unlicensed, they may seek to recover costs of all construction-related work performed. Occasionally, a contractor’s license will expire while working on a project.

This new law requires that, during an evidentiary hearing, a court must find that a contractor is in compliance with the law if they meet certain requirements - such as “good faith” efforts to comply and immediate corrective actions.

CHARLIE BRONITSKY

AB 1807 REAL ESTATE AGENTS MAY PETITION TO REMOVE DISCIPLINE ONLINE AFTER 10 YEARS The California Bureau of Real Estate (BRE) issues citations, fines, and disciplinary actions against real estate licensees that violate rules and regulations. These violations vary in complexity and severity.

To protect the public, a notice of discipline about the licensee is posted on the licensee’s online profile. This new law allows a licensee to petition the commissioner of real estate to remove the online posting of a discipline item after 10 years. The licensee must provide evidence of rehabilitation and proof ASHLEE D. that the notice is no longer required to prevent a credible risk ADKINS to the public. The BRE is authorized to charge a fee, and to take into consideration additional factors before approval.

AB 2093 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS MUST PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY To prevent discrimination on the basis of disability, commercial property owners are subject to a number of laws regarding accessibility. In California, a commercial property owner must disclose whether the property has been inspected by a Certified Access Specialist, or CASp. Tenants that want to open a business, but aren’t sure if the property is certified accessible, could run into a number of problems. This new law increases the information that commercial owners must provide — including access inspection certificates and non-inspection notices on all lease forms and rental agreements.

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SIMON OFFORD

AB 2299 NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR LOCAL ORDINANCES GOVERNING ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS

CHARLIE BRONITSKY

Local city and county governments regulate the land use and zoning of their respective areas based on a master plan. Some residences have a second unit on the property in addition to the primary residence, often referred to as “inlaw units” or “accessory units”. This new law standardizes the term “accessory dwelling units” (ADU) and permits local governments to adopt ordinances allowing ADUs in singlefamily and multi-family residential zones. The law outlines what requirements and elements the ordinance must cover, intending to ease some of the barriers to development of ADUs.

AB 2330

ASSOCIATE LICENSEE BROKER STATUS MUST BE DISCLOSED ONLINE Obtaining a real estate broker’s license requires at least two years of experience as a licensed real estate salesperson. A licensed broker is not required to operate under the supervision of another broker — however, occasionally a licensed broker will choose to act as a salesperson under a broker. This law requires that a real estate broker notify the BRE commissioner when acting as a salesperson under a different real estate broker. Additionally, the law mandates that associate licensees must be disclosed JULIA M. as such on the BRE website, as well as if the associate WEI licensee is a broker. This helps clarify for consumers who is the responsible broker.

AB 2406 JUNIOR ACCESSORY UNITS ARE NOT CONSIDERED SECOND UNITS, NOT SUBJECT TO SAME RULES

HENRY CHUANG

Existing law, as well as new rules under AB 2299, allows local governments to adopt ordinances for accessory dwelling units. Under this new law, “junior accessory dwelling units” are defined as units that are no more than 500 square feet in size, and are contained within a single-family structure. In order to accelerate the adoption of junior accessory dwellings as a low-cost, low-impact solution to the housing shortage, this law clearly defines that junior accessory units are not the same as second units, and thus are not subject to the same restrictions as secondary units.

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AB 2476 LOCAL AGENCIES MUST NOTIFY NON-RESIDENT OWNERS OF NEW PARCEL TAXES Cities, counties, and special districts can impose special taxes on real property, after receiving 2/3 majority vote of qualified electors in their jurisdiction. A parcel tax is one type of special tax that is frequently used to fund local government services.

Under current law, owners of property that do not live in the property are not notified of a new parcel tax levied against them. This new law requires local agencies to provide notice to non-resident property owners when a new parcel tax is imposed. The law specifies the types of information that must be provided in the notice, as well as the timing and cost.

