Before the new year, California animal control offices were required to wait at least 24 hours before they could rescue a pet from a foreclosed property after they posted a note on the door.
But a new 2009 foreclosure law requires property owners (including banks, real estate companies and other corporate businesses) to notify the local animal control office if there are any animals on the property so they can quickly rescue the abandoned pets.
The idea for the new foreclosure law came from Sheri Kuticka, who entered CA Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier’s (D-Martinez) ‘There Ought to Be a Law’ contest.
The bill was widely approved and also co-sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the California Animal Association.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it into law on Aug. 4, 2008 and it went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.
The state doesn’t track how many pets are left at foreclosed properties; however, a local broker with Coldwell Banker Pioneer Real Estate said he and his colleagues come across abandoned pets in 5 to 10 percent of the foreclosures they handle.
With the unfortunate rise in mortgage foreclosures, abandoned pets have become a larger issue for many communities.
The hope is that the new law will improve the quality of life for, and save the lives of, pets who’ve been left behind.
Psst.... are you facing foreclosure? Did you know that Chapter 13 bankruptcy was designed to stop foreclosure and protect property?
Tags: foreclosure, foreclosure law
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