(a) No contract or offer for the sale, lease, or rental of a home water treatment device and no purchase money loan, as defined in subdivision (b), shall provide for a lien on real property. Any lien taken in violation of this section is void and unenforceable.
(b) For the purpose of this section, “purchase money loan” means a loan or an advance under an open-end credit account if both of the following occur:
(1) The primary purpose of the loan or the primary purpose of establishing the open-end credit account is to finance all or a portion of the purchase price or any of the lease or rental payments for a water treatment device.
(2) The creditor knows the primary purpose of the loan or the primary purpose of establishing the open-end credit account when the loan is initially made or the open-end credit account is established.
(c) The creditor shall be deemed to know that the primary purpose of the loan or the primary purpose of establishing the open-end credit account is the primary purpose described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) if any of the following occur:
(1) The consumer’s application for credit or any other document in the creditor’s possession before the loan is made or the open-end account is established indicates the primary purpose of the loan or the open-end credit account.
(2) The seller, lessor, or renter arranges or guarantees the loan or open-end account, or participates in the preparation of the consumer’s application for credit or other loan documents, or receives from the creditor a loan commission, brokerage, or referral fee.
(d) For the purpose of this section, “open-end credit” has the same meaning as used in Section 226.2 of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(e) This section does not apply to mechanics liens established pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 8400) of Title 2 of Part 6 of Division 4 of the Civil Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 697, Sec. 10. (SB 189) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative July 1, 2012, by Sec. 105 of Ch. 697.)