CHARLIE BRONITSKY

AB 2651

GREENWAY EASEMENT CONFINED TO URBANIZED AREAS ONLY

Previously, the legislature passed the Greenway Development and Sustainment Act, which created a type of conservation easement called a “greenway easement”. Greenways are separate paths for bikes and pedestrians that are located within 400 yards of an urban waterway, with landscaping that provides flood protection benefits and improves the creek, river, or stream. This new law allows existing greenways to be protected by greenway easements, and allows greenways to be included in the land use element of a general plan for a city or county, instead of SIMON as an “open-space” element. Greenways must incorporate OFFORD an array of amenities, but only within an urbanized area.

AB 2693 PACE PRESERVATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTIONS ACT

In 2008, California created the first Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program in the country, which established an innovative financing tool for purchasing conservation improvements to a home, such as solar panels, water efficiency upgrades, and electric vehicle charging stations. A local government or agency provides the upfront capital for purchasing the system, and the cost is repaid over the course of ASHLEE D. 20 years through a property assessment tax, secured by a lien ADKINS on the property. This new law creates several requirements that homeowners must meet to qualify for a PACE loan, and mandates that a Financing Estimate & Disclosure document be provided to the owner.

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AB 2819 COURT RECORDS IN EVICTION SEALED PERMANENTLY UNLESS LANDLORD PREVAILS

HENRY CHUANG

Under existing law, the court records from an eviction are “masked” for the first 60 days. If the tenant prevails in court within 60 days, the court records from the eviction are sealed permanently. However, budget cuts and court closures have clogged the court systems. Thousands of tenants are being blacklisted simply for being involved or implicated in an eviction because of court delays — even if they prevail after 60 days. This law restricts access to court records from an eviction unless the landlord prevails within 60 days, and allows courts to dismiss unlawful detainer proceedings if proof of service is not filed within 60 days of the complaint’s filing.

SB 7

NEW RULES FOR WATER SUBMETERING FOR LANDLORDS & NEW CONSTRUCTION As of 2016, 46% of Californians live in multi-family housing, and only 20% of those residents are billed directly for their water use. In these units, the water meter is for the aggregate water use for the entire structure, and the landlord is the water customer.

As a result, there is no correlation between water usage and cost for over 12 million Californians — thus little incentive for conservation. This new law requires that water submeters, or individual water meters, are installed on all new multifamily residential units. Landlords are ASHLEE D. required to install and read the submeters, unless the ADKINS water provider agrees to. This law also creates rules and protections for submetered water service for landlords & tenants.

SB 657 THIRD PARTY LOAN PROCESSORS AND UNDERWRITERS CAN OBTAIN CRMLA LICENSES

JULIA M. WEI

The California Residential Mortgage Lending Act (CRMLA) was passed in 2015 and authorized the Department of Business Oversight to regulate residential mortgage lending and servicing. The law mandated that a license is required to engage in the business of making or servicing residential mortgage loans. In September 2015, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) changed the definition of “lender” to exclude third party processors and underwriters, effectively making them ineligible to obtain a lender license in California. This law allows third party providers to continue obtaining licenses under CRMLA.

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AB SB2476 710 BROKERS REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE EITHER LICENSE SUMMARY SUMMARY NUMBER OR TEAM NAME In 2016, the legislature passed AB 2018 to allow real estate salespersons to use “team names” in their marketing. New rules and regulations were created for the team names, and real estate teams no longer had to register the name as a Fictitious Business Name (FBN). One of the new rules around real estate agent “team names” was that the license number and the licensee’s name to be displayed on all advertising materials, including signs, print, and electronic media. This new law clarifies the original law, stating that the license number OR the team name must be on advertising materials, not both.

