California Partition Law Blog
Frequently, when homeowners are dealing with financial difficulties, equity purchasers may induce homeowners to sell their homes for a fraction of the price. An “equity purchaser” is anyone who acquires title to any residence in foreclosure, with some exceptions. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1695.1(a)). The California legislature believed that homeowners were losing their homes to foreclosure due to “fraud, deception, and unfair dealing by home equity purchasers.” (Cal. Civ. Code § 1695). To combat these instances of deceit, the Legislature implemented the Home Equity Sales Contract Act, found in Title 5 of the California Code of Civil Procedure, Chapter 2.5, sections 1695.1-1695.16.
The goals of the Act are to provide homeowners with the information they need to make an informed decision regarding the sale of their home to an equity purchaser, to require that sales agreements be in writing, to protect the public against deceit and financial hardship, to encourage fair dealing in the sale and purchase of homes in foreclosure, to prohibit homeowners from being misled, to restrict unfair contract terms, to give homeowners a reasonable opportunity to rescind sales to equity purchasers, and to preserve home equities for the homeowners of California. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1695).
What Does the Home Equity Sales Contract Act Restrict?