(a) “Claimant” means an owner of a residential dwelling, as defined in Section 20808, who applies to a participating county for deferment of property taxes pursuant to this chapter and meets all of the following requirements:
(1) Has an annual household income, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 20803, that does not exceed thirty-five thousand five hundred dollars ($35,500).
(2) (A) Has attained eligibility for full social security benefits as of the last day of the filing period for that fiscal year, or (B) is blind or disabled, as defined in Section 12050 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, except in the case of retroactive deferment, as provided for in Section 20810, in which the age eligibility shall be 62 years old.
(3) Has equity value of at least 20 percent. For purposes of this subdivision, “equity value” means the amount by which the fair market value of the residential dwelling exceeds the total amount of any liens or other obligations against the residential dwelling. A participating county may require a claimant to provide an appraisal by a licensed or certified appraiser in support of his or her application. If an alternate appraisal method is used, a claimant whose application is denied for insufficient equity, may provide an appraisal by a licensed or certified appraiser in support of his or her application for consideration by the county.
(b) Only one claimant per residential dwelling may have property taxes deferred under this chapter at any one time.
(c) A claimant shall apply to participate in the program in each year that he or she seeks to defer property taxes under the program.
(d) The county treasurer, or county tax collector, may require a claimant to furnish evidence of the claimant’s ongoing eligibility in order to continue participation in the program in a subsequent year.
(e) If the claimant fails or refuses to furnish any information requested in writing by the county pursuant to this chapter, or files a fraudulent claim for deferment under this chapter, the claimant’s application to defer property taxes under this chapter shall be null and void, any record of a deferment payment on the tax roll shall be canceled, the tax or assessment shall be a lien as though no payment had been made, and the amount of the lien shall be increased by any penalties or interest resultant from property tax delinquency.
(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 369, Sec. 3. (AB 1090) Effective January 1, 2012.)