JULIA M. WEI

SB 814

IN DROUGHT, LOCAL WATER AGENCIES MUST HAVE POLICY TO CURB EXCESSIVE WATER USE In response to the severe drought, the legislature has passed numerous laws over the past few years to curb water use and encourage water conservation. In spite these emergency measures, some residential consumers used an excessive amount of water — one person alone consumed 12 million gallons in one year! This law requires that water agencies in California have a policy to curb excessive water use. The law prohibits excessive water use by metered residential customers during a drought emergency. To enforce this prohibition, retail water ASHLEE D. suppliers must establish rate structures or surcharges for ADKINS excessive residential customers, and have systems to target excessive water users.

SB 918 OWNERS MUST PROVIDE ANNUAL NOTICE OF MAILING ADDRESS TO THE HOA Common Interest Developments (CIDs), which include condominiums, apartments, and planned unit developments, are governed by a homeowners association (HOA). The HOA enforces the Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (CC&Rs) of the development, which can include foreclosure for failure to pay assessments. This bill requires individual owners in a CID, on an annual basis, to provide a written notice of their contact information where notices from the HOA can be delivered. The notice must include the owner’s mailing address, secondary address, and contact information for a legal representative. The law requires HOAs to solicit these annual disclosures.

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SIMON OFFORD

SB 983 TRUSTEES MAY COLLECT AN ADDITIONAL $50 IN FEES FOR NONJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE

HENRY CHUANG

When a borrower defaults on their loan payment, lenders in California prefer to foreclose on the property through non-judicial foreclosure. In California, a deed of trust is executed to make the real property the security for a loan. A third-party trustee is designated to either initiate foreclosure upon default, or reconvey the trust deed once the loan has been satisfied in full. Trustees charge for their services, and this law allows trustees or attorneys who facilitate the process of a nonjudicial foreclosure to collect an additional $50 in base fees, as a result of increases in cost of living since the fees were last revised in 2001.

SB 1069

ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE HOUSING SUPPLY IN CALIFORNIA Local standards often discourage the building of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), through strict rules about lot coverage, large set-backs, offstreet parking, or costly construction requirements. This new law, passed in conjunction with AB 2299, seeks to eliminate many of the barriers to building ADUs, in order to promote affordable housing and availability. This new law stipulates a number of factors and standards that a local agency must include in an ADU ordinance; for local agencies that do not yet have a set of rules CHARLIE governing ADUs, the law specifies the conditions by BRONITSKY which construction of an ADU must be approved.

SB 1150 WIDOWS & WIDOWERS PROTECTED AGAINST FORECLOSURE BY HOMEOWNER BILL OF RIGHTS

HENRY CHUANG

California passed the Homeowner Bill of Rights (HBOR) to slow down the rate of foreclosures; it offered many protections for borrowers, such as mandating a single point of contact and preventing dual-tracking of borrowers. However, the HBOR did not protect widows or widowers who are not named on the loan. So, when a spouse died, the surviving family member had no protection and were frequently foreclosed upon. This new law applies the HBOR protections to successors in interests after the death of the primary loan holder. Loan servicers can now only foreclose after the successor in interest has had a chance to assume the loan or to avoid foreclosure.

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SB 1196 REAL ESTATE LICENSE CAN BE SUSPENDED IF LICENSEE PLEADS GUILTY TO CERTAIN CRIMES To improve oversight of regulatory entities, the California legislature passed a number of “sunset bills”. These bills implemented small changes that were uncovered after committees in the legislature conducted joint oversight hearings.

Specific to real estate, this new law subjects the Bureaus of Real Estate and of Real Estate Appraisers to review by the legislature in four years. Additionally, the CalBRE Commissioner may now suspend the license of a real estate licensee who enters a guilty plea for a crime or felony related to the functions, duties, or qualifications of a real estate agent.

SIMON OFFORD

SB 1209

CITATIONS AGAINST CONTRACTORS FOLLOW PERSON IF THEY OBTAIN A NEW LICENSE Under current law, contractors must be licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). When a contractor is disciplined, they receive a citation and that citation must be disclosed for a period of five years. However, should a contractor be issued a new license, the citations would not follow the new license. This new law closes the loophole by mandating that citations issued against a contractor follow the person who was cited. As a result of the new law, contractors cannot hide from their previous CHARLIE discipline by simply getting a new license, and the public can BRONITSKY gain accurate information and increased confidence.

