(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) (A) “High-income tenant” means a tenant with an annual household income of 130 percent of the median income, as published by the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Official State Income Limits for 2020, for the county in which the residential rental property is located.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph, all lawful occupants of the residential rental unit, including minor children, shall be considered in determining household size.

(C) “High-income tenant” shall not include a tenant with a household income of less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

(2) “Proof of income” means any of the following:

(A) A tax return.

(B) A W-2.

(C) A written statement from a tenant’s employer that specifies the tenant’s income.

(D) Pay stubs.

(E) Documentation showing regular distributions from a trust, annuity, 401k, pension, or other financial instrument.

(F) Documentation of court-ordered payments, including, but not limited to, spousal support or child support.

(G) Documentation from a government agency showing receipt of public assistance benefits, including, but not limited to, social security, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, or paid family leave.

(H) A written statement signed by the tenant that states the tenant’s income, including, but not limited to, a rental application.

(b) (1) This section shall apply only if the landlord has proof of income in the landlord’s possession before the service of the notice showing that the tenant is a high-income tenant.

(2) This section does not do any of the following:

(A) Authorize a landlord to demand proof of income from the tenant.

(B) Require the tenant to provide proof of income for the purposes of determining whether the tenant is a high-income tenant.

(C) (i) Entitle a landlord to obtain, or authorize a landlord to attempt to obtain, confidential financial records from a tenant’s employer, a government agency, financial institution, or any other source.

(ii) Confidential information described in clause (i) shall not constitute valid proof of income unless it was lawfully obtained by the landlord with the tenant’s consent during the tenant screening process.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not alter a party’s rights under Title 4 (commencing with Section 2016.010), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 708.010) of Title 9, or any other law.

(c) A landlord may require a high-income tenant that is served a notice pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 1179.03 to submit, in addition to and together with a declaration of COVID-19-related financial distress, documentation supporting the claim that the tenant has suffered COVID-19-related financial distress. Any form of objectively verifiable documentation that demonstrates the COVID-19-related financial distress the tenant has experienced is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this subdivision, including the proof of income, as defined in subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive, of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), a letter from an employer, or an unemployment insurance record.

(d) A high-income tenant is required to comply with the requirements of subdivision (c) only if the landlord has included the following language on the notice served pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c) of Section 1179.03 in at least 12-point font:

“Proof of income on file with your landlord indicates that your household makes at least 130 percent of the median income for the county where the rental property is located, as published by the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Official State Income Limits for 2020. As a result, if you claim that you are unable to pay the amount demanded by this notice because you have suffered COVID-19-related financial distress, you are required to submit to your landlord documentation supporting your claim together with the completed declaration of COVID-19-related financial distress provided with this notice. If you fail to submit this documentation together with your declaration of COVID-19-related financial distress, and you do not either pay the amount demanded in this notice or deliver possession of the premises back to your landlord as required by this notice, you will not be covered by the eviction protections enacted by the California Legislature as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and your landlord can begin eviction proceedings against you as soon as this 15-day notice expires.”

(e) A high-income tenant that fails to comply with subdivision (c) shall not be subject to the protections of subdivision (g) of Section 1179.03.

(f) (1) A landlord shall be required to plead compliance with this section in any unlawful detainer action based upon a notice that alleges that the tenant is a high-income tenant. If that allegation is contested, the landlord shall be required to submit to the court the proof of income upon which the landlord relied at the trial or other hearing, and the tenant shall be entitled to submit rebuttal evidence.

(2) If the court in an unlawful detainer action based upon a notice that alleges that the tenant is a high-income tenant determines that at the time the notice was served the landlord did not have proof of income establishing that the tenant is a high-income tenant, the court shall award attorney’s fees to the prevailing tenant.

(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 37, Sec. 20. (AB 3088) Effective August 31, 2020. Repealed as of October 1, 2025, pursuant to Section 1179.07.)