(a) Each government rental assistance program shall, by no later than September 15, 2021, develop mechanisms, including, but not limited to, telephone or online access, through which landlords, tenants, and the court may do both of the following:

(1) Verify the status of an application for rental assistance based upon the property address and a unique application number.

(2) Obtain copies of any determination on an application for rental assistance. A determination shall indicate all of the following:

(A) The name of the tenant that is the subject of the application.

(B) The address of the property that is the subject of the application.

(C) Whether the application has been approved or denied.

(D) If the application has been approved, then the amount of the payment that has been approved and the period and type of rental debt to which the amount corresponds.

(E) If the application has been denied, the reason for the denial, which shall be any of the following:

(i) The tenant is ineligible for government rental assistance.

(ii) The government rental assistance program no longer has sufficient funds to approve the application.

(iii) The application remained incomplete 15 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and other judicial holidays, after it was initially submitted because of failure on the part of the tenant to provide required information.

(b) A government rental assistance program that does not comply with this section shall be deemed ineligible to receive further block grant allocations pursuant to Section 50897.2 or 50897.2.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(c) It shall be unlawful for a person to access or use any information available pursuant to subdivision (a) for any purpose other than to determine the status of an application for assistance.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 28, Sec. 28. (SB 1380) Effective January 1, 2023. Repealed as of September 30, 2024, pursuant to Section 1179.15.)