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INDEX,

By Audience Homeowner

Landlord/Tenant

Lender

AB 73.............................................7

AB 551...........................................5

AB 1645........................................7

SB 814........................................13

AB 2819......................................12

SB 983.......................................14

AB 2476.....................................11

AB 1750........................................8

SB 657........................................12

SB 1150......................................14

SB 7.............................................12

HOA

Buyer/Seller

Contractor

SB 814........................................13

AB 73.............................................7 AB 1750........................................8

AB 1793........................................9

SB 1209......................................15

Agents & Brokers

Developers

AB 551...........................................5

AB 2299.....................................10

Commercial Owners

AB 685..........................................7

AB 2651.....................................11

SB 918........................................13

AB 73.............................................7 AB 1650........................................8 AB 1750........................................8

AB 1807.........................................9

AB 2406....................................10

SB 7.............................................12 SB 1069.....................................14

AB 2330........................................9

SB 710........................................13 SB 1196......................................15

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AB 2093........................................9

AB 2693.....................................11

INFORMATION ABOUT BED BUGS

This notice is provided pursuant to Section 1954.603(a) of the California Civil Code Property Address: Notice Date:

BED BUG APPEARANCE Bed bugs have six legs. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about 1/4 of an inch in length. Their color can vary from red and brown to copper colored. Young bed bugs are very small. Their bodies are about 1/16 of an inch in length. They have almost no color. When a bed bug feeds, its body swells, may lengthen, and becomes bright red, sometimes making it appear to be a different insect. Bed bugs do not fly. They can either crawl or be carried from place to place on objects, people, or animals. Bed bugs can be hard to find and identify because they are tiny and try to stay hidden.

LIFE CYCLE AND REPRODUCTION An average bed bug lives for about 10 months. Female bed bugs lay one to five eggs per day. Bed bugs grow to full adulthood in about 21 days.

Bed bugs can survive for months without feeding.

BED BUG BITES Because bed bugs usually feed at night, most people are bitten in their sleep and do not realize they were bitten.

A person’s reaction to insect bites is an immune response and so varies from person to person. Sometimes the red welts caused by the bites will not be noticed until many days after a person was bitten, if at all.

DETECTING AN INFESTATION Common signs and symptoms of a possible bed bug infestation: • Small red to reddish brown fecal spots on mattresses, box springs, bed frames, mattresses, linens, upholstery, or walls.

• Molted bed bug skins, white, sticky eggs, or empty eggshells.

• Very heavily infested areas may have a characteristically sweet odor.

• Red, itchy bite marks, especially on the legs, arms, and other body parts exposed while sleeping. However, some people do not show bed bug lesions on their bodies even though bed bugs may have fed on them.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information, see the Internet Web sites of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the National Pest Management Association. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs http://www.bedbugbmps.org/ Landlord/Property Management: Address:

Phone:

The Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer is a boutique real estate law firm serving the legal needs of the San Francisco Bay Area since 1995. Located in the heart of Palo Alto, the firm’s 6 attorneys have over 90 years of combined experience helping real estate investors, lenders, agents, homeowners, landlords, tenants, and small businesses.

REAL ESTATE LAW

Peter N. Brewer, Esq.

Julia M. Wei, Esq.

Simon Offord, Esq.

Purchase & Sale Transactions For Sale By Owner Purchases & Sales Commercial & Residential Leasing Real Estate Litigation Construction & Contractor Disputes Easements Deposit Disputes Boundary & Fence Disputes Concealment of Defects Title Disputes

LENDING LAW Hard-Money Lending Mortgage Lender Issues Loan Documentation 2501 Park Blvd., 2nd Floor Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 327-2900 Charlie Bronitsky,

Esq.

Henry Chuang, Esq.

Ashlee D. Adkins, Esq.

www.BrewerFirm.com www.BayAreaRealEstateLawyers.com