ENROLLED
ACT No. 422
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 374
BY REPRESENTATIVE DUPLESSIS
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 9:3258.1, relative to residential leases; to provide for notice to applicants by
3 certain lessors of residential properties; to provide for exceptions; to provide for
4 personal hardship statements after a declared disaster or emergency; and to provide
5 for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 9:3258.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง3258.1. Residential lease application requirements
9 A. A lessor shall not require payment of an application fee unless, prior to
10 accepting the payment, the lessor gives written notice of all of the following:
11 (1) The amount of the application fee.
12 (2) Whether the lessor considers credit scores, employment history, criminal
13 history, or eviction records in deciding whether to rent or lease to the applicant.
14 (3) That the applicant may share, in good faith, a statement of two hundred
15 words or less explaining that the applicant has experienced financial hardship
16 resulting from a state or federally declared disaster or emergency and how that
17 hardship impacted the applicant's credit, employment, or rental history.
18 (4) The lessor's notice regarding the statement of financial hardship shall
19 reference the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes.
20 B. Notice required by this Section may be delivered, stored, and presented
21 by electronic means if the electronic means meet the requirements of the Louisiana
22 Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, as provided in R.S. 9:2601, et seq.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HB NO. 374 ENROLLED
1 C. This Section shall apply to all lessors of property to be used as a lessee's
2 primary residence except for owner-occupied buildings consisting of no more than
3 four units.
4 D. No person shall have a cause of action against a lessor or a lessor's agents
5 or employees for any alleged violation of this Section, and a lessor and a lessor's
6 agents and employees are hereby immune from any and all causes of action for
7 alleged violations of this Section.
8 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.