{"id":6708,"date":"2025-08-04T08:18:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=6708"},"modified":"2025-08-04T08:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:18:36","slug":"new-california-law-will-help-heirs-to-fire-damaged-properties-get-official-deeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/new-california-law-will-help-heirs-to-fire-damaged-properties-get-official-deeds\/","title":{"rendered":"New California Law Will Help Heirs to Fire-Damaged Properties Get Official Deeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Senator Sasha Ren\u00e9e P\u00e9rez of Pasadena has proposed a change to California law. It would let Los Angeles County residents affected by January\u2019s wildfires resolve missing deeds without a penalty. Missing documentation puts generational real estate assets<\/a> at risk. It can also keep disaster aid off-limits to those who most need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S.B. 293 is titled the Generational Homeownership Protection Act<\/em>. It would acknowledge the rights to homes informally passed down to children or to grandchildren. It would also keep property tax increases from suddenly hitting the owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge: Homes Passed Down Informally, Without Recorded Deed Transfers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Senator P\u00e9rez represents the district that includes Pasadena and Altadena. In Altadena, the Eaton Fire destroyed about 10,000 buildings in January 2025. It was just one of a string of wildfires that devastated large swathes of Southern California. The losses \u2014 of life, property, and natural resources \u2014 were unprecedented in the state\u2019s history. This led to the Governor announcing a state of emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UCLA research<\/a> found that the Eaton Fire hit Black households especially hard. Black households make up 18% of the Altadena population. About half of those households suffered major losses or the complete ruin of their homes (as compared to 39% of households generally).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And among the lost and damaged properties, a significant number had been passed down within families informally, without official deed recordings. When ownership transfers don\u2019t get recorded, unexpected tax burdens can pile up on residents who aren\u2019t aware of these debts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altadena\u2019s historic Black community faced the harsh impacts of these realities. Many of these households have passed property down through generations \u2014 often, without the customary legal documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P\u00e9rez introduced Senate Bill 293 in February; It Was Revised in July<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The bill has now gone through several amendments. It will apply to people with properties that have been reassessed for tax purposes following a \u201cmajor misfortune or calamity\u201d where the governor has announced a state of emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new law intends to support fire victims in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n